Question....

Dirty Frank

Here's one I thought of, not sure if it belongs in the philosophical board or in the people with too much time on their hands one (but isn't that what philosophists are?). Anyway!

If another species, any other species like dogs or cats or elephants etc. developed mentally at the same time and at the same rate as humans, do you think we would have learned to live together peacefully or would one of the species be wiped out by now?

nyarlothothep

I was thinking of something similar recently, if you hooked up a birds brain to a computer system to greatly enhance its intelligence, would it have a personality similar to humans or something utterly alien? Probably the latter imo though what would the personality be like, apart from being avian, like it would probably have bird like tendencies but how would that relate to higher functions? I remember reading that we wiped out neanderthals, 20,000 years ago. Then again apparently our alliance with dogs helped our survival. So probably allegiances with some species, wars with others.

Offalycool

nyarlothothep wrote: »

I was thinking of something similar recently, if you hooked up a birds brain to a computer system to greatly enhance its intelligence, would it have a personality similar to humans or something utterly alien? Probably the latter imo though what would the personality be like, apart from being avian, like it would probably have bird like tendencies but how would that relate to higher functions? I remember reading that we wiped out neanderthals, 20,000 years ago. Then again apparently our alliance with dogs helped our survival. So probably allegiances with some species, wars with others.

Borg Bird

Edit.. I think the neanderthal is an interesting example... just hard to picture having an intellectual argument with a bird.

conchubhar1

well me intermated and killed other developments of ''humans'' - the different branches.

sells

well humans have fingers and would be able to build things, so any other being without that capability would be seen as lesser or of no importance...i dont think thats the case though...but if monkeys developed mentallity aswell they could build things and it would probally be survival of the fittest....like the neanderthals being wiped out wat not...but if we were all seperated by different continents like america and australia, then we would all have time to grow and live somewhat peacefully.

Joycey

nyarlothothep wrote: »

I was thinking of something similar recently, if you hooked up a birds brain to a computer system to greatly enhance its intelligence, would it have a personality similar to humans or something utterly alien? Probably the latter imo though what would the personality be like, apart from being avian, like it would probably have bird like tendencies but how would that relate to higher functions? I remember reading that we wiped out neanderthals, 20,000 years ago. Then again apparently our alliance with dogs helped our survival. So probably allegiances with some species, wars with others.

If you havent already, you should read Animals in Translation by Temple Grandon. Discusses the whole dogs affecting our evolution just as much as we did theirs thing and is related to the whole bird "personality" affecting higher functions idea as well. Highly recommended

nyarlothothep

Joycey wrote: »

If you havent already, you should read Animals in Translation by Temple Grandon. Discusses the whole dogs affecting our evolution just as much as we did theirs thing and is related to the whole bird "personality" affecting higher functions idea as well. Highly recommended

That sounds interesting, will check it out, I've always been puzzled by the attachment people have to dogs (as they're evil festering scavenger beasts) and read something similar in the naked ape which elucidates how humans formed an evolutionary alliance to ensure each others survival.

Red Hand

It's happened many times before. There were many different species of humans, coexisting at different times over the last 200000 years. In the final hurdle, there were only Neanderthals, ourselves and the tiny Homo Florensis (sp?). Neanderthals had similiar or even larger brains than us, yet we are the only species of human left, which may be in part due to differences in how each species used their brains.

nyarlothothep

If they were around for 600,000 years and still didn't have particle accelerators, how could they be even equal to us in intelligence, given that we, the current incarnation of humanity, have been around for only 35,000 and already we have cool gizmos. The only thing that comes to mind is the population size and social interaction, ie the exchange of random moments of ingenuity across cultures, as there are certain human tribes which are the prehistoric. Apparently neanderthals didn't have a hyoid bone as well developed as ours which meant their communicative capabilities were limited. Human brains have been getting smaller over the past few millenia, hope its refinement and not some horrible evolutionary traipse down stupidsville for the human race!

Kama

I pessimistically assume we would have killed them, but perhaps it would have brought a brief period of human unity, united against our species-Other.

Riffing from there, if we augment or UpLift animals, or they catch-up on an evolutionary longue duree, are we more likely to enslave them or welcome them to sentience as equals?

Red Hand

nyarlothothep wrote: »

If they were around for 600,000 years and still didn't have particle accelerators, how could they be even equal to us in intelligence, given that we, the current incarnation of humanity, have been around for only 35,000 and already we have cool gizmos. The only thing that comes to mind is the population size and social interaction, ie the exchange of random moments of ingenuity across cultures, as there are certain human tribes which are the prehistoric. Apparently neanderthals didn't have a hyoid bone as well developed as ours which meant their communicative capabilities were limited. Human brains have been getting smaller over the past few millenia, hope its refinement and not some horrible evolutionary traipse down stupidsville for the human race!

Yes, that is true, though it's hard to tell what exactly their vocal dexterity would have been like considering much of that vocal area is soft and unlikely to have been preserved for scientists to study. Another thing to remember is that the way out brains are organised is that the problem sorting bit is in the front of our brain where the forehead is. Neanderthal's had a sloping back forehead, cutting out much of this brain matter, but their extra brain matter was in the back, towards the occipital bone (sp?) at the back, which is linked to memory.One theory, is that homo sapiens had good cognitive abilities whereas Neanderthals had better memories, with the problem solving trumping instinctual intelligence when it came to the crunch (amongst other scenarios such as cannibalism, competition for resourses, environmental changes, cross breeding etc)

Mother says

I'm planning on selectively breeding pigs for intelligence with the aim of one day breeding a race of super intelligent pigs. Then, finally i will be able to have a decent conversation.
I do worry that the pigs will find me boring or pretentious and will plot to kill me. I guess we'll find out.