Humans are the Smartest Things on Earth

[Junkenstein]

White people finally figure out something EVERYONE ELSE ON EARTH HAS KNOWN FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Those silly, naive primitives, thinking animals talk to each other!

Hey, historically speaking, White people just figured out that Brown people can talk to each other.

Depending on your timeframe, white people have only just been able to figure out how to talk to each other too.


Some are still learning.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Did anyone throw up the link with the research indicating dolphins have names?

Which adds several extra layers of horror to "The Cove". When the google app exists to translate this shit easily that is going to be turbo nightmare fuel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23410137

Oh, jesus. Yeah.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I really really like the idea of designating dolphins as nonhuman persons. It feels like its a stronger statement than admitting they are sentient. Id like to see that extended to other aquatic animals and primates.

[Reginald Ret]

Seems reasonable enough. Considering dolphin intelligence has been long been established, this declaration doesn't seem to be a particularly radical move. They exhibit self-awareness, use tools, cooperate to solve tasks, don't vote Republican, and very recently it was found that they possibly communicate to each other using individual names.

Wait, what? 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Seems reasonable enough. Considering dolphin intelligence has been long been established, this declaration doesn't seem to be a particularly radical move. They exhibit self-awareness, use tools, cooperate to solve tasks, don't vote Republican, and very recently it was found that they possibly communicate to each other using individual names.

Wait, what? 

Yeah i thought that quite good too.
Nonhuman personhood both interests of and makes of uncomfortable since i quite like bacon and black pudding but recognize that porcine intelligence is in a bit of a grew area. Indeed when i was younger i refused to eat pork for that very reason but the smell is a bit hard to resist. If cloned meat becomes a viable thing though obviously i would opt for that.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Sentience, self awareness, whatever you want to call it is something that the scientists couldn't wrap their heads around for fucking years. I dismissed psychology as a crock of superstitious bullshit until they'd dealt with that particular issue. I remember a scientist (phd zoologist) patiently explaining to me how (unlike us humans) animals like dogs learn "by association". I shook my head and walked away. Ironically, I now associate that same guy with being a fucking idiot.

I mean, yeah, our thinking, especially at the meta-end of the scale would appear to be way in advance of anything observed in the rest of nature but brains are brains, bunch of neurons all wired up pretty much the same way. I'm almost certain that the belief that we are some special case springs more from religion than science.

[Cain]

Prarie dogs can't speak Human, so they don't look so smart to me.

[Kai]

"India considers dolphins non-human persons"

So, in the event of crime by dolphin, do they get tried under human laws? Do they wheel the accused into court in a tank equipped with an undewater microphone?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

"India considers dolphins non-human persons"

So, in the event of crime by dolphin, do they get tried under human laws? Do they wheel the accused into court in a tank equipped with an undewater microphone?

Dolphins wouldnt be subject to indian laws since the recognition states that they cant be held in captivity. Its more that they have the right to not be bothered by or have to amuse humans.

[Kai]

"India considers dolphins non-human persons"

So, in the event of crime by dolphin, do they get tried under human laws? Do they wheel the accused into court in a tank equipped with an undewater microphone?

Dolphins wouldnt be subject to indian laws since the recognition states that they cant be held in captivity. Its more that they have the right to not be bothered by or have to amuse humans.

So they're basically like corporations.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20142858

Been cruising the BBC links from that dolphin one. Elephants and Beluga whales are getting in on the action.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

"India considers dolphins non-human persons"

So, in the event of crime by dolphin, do they get tried under human laws? Do they wheel the accused into court in a tank equipped with an undewater microphone?

I think the main ramification is that they can't be enslaved or exploited.

[Kai]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20142858

Been cruising the BBC links from that dolphin one. Elephants and Beluga whales are getting in on the action.

Pretty important to note the difference between imitation and language though.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20142858

Been cruising the BBC links from that dolphin one. Elephants and Beluga whales are getting in on the action.

Pretty important to note the difference between imitation and language though.

It is. However, there is increasingly significant evidence that these are animals which have their own languages, and understand the concept of language, and so imitating another language starts to cross over into "learning".

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Many humans I know imitate language.

Just saying.