1.
Rationally predicted, unconfirmed.
The Oort Cloud is a theoretical vast sphere of icy objects believed to surround our solar system at distances ranging from about 2,000 to 100,000 astronomical units from the Sun. Conceived by the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort in 1950, this distant cloud is thought to be the source of long-period comets that occasionally visit the inner solar system. Oort proposed this model to explain why comets appear with seemingly random and highly elongated orbits, suggesting that they originate in this remote cloud, pushed towards the Sun by gravitational interactions with passing stars or galactic tides. Though the Oort Cloud remains unseen, the behavior and trajectories of these comets provide indirect evidence supporting its existence, hinting at a reservoir of comet-like bodies that shapes our understanding of the solar system’s boundaries and early history.
Current Debate: Proposed by Ernst Öpik in 1932 as the source of long-period comets, and then revised by Jan Oort in 1950. The Oort Cloud remains speculative because it has not been directly observed. That does not make it foolish. It makes it unconfirmed.
Speculative ideas live on a spectrum. At one end are ideas that may be permanently unknowable. At the other are ideas we are actively trying to verify. The Oort Cloud belongs near the testable end of that spectrum. The next step is confirmation, which would move it into the empirical category, or disproof, which would move it into the disproven irrational category.
I wrote that Epistemology Story,
and posted it to TST 2 years ago.
2.
Lived 16 to 14 Million Years Ago
Prefrontal–limbic integration, Reading others, Modulating reaction
The last common ancestor with humans and orangatans lived around 16 mya.
Great Apes LCA candidate: Kenyapithecus is an extinct genus of great ape that lived in Kenya from around 16 to 14 million years ago. It is considered a potential candidate for the last common ancestor of all great apes, including humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Kenyapithecus had a mix of primitive and advanced features, with a brain size slightly larger than that of modern chimpanzees and a more human-like dental structure. Its face was likely more flat and human-like than modern great apes, and it may have had a more upright posture. While its exact relationship to modern great apes is still debated, Kenyapithecus provides important insights into the evolution of the great ape lineage.
Complex EI Emerges: Orangutans fall into the Complex EI category. They exhibit a broad spectrum of emotionally intelligent behaviors, including empathy, where they show concern for the welfare of others; the use of emotional cues to communicate and navigate complex social landscapes; self-control and mood management; and problem-solving that incorporates emotional states. Their ability to engage in morally influenced behaviors, such as sharing based on social bonds or altering their behavior to maintain social harmony, underscores their capacity for complex emotional intelligence. Orangutans’ nuanced social interactions, care for their young, and responses to environmental and social challenges demonstrate a sophisticated understanding and management of emotions that align with the hallmarks of complex EI.
I wrote that Epistemology Story,
and posted it to TST 2 years ago.
