The Sapient Paradox

The “Sapient Paradox” is an issue that perplexes scholars of prehistory like Colin Renfrew in the book Becoming Human: Innovation in Prehistoric Material and Spiritual Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. It is based first on the likely fact that 70,000 to 100,000 years ago our species emerged in Africa. Not some pre-human hominid but anatomically and “cognitively” humans. That means that for around 100,000+ years human evolution has been primarily cultural not physical. The paradox is that while these humans had the same brain capability as us, minus our schooling, it took over 40,000 years to develop the cultural capacity to create the Chauvet cave paintings, 60,000 to 90,000 years to discover agriculture, and almost 100,000 years to develop civilization. That is a loooong time! The Roman Empire dissipated only a little over 1500 years ago. Writing has only been around for a little over 5000 years. What were these cognitively capable humans doing that it took that long to develop the rudimentary elements of “high” culture, but in 5,000 years we learn to write, make wheels, fly, and travel to the moon in a space ship?

How many humans with the intellectual capability of an Einstein or the creative abilities of a da Vinci sat around bon fires in those tens of thousands of years?

What does this mean about those fantastic stories that comprise the first creation and other myths? Remember, complex mythological stories with psychological and spiritual allegories embedded in them do not just happen one day. These are the work of generations of insightful people.

At what point did someone realize Descartes famous phrase “cogito ergo sum,” I am thinking therefore I am? Or has that sense of awe and wonder been around since the beginning only to become repressed by things like monotheism?

Does it make you wonder about anything else?

Chauvet Cave Art