who is next?

ZeusAres42

That is actually a very interesting topic. And I was about to say no. However, I remember having a discussion with a clever guy when I was younger about if anyone was truly unique. He was rather arrogant mind you but nethertheless a smart cookie.   Anyway I mentioned Leonardo da Vinci and he said 'but there will be another person like him in our timeline." And I have to say I agree. Now, by the same reasoning it is a probability that there will be other species much like ourselves in the future regardless of if we're extinct or not. @maxx  

RickeyD

@maxx ; The only reason the animal kingdom exists is for the sustainability of human KIND (Genesis 9:3). Man will continue to thrive upon the Earth until the conclusion of Messiah Yeshua's Millennial Reign at which time the Earth and the Heavens as we know them will be destroyed as by fire (2 Peter 3:10) and reshaped and remolded for God's use as a New Earth and a New Heaven...paradise lost will be Paradise restored and every man and woman having trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord for the mediation of sin will have a part in this New Heaven and New Earth forever (John 11:17-44).

Plaffelvohfen

I think it would have to be another mammal, cortexes are required for higher cognitive functions... Opposable thumbs is likely to help quite a lot too, so with cortexes and opposable thumbs it would be either another primate or maybe raccoons, opossums??

maxx

I agree with the need to manipulate objects in order to actually create very much at all; however thumbs only make a species more capable; it is really not an indication of evolutionary intelligence.  I think gthe biggest thing a species would need is the ability to constantly stand on their hind legs.  many mammals  do so such as squirrels. penguins also stand upright.  perhaps in the absence of humans that vacumn may be filled by something that is upright. another need would I assume is for the species to be able to take care of threats by fighting off predators. it is a challenging idea though.@Plaffelvohfen

Plaffelvohfen

@maxx

The main thing are cortexes though... Opposable thumbs, standing up, etc, although great enablers for certain activities, won't be of much help in giving birth to "new civilization" if one doesn't have a developed cortex, so we can safely assume that in the absence of humans, another mammal would take it's place as the dominant specie on this planet... 

maxx

yes, of course but from what I have read and understand( who knows) our lineage aside from primates, led to a shrew like creature that lived in trees. we had no developed corrtex. what led to human intelligence is really still a mystery and there is no reason why it can not happen again in another species@Plaffelvohfen

Plaffelvohfen

What led to human intelligence is the evolution of neural neo-cortices in mammals (the 6 new layers), it's that simple... Without this, there would be no language, no abstract cognition and there would be no civilization... What led to this neo-cortex you might ask? A random mutation that happened to be beneficial, no big deal, no mysteries... 

maxx

well we can disagree with that@Plaffelvohfen

Plaffelvohfen

@maxx

Sure, disagree with Science and Reality if you like, not my problem... 

maxx

where and what point did this genetic accident happen.  according to science it began long ago in a species that led to humans..  ther is no proof that what led to human intelligence began in primates instead of the species that led to primates. in fact it is just the opposite.  one would have to trace the entire lineage that led to human intelligence to find where and what led to the genetic accident that eventually produced human intelligence. @Plaffelvohfen

Plaffelvohfen

The where and when it happened is irrelevant here really... The fact remains that without neo-cortex there would be no civilization, no language, no abstract cognition...

Every single human realizations (tangible and abstract) you can think of, since the advent of homo erectus, stems from evolution of the neo-cortices in our brain... it is what defines us really, what sets us apart from others mammals and the sole reason we were able to grow and dominate this planet... 

maxx

abstract cognition?  all mammals think or reason in abstraction. as to where it happen, when it happen does matter for if it were not for what led to humans, the   evolution of the cortex would never have happened. a man never became a man, with out the baby coming firsthttps://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/genetic-accident-led-to-origin-of-human-intelligence_19858.html       @Plaffelvohfen

AlofRI

Hmmmmm. It would have to be an animal ….. with thumbs. Maybe there COULD be a "Planet of the Apes"??

Plaffelvohfen

@maxx

The when and where of the advent of neo-cortices doesn't matter with regards to your original question : What would replace humans as creators of civilizations if they were to disappear....

What I'm saying is that whatever specie that would be, it will need cortices and mammals already have a huge advance on every other specie, at least they have basic cortex, reptile don't, fish don't, etc... Also, when I talk about abstract cognition, I mean "the ability to mentally form representations of unseen underlying causes or forces.".

Now, there is evidence that some animals are able to reason abstractly under some circumstances (some other examples regarding nonhuman primates can be found here; data are available, too, for animals as diverse as dolphins and pigs). And the thing to notice here, is that everyone of those species that are capable of "some" abstractions are all mammals with developed cortices... 

So whatever specie would replace humans as the dominant specie able to create what humans did, will need a cortex minimally as developed as humans to do so... 

Thus, two things will be required by our eventual successor: 1) A neo-cortex at least as developed as ours. 2) Opposable thumbs... Any specie with those 2 characteristics could potentially achieve something similar as humans did, given a few hundred thousand years...

maxx

I agree up to the point where you believe that opposable thumbs are needed. Thumbs just make a species more capable, and there are many ways to overcome a lack of. people can draw, work, and create without them and a species can adapt without them. @Plaffelvohfen