> But Why?
Arguably, there is no "why".
You could say that they're an evolutionary dead end. But that's just speculation.
Arguably, there is no "why".
You could say that they're an evolutionary dead end. But that's just speculation.
It also assumes free will in asking the quesiton.
I was thinking generally about the fallacy of seeking intentionality in evolution. There is a point to analyzing what happened, of course. It's just that too much "why" is dangerous.
You're totally right. Asking questions and thinking about things might lead you to dangerous places. You might even (gasp) eventually start believing in God. That would be doubleplus ungood crimethink!
Why ("how come")? Is a legitimate question, though. What selective pressure is there in the environment that would lead to dumber octopuses dying off while smarter ones thrive?