Cognition

[smokingboot]

I have no problems believing in animal cognition. It's human cognition I begin to doubt.

The article below (Psychiatric News, March 1, 1996) is about tool creation/application as evidence of cognitive ability in crows, and a defining feature of humans. I'm not sure I could pass a test like that! Let's see if I can turn it into a link:


http://www.jcrows.com/crow.html

Comments

Minefield

[dr-sneaky.livejournal.com]

I think you will find that animal cognition is a minefield of ulterior motives.

Saying anything about animal cognition tends to put you in the camp of one or more religous lunatic zealots who will then use your research to justify the brutal murder of Doctors in an abortion clinic/people who work in abbatoirs/the guy paid £4.15 an hour to sweep up in McDonalds...

as a Result Most Self respecting Zoologists tend to earn thier money by dropping shampoo in rabbits eyes as its seen as a safe option

Re: Minefield

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Every issue has the potential to be used as an excuse to harm those we don't like/don't agree with. I seriously think people can change.

Speaking of tool use, Maelstrom downtime is driving me insane! Does this mean I am less intelligent than a crow?

Re: Minefield

[thru-her-lens.livejournal.com]

Agree with you, both about issues and human cognition :)

Re: Minefield

[dr-sneaky.livejournal.com]

Mail me on Gordon.nwell(at)uk.pwc.com with PID and I can see whats going wrong if you like.

I cant fix bugs but I can do how do I questions

Re: Minefield

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I may be driving you mad with questions any minute now!

But first I'll try again as it is infinitely more likely that my Maelstrom problems start and end with me being incompetent!

Help!

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

I've caved in and sent you a barrel load of questions, only to have the email bounce right off that address!

[thalinoviel.livejournal.com]

Hmm, as I've been suspecting for a long time, we're not a master race at all... I heard a few years back that a party of oceanographers had observed an octopus knapping flints to use as cutting blades: I must see if I can find the report (and, indeed, whether it was genuine.)

[thalinoviel.livejournal.com]

Can't find it. I found playful octopi (though I must warn you about the author's regrettable misuse of punctuation) and a more general discussion with some interesting references.

Extraordinary stuff

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I haven't had much time for Octopi/pods/pusses, since I learned that their anuses are often mistaken for their mouths, but this info is fascinating, and I promise myself to like them more and eat them less/not at all.

I do worry about the implications of a world full of cognition in one form or other, birds and beasts and sea-dwellers. On the one hand, it sings to the Narnian in my soul and I really want it to be true. On the other hand if it is true, what mankind is doing to the other intelligences of earth is inconceivably barbaric.