always thought it was funny....THERE the stupid ones...yet there not killing the earth, killing EACH OTHER over petty difference such as difference in color of fur (or in our case skin),using up ALL of our resources,destroying millions of of trees, not to mention destroying EVERY OTHER animal species....so whos REALLY the stupid animals? them or US?

I understand that this topic is a beacon to the Animal Rights crowd, and that the majority of the posts heretofore have been supportive of the rights of animals, and often maligning the our own species. Animals certainly deserve a degree of rights, and to be protected against wanton cruelty and extinction, so allow me to add my voice to that particular chorus.

Regardless of that fact, the intial vid posted by the OP is utterly ridiculous (no offense to the OP). Just because animals display a degree of ability to mimick certain learned behaviors does not denote a sentient intelligence. There is obvious a baseline intelligence to be found in most every animal, since such a trait is a requirement for survival. A bird's ability to identify a green key, or an orange toy truck is just a trained adaption, though. Parrots must be able to identify food sources in the wild, and are wonderful at mimicking human voices; if everytime you gave a bird a green key, you repeated "Green Key" to him and gave him a pepper or a fruit when he responded the same, the bird would come to understand what you want. Polly would chirp back "green key", and wait for his banana. Its intelligence, but displayed in the form of a learned response. Koko and many other animals display emotion, obviously. We've all seen frightened dogs, angry cats, etc.

That being said, Homo sapien sapien is by FAR the most advanced, and intelligent species to have ever lived. We are the apex of evolution, an inarguable fact. To those who comment on the hubris of Man (capital M), wallow in your inexplicable guilt; your predecessors secured that ability for you by not only rising from nature, but excelling to the point of basically dominating it. Sure, humans have done some horrific things, and wrought devastation to our own environs, but such actions occured due to our ability to fulfill our wants, needs and desires to the Nth degree. Is it wise to do so? Perhaps not. Our minds, and intelligence gave us the ability to, though. So, whilst arguing about how incompetent a species we really are, and how smart that dolphin at the beach was, just remember that you do so from the secure cocoon of human civilization, with the free time provided by the same, on technology spawned by it.

We have a thumb. Whales have a larger neocortex. They don't have a thumb however and havn't brought the planet to the brink of destruction. Hmmmm.....
Also, quite sure we had et help in our evolution too.

Edit to add: They, the disbelieving skeptical crowd of pseudo scientists, IQ tested Koko. They refused to change a few of the questions, to be more species friendly. Ie. like a question showing an ice cream cone, and a flower, and other things, asking which you would eat. Koko preferred the flowers. However, despite having some prejudice in the wording, she got a 90-95 IQ. Michael was 85. She would have been over 100 if graded for her species.



[edit on 7-6-2009 by mystiq]

Glad to see the thread continuing !!!
I thought I'd throw in that everything on this planet has a purpose on the earth. Every single creature has a role in maintaining the delicate system that supports life on this glorious planet, everything but HUMANS. The earth doesn't need us, animals don't need us, plants don't need us, but boy do we need them!!!! Funny huh? We have absolutley no purpose in this ecosystem. We are only a thorn in the side of all other life. We constantly destroy everything we depend on to live, and call ourselves superior - intelligent? We are the ones that don't belong, we are the aliens here.

Outstanding DaMod!

It really does make me feel that humanity is just a ham-fisted cretin smashing its way through the world with little regard to what else is here. Damn, we're a very arrogant species.

It only takes a glance at my three cats and dog to see that, yeah, there's definitely something behind those eyes, and in the way that they interact with eachother, especially the relationship between my eldest cat and the orphan kitten. It shows real selflessness in the way that the older one has taught the kitten all it needs to know.

Never underestimate the animal kingdom, I feel we're just scratching the surface as to how intelligent a lot of species are.

We should also never mix 'intelligence' with 'human knowledge'. It's like comparing knowledge to wisdom. Extremely different.

I was talking with someone yesterday about this thread, and about the aspect of soul, for I believe strongly that they have individual souls and personalities as we do, and are evolving into higher level beings just as we do. I do not believe we ever go back however, as some think is possible. And the conversation led into a group ascension/evolutionary process of the animal kingdom, including the fish, and all living things, and that it was the misguided human race that was holding this back. We were obstructing the ascension at this time, the evolutionary leap that they were taking with us. We need to truly respect all living things.



[edit on 7-6-2009 by mystiq]

I have always firmly believed animals were intelligent with their own societies.. My dog , She is a border colli-Husky Mix.
She is very human like. She will sit at the table and have dinner with you , and won't take your food. She will eat her dinner of the table , she will observe you cook. And won't drool over the awaiting feast... And she knows when the other dog is down , or if im down. She is just so smart , but some people think they are just mindless minions.
I think it's just so amazing how animals are. I am really glad you started this thread , lol Thanks a bunch OP