The Cognitive Revolution is Happening Again: Thinking About Human Divergence from the Neanderthal and AI Eras
*This article does not assert established scientific facts.
It is a hypothesis based on my own observations, experiences, and thoughts,
left behind as a 'memo for the future'.
Introduction | Humanity was not just one species from the beginning
We tend to think that
'humanity = Homo sapiens'.
is the case.
But in reality,
Homo sapiens
Homo neanderthalensis
Homo erectus
and many other human species
existed on Earthat the same time.
It was not a single linear evolution, but
a forest of diverse, branching human species.
And currently, the only one that has survived
among them isonly Homo sapiens.
Were Neanderthals 'inferior'?
There is a common misunderstanding.
Homo sapiens were smart, and Neanderthals were primitive
However, recent research has refuted this.
Neanderthals also used fire
used sophisticated tools
many individuals had larger brain capacities than sapiens
they also had sociality
If you look only at individual performance, it is even possible that Neanderthals were superior.
Even so, they disappeared, and
only Homo sapiens remained.
What determined the outcome was not 'ability'
So, what was the deciding factor?
That is
the 'Cognitive Revolution' said to have occurred about 70,000 years ago.
What is important is that
it is not that the brain suddenly grew larger
it is not that they newly acquired language
the 'way of using language' itself changed
.
Three changes that occurred in the Cognitive Revolution
1 | Became able to talk beyond time
Not just 'here and now',
what happened in the past
what could happen in the future
could be shared as causal relationships.
2 | Gossip began to circulate
Even with information mixed with truth and falsehood,
reputation
trust
fear
could be spread throughout the group.
This was not for entertainment, but
an essential function for holding the group together.
3 | Becoming able to share fictions
Myths, guardian deities, tribal stories, symbols.
By "believing in things as if they existed"
even though they do not physically exist,
humanity became able to maintain
groups exceeding 150 people (Dunbar's number)
.
The wall that Neanderthals could not overcome
Neanderthals were able to build strong cooperative relationships
within face-to-face relationships
with people they knew
.
However,
strangers
abstract stories
solidarity through fiction
were difficult to maintain in the long term.
As a result,
the prevailing view is that they remained divided in small groups and were inferior in numbers and coordination
.
Returning our perspective to the present day
I have been feeling a strong sense of discomfort lately.
Even though we use the same language, the number of people who cannot share basic premises at all is increasing
It is not so much a difference in values, but rather
a sense that the cognitive OS itself is different.
It is not that the arguments fail to connect, but that
the way the world is perceived is different.
Can AI become a 'new fire'?
AI is a groundbreaking technology of the modern age.
Many people are already using it for
information retrieval
summarization
efficiency
task assistance
.
However, this is similar to the
'stage where Neanderthals used fire only for warmth'
.
What is important is not
'whether you can use AI,' but
what AI does to cognition
The turning point is not technology, but 'relationship'
If the same structure as 70,000 years ago is
happening even now.
People who consume technology as a tool
People whose cognition itself is rewritten by their relationship with technology
This difference is not about
intelligence
educational background
Expertise
has almost nothing to do with it.
**The difference arises from
how we form relationships with technology**.
Perhaps humanity is once again quietly beginning to diverge.
This is not a story about superiority, inferiority, or natural selection.
It is simply,
in the same era
with the same technology
as the same humanity
that,
the way we utilize cognition
may be starting to diverge little by little
—this is an observation of that possibility.
The divergence 70,000 years ago must have been
barely conscious to the people
of that time.
Conclusion | An observation record left for the future
This text is
not intended to persuade anyone.
It is not to present a correct answer
nor to incite anxiety
It is simply,
“a structure that occurred in the past
might be reappearing in a different form”
I am simply leaving that possibility
quietly behind.
At some point in the future,
this hypothesis may be disproven.
Even so,
it is worth keeping as a question,
that is how I feel.
—
This article also exists in English.
※This article is a "table" article that organizes structures and hypotheses.
Regarding my own actual relationship with ChatGPT:
・Where did the cognitive shift occur?
・What was the difference between the state of "using" it and the state where a "relationship emerges"?
・Why do experiences differ so completely even with the "same AI"?
I have recorded the realistic interactions and processes of this in a separate article.
This is not an article for broadening understanding, but a record for those who "feel something here" to pass through.
※The understanding of the "Cognitive Revolution" and the differences between Homo sapiens and other human species mentioned in this article was obtained with Toshio Okada's YouTube commentary as a "trigger".
However, the following points stated in this article:
・Connection with the AI era
・The hypothesis of human divergence in the modern age
are considerations based on my own observations and experiences.
🪷 As a starting point for observation
The hypothesis handled in this article is constructed from external structures such as human history and AI, but it originally started from
a single personal observation.
It is a record that previously put into words the sense of "OS compatibility" and "divergence of flow" that became visible through the phenomenon of infertility, which is considered to have no known cause.
💡 This note is for those whose senses move before the answers do.
If, after finishing reading, something remains rather than just a "I see"—
that might be a sign that your inner self is beginning to move.
🌱 Regaining your own axis of judgment from the feelings before they become words 🌱
I conduct co-creation sessions where I observe the hesitation, discomfort, and wavering currently happening within you one-on-one, not as "emotions" but as "structures".
It is okay if you cannot speak well.
It is okay if it is not organized.
Please bring your current state just as it is.
▶What is the quiet structural change that happens in this place?
*It is perfectly fine to remain in a state of uncertainty.