I believe it to be a myth because you are defining "complexity" in terms of "how similar to a human it is". A cow is not, in fact, more complex than a fern in any way I can think to measure. For example, a cow has 60 chromosomes, while a adder's tongue fern has 1200. I think the highest number of chromosomes for a mammal is like 160 and it's some kind of rat - many plants and fungii have more. Cows have not been around longer, and have not gone through a longer process of evolution.
"Brains" are one form of nervous system distinct only because it's the one we have. I don't think that makes it worth more than anything else.
Yes, you can think anything you want, but remember that human tendancy to heirarchize base on physical similarity has been called racist in the past, and when it's applied to non-humans it's not useful either: we like to save the lives of panda bears and gorillas, but we can't be bothered to get off our asses for frogs and algae even if the latter are the lynchpins for the survival of an ecosystem.
In any case, I don't see the inherant superiority of a central nervous system.
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dancing_serpent
Re: Two Reasons, Not Just One
Date: 2007-01-27 03:05 pm (UTC)"Brains" are one form of nervous system distinct only because it's the one we have. I don't think that makes it worth more than anything else.
Yes, you can think anything you want, but remember that human tendancy to heirarchize base on physical similarity has been called racist in the past, and when it's applied to non-humans it's not useful either: we like to save the lives of panda bears and gorillas, but we can't be bothered to get off our asses for frogs and algae even if the latter are the lynchpins for the survival of an ecosystem.
In any case, I don't see the inherant superiority of a central nervous system.