How did the ice age lead to consciousness and individualism?

[ChongFire]

To fully comprehend my belief on what consciousness is exactly I will explain to you how I processed the information at hand. I initially look at evolution. It is my belief that it was how the worlds climate changed that led us to conscience individuals. It all started with the ice age. Darwins theory of evolution states the strongest will survive. In this case when food supplies became scarce only the smartest of the early humans would be able to find it. This would enhance memory capacity and the ability to come up with original ideas. Then after this period of increasing mental capacity the ice age ended. When this happened food became more easy to come by so our mental capacity was not being challanged anymore. With the food easier to find we spent less time looking for it and more time among other early humans. Our memory and ability to come up with original thoughts was then tuned off of how to get food and onto each other. We eventually came to understand simple ideas like me and you. The more we studied each other the more we discovered that "You are different then me." It was through co-existence that we became conscience and self aware.

 

[pallidin]

I can see your point: Without "differance" there can be no distinction of "self"
And this "differance" only comes about when I am involved with other humans.
On a mountain with only myself, I feel a strong "connection" with Nature; as if I were one with it. In contrast, within a random group of people I notice "differences" which tend to strengthen my sense of individuality and "separateness".

 

[Rade]

..It is my belief that it was how the worlds climate changed that led us to conscience individuals. It all started with the ice age. Darwins theory of evolution states the strongest will survive. In this case when food supplies became scarce only the smartest of the early humans would be able to find it. This would enhance memory capacity and the ability to come up with original ideas. Then after this period of increasing mental capacity the ice age ended.

I see a major factual problem here. Homo sapiens (the human species) evolved out of Africa many millions of years before "ice age", which at best is only 10,000's of years in past.

 

[Rade]

On a mountain with only myself, I feel a strong "connection" with Nature; as if I were one with it. In contrast, within a random group of people I notice "differences" which tend to strengthen my sense of individuality and "separateness".

Think rock concerts or football games etc.--random groups of people that become one with a thing--i.e. music, sport, etc. Have you ever made visit to an overlook with a random group of people (say waterfall)--do you not think there is a group response to nature ? The one and the whole form a dialectic, you cannot understand the one without the other.

 

[selfAdjoint]

Have you ever made visit to an overlook with a random group of people (say waterfall)--do you not think there is a group response to nature ?

Yes I have and no I don't. The people I have been with on these occasions (Yosemite, Grand Teton, etc.) behaved pretty much like people on a downtown street in my opinion. "Who's got the camera?", "Get out of there Jimmy!", "Boy I think my feet are hurting too much to go on."

 

[ChongFire]

I see a major factual problem here. Homo sapiens (the human species) evolved out of Africa many millions of years before "ice age", which at best is only 10,000's of years in past.

There are many factors at work here that I don't know the fullest extent. If for exaple the period prior to the ice age was extremely dry due to water being locked up in the ice caps then food would still have become scarce. At this it may be because of this that homo sapiens were capable of suriving the ice age, because they already had intelligence prior to it. Like I said I don't pressume to be totally informed on this particular area but it is possible of something along this line.