| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/17/2008 4:30:30 PM | I probably could have summed up everything I just said by saying, our consciousness probably has many limits such as information flow, number of simultaneous functions it can use in multi-tasking information, stuff like that.
It probably is constantly creating new series of shortcuts meant to prioritize it's handling of information. All in order to better appeal to it's obsessive compulsive desire to break everything down into patterns. So information found often in nature's patterns would be less a priority to our minds, because we aren't constantly exposed to it. And the patterns in human society could be a lot more tricky to observe than in nature. 
When someone goes blind, that's a lot less information their brain needs to worry about. Their brain probably adapts it's shortcuts to better use it's information flow and processing capacities, which would result in increased pattern recognition sensitivity of the information provided from the remaining sensory organs.
One series of shortcuts we develop is meant to identify patterns in facial construction. So we can tell the faces we most commonly see apart from each other. It also inadvertently results in our perceiving faces in ordinary everyday objects. I do not know the name of that phenomenon off-hand though. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/17/2008 4:38:01 PM |
I was watching this fasinating nature tv show about the acute fine instincts of animals and how they're superior to humans in a lot of ways. They sense a WHOLE heck of a lot of things, one of them being danger for example. It made me wonder why Bambi can sense danger and get away but too often that not people don't getting attacked or sometimes even worse. This posed several philosophical/scientific questions for me. Does this mean animals are in a way smarter than people? Maybe that depends on the definition of the word "intelligence" ( are humans that dumb....)??? Why was nature created so that animals have such instinctual skills (if you can call it that) as opposed to their highly evolved human counterparts?
Great topic!! Firstly, the idea that humans are at the top of the pyramid intellectually is a view that is very much related to religion, not science.
When we assume from the get go such things like we are smarter, it skews our investigation to that perspective.
Some of our greatest inventions have a strong relationship with mimicing nature. If we would spend more time acknowledging the special abilities of other creatures and figuring out how we too could have those advantages instead of boosting up our own, maybe we could actually be a lot smarter than we are. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/18/2008 4:26:20 PM | | hmm...perhaps what separates us form the animals is having a sense of humour. then again..I've known horses tat liked to play tricks...and dogs and cats...I swear they are grinning afterwards...but that might be a case of "monkey see, monkey do". I haven't seen much in the way a wild animal shows a sense of humour. Maybe they don't find life funny at all...or too busy surviving to let a sense of humour develope. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/19/2008 11:49:19 PM |
I was watching this fasinating nature tv show about the acute fine instincts of animals and how they're superior to humans in a lot of ways. They sense a WHOLE heck of a lot of things, one of them being danger for example. It made me wonder why Bambi can sense danger and get away but too often that not people don't getting attacked or sometimes even worse.
Intelligence and instinct are two different things that utilise different parts of the brain. It's not that humans don't have these instincts, it's that we generally ignore them in favor of using our intelligence exclusively to decipher the world around us. It's a shame, really, because backing up instinctual response with the logic and problem-solving abilities unique to humans is a far more effective way to function in the world. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/20/2008 1:08:14 AM | Animals aren't 'smarter', they're just better at doing certain things. Through the death of millions of their ancestors, their genetics have been filed down to something approaching 'perfection' (there are a couple of exceptions here). It's not that they developed these senses and abilities in order to survive and prosper, it's just that they're the only ones left. All the others who lacked those abilities and senses died out. Nature's as grim and simple as all that in that sense. Also interesting that a lot of these 'animal' instincts are basically, paranoia. They think they sense danger, so they run: better not to be there than to be wrong. That sort of behaviour's generally frowned upon by humans, unfortunately...
As for 'intelligence', I believe the one thing we've got over most animals is our ability to create a space within our minds in which to solve problems. Most animals muddle through their problems with trial and error in the physical world, and for the most part, so do we. However, we seem to have an ability to create an abstract, internal world where we don't have to get hurt to learn a lesson in order to formulate possible solutions (Again, plenty of exceptions to the rule here). Why things like physics, electronics and mathematics exist, really. Mind you, I've never been able to ask an animal if they are indeed capable of this and gotten an answer I could understand...
Unfortunately for us, this means that we cope well enough without the paranoia anymore, and as a species, we have. Sure, we can lack the ability to pre-empt natural disasters and the foresight to get the hell out of there before it happens. However, just think about the number of humans that will survive all around the world despite the loss of hundreds of thousands, or even millions. Losses like that are catastrophic to most animals, but to us? Not an issue.
