Intention

CHAPTER 3What Is Intention?

“When spiders unite they can tie down a lion”

—Ethiopian Proverb

When humans first appeared on Earth 300,000 years ago, Homo sapiens were hardly the only hominid around. We likely shared the planet with five to seven other hominid species. Some of them, such as the Neanderthals, were likely bigger and stronger than we were, and as far as we can tell from their skulls, they also had significantly bigger brains. While modern humans have a cranial capacity of about 82 cubic inches (1,344 cubic cm), Neanderthals could reach up to 100. Brain size accounts for only 9–16% of overall variability in intelligence, but nevertheless, Neanderthals had an advantage over us.¹ Despite their physical advantages, these hominids died out 40,000 years ago. But “died out” is perhaps not the right terminology here—they thrived for a long time until we came to Europe and “outcompeted” them (sometimes by eating their food, other times by murder).²

What did we have that our brethren didn't? The answer likely lies in how we used our brains rather than our brawn. While factors such as our access to fire certainly helped, perhaps the most important difference between us and other hominids was our ability to use social cooperation, complex language, and abstract concepts. Our ability to plan, communicate, and work together allowed us to overcome our physical limitations, especially in groups. Our special brains allowed us to transcend the here and now, formulate complex beliefs, ...