Intelligence in ?uestion
What if more than one species on Earth was considered "intelligent"? I'm not talking about alien visitors or anything like that. I'm asking what you think it would be like if, say, cheetahs or any other species had the capabilities of speech, communication, intelligence, and a sense of separate society.
Now, does that mean these cheetahs would be speaking English, perhaps with a British accent since Africa was rocked by England there for a bit? No, it does not mean that at all. Admittedly, as funny or amusing British cheetahs may sound in your head, if they were classifiably intelligent (1. Endowed with the faculty of understanding or reason; as, man is an intelligent being. [1913 Webster]) they would be much more of a mystery than that makes them sound. We wouldn't be able to understand each other, communication between the two species would be impossible for quite some time, unfortunately. They could have no real form of writing that we could easily perceive, since they lack opposable thumbs. Life would be very difficult on a planet with another species besides man that could reason and make themselves known to other members of their species.
It all comes down to a link that is rarely made in the wild. So rarely made, in fact, that it has only been done one time, with we humans:
Reasoning-> Communication-> Teamwork-> Common Goals-> Unique Society(ies)
The hardest part of the chain, not listed, is the incredible jump from non-intelligent to intelligent. In the space between the two lies an incredible amount of luck, of hardships, and of simplicity, among so many other things. So difficult, it seems impossible. But it is not!
Lastly, that brings up another topic: is it science? Was the leap humans made all those years ago scientific in nature? If you think so, then ponder this: science is but one thing and that is repeatable. So, if the magnificent jump was made through scientific means, that means it must occur again, it must be repeated.
And that is a cool thing to entertain yourself with.
-rcw
Now, does that mean these cheetahs would be speaking English, perhaps with a British accent since Africa was rocked by England there for a bit? No, it does not mean that at all. Admittedly, as funny or amusing British cheetahs may sound in your head, if they were classifiably intelligent (1. Endowed with the faculty of understanding or reason; as, man is an intelligent being. [1913 Webster]) they would be much more of a mystery than that makes them sound. We wouldn't be able to understand each other, communication between the two species would be impossible for quite some time, unfortunately. They could have no real form of writing that we could easily perceive, since they lack opposable thumbs. Life would be very difficult on a planet with another species besides man that could reason and make themselves known to other members of their species.
It all comes down to a link that is rarely made in the wild. So rarely made, in fact, that it has only been done one time, with we humans:
Reasoning-> Communication-> Teamwork-> Common Goals-> Unique Society(ies)
The hardest part of the chain, not listed, is the incredible jump from non-intelligent to intelligent. In the space between the two lies an incredible amount of luck, of hardships, and of simplicity, among so many other things. So difficult, it seems impossible. But it is not!
Lastly, that brings up another topic: is it science? Was the leap humans made all those years ago scientific in nature? If you think so, then ponder this: science is but one thing and that is repeatable. So, if the magnificent jump was made through scientific means, that means it must occur again, it must be repeated.
And that is a cool thing to entertain yourself with.
-rcw
posted by rcw himself at
6:11 AM
1 Comments:
that would definitely have an effect on todays world. Gladly, humans are superior in intelligence.
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