I used to like designing 'perfect' animals as a kid, trying to combine all the best things I knew to create something that could do everything. Unfortunately, that's not how Nature works, and it's all a matter of compromise. You get one thing, but lose another.
That's life, I suppose. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/20/2008 2:00:03 PM | In response to tru2me, I believe that each animal is designed, through evolution for surviving and adapting to certain environments, and because of these adaptations, they have developed far greater instinctual and sensory skills that we humans will never be able to comprehend.
For example, take a dog. A dog's nose is so sensitive that it is a million times more sensitive than that of a human's nose. The dog's nose can be utilized for many tasks that we as people would never be able to accomplish on our own. It can even be trainned to detect cancer.
Another example is the dolphin. The dolphin can use sonar to help navigate through the depths of the ocean. Most of it's brain is devoted to this task alone. It was because of whales and dolphins that have inspired scientist to develop the sophisticated sonar devices that we use today in the military and in ultrasound technology that we use everyday in hospitals. Animals have inspired humans to invent all kinds of things that we probably would never have thought of before.
So, I do believe that animals are superior to humans in some regards. It depends on what you are using as a measuring stick. On a purely intellectual level, humans are by far more intelligent. Our ability to conceptualize and think abstract is unparralled in other animal species. But if we compare ourselves to their terms, we would far way short. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/24/2008 10:03:34 AM | Many animals have been mentioned in this thread as being highly intelligent. I think one must define what intelligence is. This was defined for me by a person who's job it was to test people as to their level of intelligence. She defined it this way.
Inteligence is the ability to solve problems, for example, If you put a person in a cave and measured how long it would take him to find his way out you would get a good indication of his intelligence.
Using that definition of intelligence, a pig must be one of the smartest animals on earth. We already know their sense of smell is superior to a dogs. For example, dogs are used to locate truffles underground growing on the roots of oak trees, a dog can detect a truffle at a depth of about 4 inches. I pig (also used for this purpose) can smell a truffle at a depth of 12 inches. But I digress.
This little true story will show just how smart a pig is.
I had a small farm and for a while, I raised pigs. One day my wife and I (now EX) was in the hog pen (10' X 10') cleaning it out. Our 500 lb sow was out in the pen with us and her litter of little piglets were in a row on the doorsill of the barn watching the action. All of a sudden one piglet fell out into the pen and was unable to get back in because it was too high. It was sqeeling like mad. We stood there looking at each other in a panic because we dared not pick the little thing up for fear of getting attacked by the sow. I was afraid she would try to pick the thing up in her mouth and possibly crush it. Mind you, this was her first litter so she had no experience with motherhood. Within 3 seconds the sow had analysed the situation and figured out how to get the piglet safely back into the barn. She pushed a big rock using her snout over to the barn door and the little pig jumped onto the rock and into the barn. Our jaws dropped and I had this sickening feeling about killing such a smart animal for food. All I could think of was "And we think we are the smartest creatures on the planet." That sow was only about 2 years old and she made both of us look like idiots. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/24/2008 7:39:32 PM | | this made me wonder the fashionable question what is the thing then that makes us uniquely human- that seperates the humans from the animals? | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/24/2008 7:51:31 PM | http://www.newtechusa.com/ppi/talent.asp
It really is impressive to see the amount that have recently learned and work with .Net as that library while it seems simple enough is a pain to learn, though I admit it is really easy once you get the hang of it. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/25/2008 12:43:34 AM | | I think it's our conscience (and our free will along with it) and our ability to be creative. I've yet to see animals exhibit these characteristics. I also wonder if they 'love' in the way we do. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/25/2008 1:47:47 AM | I also wonder if they 'love' in the way we do.
I would imagine animals tend to not trust other types of animals any more easily than we would trust suspicious strangers in an incredibly deadly neighbourhood.
But lots of animals have been seen showing compassion towards one another in ways that can get people watching all choked up. Compassion thankfully seems to be seen in many species.  | |
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Mee76
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Joined: 11/18/2007
Msg: 38 | |
| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/25/2008 12:26:02 PM | | We're all biological beings, we all have similar instincts and emotions. The only difference is we have language. You try thinking about something you know no words to.... can you do it? i'll be impressed if you can right it down here | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/25/2008 12:29:13 PM | Animals have language too.
