If Humans Went Extinct, Could Another Species Evolve To Occupy Our Niche?

[Typh0n]

Also, when I use the term sapience, please understand I'm not referring to problem solving/intelligence. Sapience is basically the capacity to "know thyself", to know that one truly exists. I think this capacity to "know thyself" is expressed through for example religion, ritual, which some of our genetic ancestors such as Neanderthaal practiced but not with the same complexity we do.

 

[Magic Poriferan]

I'm voting bacteria which takes over the brains and minds of other living creatures.

Bacteria has had a very long time to do that, but hasn't. It would also raise questions about which organism is actually intelligent, or if there's a real distinction. Sort of like trying to define a lichen.

This may sound nuts, however I personally do not believe civilization is a result of evolution and natural selection. It is caused by something non-natural, as is our capacity to build civilizations. I agree with Mole here (almost) in that natural selection is not teleological, it does not tend towards consciousness. I think Mole was saying that to mean that there is no reason to suspect any species would replace us, but the logical conclusion we should draw from Mole's statement is that since consciousness is not a result of evolution, it must be the result of something else. I don't know what, though, there are varying theories and models concerning the non-natural theory of consciousness. If we see consciousness as a non-natural experience in itself, it must have been caused by something non-natural. The problem with this theory, and the reason it sounds nuts, is because don't know what this cause is, and thus have to fill in the blanks with our imagination.

If a birdrace were to replace us, which I don't see as impossible, I don't think they would need oppossable thumbs necessarily, they can do other things which their morphology allows them to, but they would have to acquire the level of sapience we currently have (and don't always use very well btw).

In absence of an alternate explanation, I would think that evolution is the overwhelmingly probable one.

I suppose there's a very slim chance that it could actually be acquired. Like it's a thing that is developed in the brain post-gestation but would not necessarily develop, and had to be conditioned, and the acts of conditioning were then repeated and imitated and passed on in a cultural way. But even I don't argue for an acculturation effect that strong.

Also, when I use the term sapience, please understand I'm not referring to problem solving/intelligence. Sapience is basically the capacity to "know thyself", to know that one truly exists. I think this capacity to "know thyself" is expressed through for example religion, ritual, which some of our genetic ancestors such as Neanderthaal practiced but not with the same complexity we do.

Hmm. Do you perhaps mean sentience, rather than sapience?

 

[Typh0n]

Hmm. Do you perhaps mean sentience, rather than sapience?

I would define sapience as the fact of knowing. In this case, knowing's one own existence. Sentience is defined differently.

From Merriam-Webster

Definition of sentience
1: a sentient quality or state
2: feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception and thought

It's the second definition that you're invoking here. I would say that I meant sapience, not sentience. Not so much feeling or sensation as such but being aware that one exists as an individual consciousness, and knowing this fact, though I don't think you believe in a metaphysical "soul" or "psyche" as distingushed from the body, so maybe you will find my words hard to grasp.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Could we ever evolve to a state of near-omnipotence?

 

[Lord Lavender]

How did I miss this thread?.

Regardless I have have many thoughts on this topic and I do think it will take time but eventually another species will become intelligent with the humanity niche lost. I could see one of the great apes evolving into an intelligent spices but it would take a few million years give or take plus the right environmental conditions but the old tech will give them a boost I think as they could salvage and reverse engineer stuff from the ruins of humanity as they dig into it. I could also see dolphins becoming an underwater culture as they are smart enough but the main obstacle would be lack of hands.

On the other hand I love to speculate what we could see on other planets with different conditions such as floaters on gas planets, silcion creatures on lava planets, sea life on ocean planets e.t.c.

 

[Kanra Jest]

How did I miss this thread?.

Regardless I have have many thoughts on this topic and I do think it will take time but eventually another species will become intelligent with the humanity niche lost. I could see one of the great apes evolving into an intelligent spices but it would take a few million years give or take plus the right environmental conditions but the old tech will give them a boost I think as they could salvage and reverse engineer stuff from the ruins of humanity as they dig into it. I could also see dolphins becoming an underwater culture as they are smart enough but the main obstacle would be lack of hands.

On the other hand I love to speculate what we could see on other planets with different conditions such as floaters on gas planets, silcion creatures on lava planets, sea life on ocean planets e.t.c.

Unless Dolphin's magically evolve and grow hands of course.

Like the Zora from Legend of Zora

Which would be AWESOME

... !

We could find a way to genetically activate or speed up their evolutionary process perhaps! Assuming others creatures have it or will inevitably have it or even could. Just think of if we could unlock something like that and speed up their evolution... what would that be like? How fascinating would that be?? They would start with apes of course, to breed them into humans. And then gradually move to experimenting with other creatures.

Hmm. Good plot point for a movie too.