Isn't it time for us to recognize that other animals are actually intelligent?

Question

Now that we no longer follow the Cartesian philosophies, which believed that except for mankind there was NO other intelligent, sentient, and self-aware creature on Earth;
and in light of the Chinese experiment showing that young chimpanzees can remember the sequence of numbers (numerals, actually) 1-9, and track them on a computer screen better than humans can;
and in light of being able to teach Sign Language to apes, who in turn can teach OTHER apes;

Well, when are we as a species going to recognize that our "dominance" is only a result of our peculiar ability to manufacture all sorts of machines, and not something that makes us inherently "closer to God", or distinctively intelligent, or otherwise so terminally unique as to be the only creature with a "soul" ?

Answer 1

I agree...

The link I posted below speaks of this exact thing... It might be worth your time to check it out. If the link doesn't work, PM me and I'll be more than happy to send it to you.

Take care.

Answer 2

Are these the same Chimpanzees that, in the wild, hunt in packs, brutally kill and eat Chimpanzees from neighbouring tribes? They are instinctively aggressive and territorial.
As a species, humans are comparatively peaceful with each other. Try to get several groups of apes to live together and see whether sign language will help them.

Apes have been shown to be self aware, they recognise themselves in the mirror. Generally, the higher the intelligence, the more likely that they are self aware.
As for the machinery, humans were dominant well before any machinery came along.

Apes have been taught sign language, but have not been shown to communicate with each other with it, instead using their own system of communication, simple gestures, grunts, sighs, calls, etc. The statement that chimps teach other chimps sign language is possible, but contentious - see link below.

I have to agree with you on one count - we are no closer to God than the other animals. And no-one has proved the existence of a soul, apart from their personal belief that it exists.
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Answer 3

I think that animals are beginning to get some recognition, have you watched "Animal Planet" lately? I mean at the very least they are being noticed for their importance, in their role on the planet. Also regardless of what larger groups of people think,there have always been those that have seen their intelligence. It's always hard to create change amongst the masses.

As a kid my mom always told me that animals don't have "souls". But now as an adult , and an avid animal lover & pet owner, I beg to differ. Most animals have more soul than alot of people I've met.

Answer 4

I absolutely agree. It is very egotistical to believe that humans of all the creatures on Earth, are the only beings capable of thought and emotion. Perhaps this is due to the "know-it-all" society that has originated in Europe. And as another user stated, if we recognize these traits in animals, humans will no longer have any excuse to mistreat and slaughter other creatures.

Answer 5

I didn't think this was up for debate as I thought people already knew animal do have intelligence, its just not the same sort of intelligence that humans have.

Dogs for example are intelligent in their own doggy way! They communicate with each other... you could say its us who lack intelligence because we don't understand doggy ways of communication.

Animals have intelligence but its never going to be superior to what man knows. As for if I am inherently closer to god.... I don't think I am close to god. And lets face it, mankind makes many jackass dumb decisions and mistakes, so we are not exactly always wise, intelligence and all knowing are we?

Answer 6

The horses weren't attempting to kill their riders, as they have been maximum possibly taught that human beings are alpha mares/stallions. Horses will normally no longer attempt to kill the leaders of their herd, and using the anatomy of the pony's eye the pony perspectives the human as bigger than it easily is. They weren't mindlessly sprinting forward the two. They have been in coaching for years to understand bit, leg, seat, and vocal cues. They have been doing what the alpha advised them to do- run forward into conflict. to respond to your preliminary question, it could variety. some horses would be imbeciles, others would be smarter than the regular public of human beings.

Answer 7

I'll answer your first question and say that there are people who have already realized it, and there were people long before us who have realized that too. Still, I agree with you on everything you have said. Animals can be intelligent, emotional, and I don't believe they lack a soul.

Humans are ugly creatures, in my opinion. After watching The Golden Compass, I had begun to see the beauty of animals, and am very impressed with my dog, now.

Answer 8

There are a lot of things that different animals can do better than humans, unfortunately, working as a unified group is not one of them. They're bad at manufacturing things, but are also bad at higher levels of communication, moral judgments, and delayed gratification. Humans are looked at as the keepers of the world, and in most ways we are.

Answer 9

People don't want to because that would mean they would have to treat animals differently. They would have to feel empathy for all the cows they slaughter, dogs they euthanize, chimps they test on, rats they exterminate, deer they shoot, or cats they throw out on the streets. People are always reluctant to give up their privilege.

Answer 10

I do not think there was any doubt ever that all other animals have inteligence. If we can communicate a small ant also can be trained to do critical micro-surgery.