Dolphins can coordinate their hunting parties very well, using their wide variety of clicks, whistles and squeals. | |
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Mee76
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Joined: 11/18/2007
Msg: 40 | |
| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/25/2008 12:31:10 PM | | lol I know animals have language as such, you know what I mean. christ some ppl are picky lol | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 5/25/2008 1:04:17 PM | I am actually a dolphin incognito and do not understand you strange creatures and the many meanings of your words.  | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 6/2/2008 12:41:56 PM | | The brain of the dolphin is much larger than that of a human's brain. It has been suggested that the reason their brains are so large is because so much of their brains are devoted to their ability to navigate throughout the ocean using echolocation. It was probably through dolphins and whales that have inspired scientists to study sonar and build sonar devices. The very sonar used today in the military and in medicine, such as sonography, originated from that concept. So I would say that dolphins languages is very sophisticated. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 6/2/2008 12:49:59 PM | dont forget that humans ARE animals. and as such, the only animals that have systematically ruined their own environment.
now comparing one species abilities for self preservations to another species is like comparing apples to oranges because both species have sprung from or designed a specific set of needs to be met.
animals are more evolved in many senses than a humanoid. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 6/2/2008 12:59:19 PM | one other thing, on the only difference that I can see regarding humans to other mammals is that humans have the ability to glance into the future and hypothisize. animals DO NOT do this. they do not have that ability.
animals are curious, inquisitive, communicate with languages, can learn. they can even solve un-complex problems but they cannot take a problem and guess its outcome. they do not practice the complexities of guessing in the first place. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 6/2/2008 3:51:39 PM | | etheralone, I never suggested that we are not animals too. After all, we do share approximately 98% of our DNA with the other sentient beings that we share this planet with, so yes, I do agree with you on that. But I do not agree that we cannot compare the self-preservation abilities of one species to another. Actually, we can. Apples and oranges can be compared. Despite the many differences between an apple and an orange, they do have one major commonality: they are both fruit! | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 6/2/2008 7:51:26 PM |
So, I do believe that animals are superior to humans in some regards. It depends on what you are using as a measuring stick. On a purely intellectual level, humans are by far more intelligent. Our ability to conceptualize and think abstract is unparralled in other animal species. But if we compare ourselves to their terms, we would far way short.
This is actually precisely the problem with human intelligence: we have pronounced tendency to believe more strongly in our common abstract realities (religion, politics, economics), than in the evidence of our senses. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 6/3/2008 8:42:48 AM | | Animals have instincts, and humans do, too, but since humans have the intelligence to shelter themselves in a particular way, they don't have to rely so much on these instincts. However, there are some who do have instincts about human nature, and there are even a few who use this to take advantage of other people and gain power. It is quite interesting that we are actually our own worst enemies. Most accidents aren't caused by animals but by us...our own intelligence may be our own demise. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 6/3/2008 12:20:24 PM | hey philisophygirl!
i see your point, however, there is too much fruit out there to not differentiate the comparisons....lol
as well, our self-preservations abilities cannot be compared because they are directly correlated with social functioning processes that other animals do not share. The largest one being our perception of our "horizon." A human's horizon and perception of life and survival is very different from that of other animal species. | |
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 6/3/2008 3:15:45 PM | Bambi?.......is able to escape that danger...by smell, through the wind/ air.
i don't think it means, animals r "smarter" than humans./ just a better sence for smell.
wild animals communicate through each other too.
we can easily learn this by observing, say....a squirrel.
squirrel hears bird upset/ bird in air sees, danger/unknown approaching/ bird makes noise/ alert!!
nature , ithink, was created ...for all life form, as we know it.
my 2 cents.
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| animal vs human intelligence
Posted: 6/3/2008 6:34:24 PM |
a vacuum cleaner isn't dangerous, and that you don't use it for sexual relief Dang! in that case I'll take happily stupid! But I'm still not afraid of them!
As for the rest, human talents and shortcomings are as varied as the differences between humans and animals. Are people who can't figure out how to fix a car, make money, program a computer, draw a picture any dumber than anyone else?
Is there one of you smart enough to explain how all this so-called intelligence has made humans better than anything else on the planet? What is the measurement you use?
By the way, it is pretty well accepted that plants have been the biggest polluters on the planet. (http://www.jameslovelock.org/page19.html)
The remaining atmosphere would be one of argon, carbon dioxide and water vapour with traces only of oxygen and nitrogen. .
Could it possibly be that this old rock upon which we all live could be smarter than the combined intelligence of the entire human race?
I guess that makes us all dumber 'n a rock! | |
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