Is it possible, that over generations with help from humans, other intelligent societies could arise? What I mean is, after establishing a solid way to communicate with our less devloped animal counterparts, such as apes or dolphins, could we teach them to have our level of intellect over generations of attempts. Just wondering what some of you might think.
Other intelligent life?
- Thread starter Oniw17
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You're presuming an intelligent life to begin with; seems to me we are outsmarting ourselves at a very rapid rate. And the only species humans will permit to survive are those they can either eat or use in some other way.
"Dr. Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University estimates that if 1% of the world's tropical rain forests are destroyed each year—a conservative estimate based on current rates of deforestation—then over 100 years there would be a loss of at least 20% of all species, assuming extinction rates remain constant. Based on a total of 10 million species, the current annual loss has been calculated to be 20,000 to 30,000 species" -grinningplanet.com
"Dr. Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University estimates that if 1% of the world's tropical rain forests are destroyed each year—a conservative estimate based on current rates of deforestation—then over 100 years there would be a loss of at least 20% of all species, assuming extinction rates remain constant. Based on a total of 10 million species, the current annual loss has been calculated to be 20,000 to 30,000 species" -grinningplanet.com
So what are you saying towards my original notion? Do you mean that humans are not intelligent enough to lead other animals to our level of survival? Or are you saying that there won't be any other speices around long enough for such a process to occur? I dont understand what you statements have to do with the question.
dexter said:
Yup thats what I mean; you absolutely got it.
I remember a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon I read once where Hobbes says, the only real evidence of intelligent life in outer space is that no one has tried to contact us.
We are a species bent on self-destruction. If there is any other intelligent life possible it will appear only after we are done for.
...Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much... the wheel, New York, wars, and so on, whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely the dolphins believed themselves to be more intelligent than man for precisely the same reasons.
(Douglas Adams)
(Douglas Adams)
What sets us apart from other beings is the awareness of self; that we are.
For another being to approach thais intelligence would mean thaey would have to get a realisation of self, followed by the development of a conscience.
Of course man's " conscience " would have already told him that an animal with any degree of intelligence must be kept in closely monitored captivity, to protect other humans.
~with apologies to "Deep Blue Sea"
For another being to approach thais intelligence would mean thaey would have to get a realisation of self, followed by the development of a conscience.
Of course man's " conscience " would have already told him that an animal with any degree of intelligence must be kept in closely monitored captivity, to protect other humans.
~with apologies to "Deep Blue Sea"
Avatar said:
I meant it sarcastically, the conscience or soul is what we humans believe separates us from other sentient beings, our ability to recognize
1. that we exist
2. that we can change
3. that we can distinguish right from wrong
Look at the world around you. Can you honestly believe we know what we are doing? Human beings are the only animal developed enough to adapt the environment to them as against other living creatures which either perish or are immune and hence adapt to the changes in environment. Elephants are already being born without tusks because they are hunted for them even though this considerably shortens their life expectancy. We change everything to make us safer ( from predators, disease, natural disasters), more comfortable or richer.
Today, we don't even have the excuse of ignorance. We know exactly what the effects are on the environment but how many of us actually stop doing something to protect the environment?
You wanted to know if human beings can advance to communicate with animals to the point where they reach our level of thinking.
What I am saying that the way we think is disastrous and human beings are pre-emptive. Even the threat of danger is enough for us to strike first. Even if by a stretch of imagination humans did manage to breed intelligent animals they probably wouldn't last very long, because of course, the animals would gang together and demand equal rights.
I think its possible that a race of creature on earth may evolve and grow in wiseness or power enough to destroy humanity. One virus replaces another. What would be even more interesting, is if a species evolved which could take humanity out, with that species NOT developing technology of its own, killing us off with natural abilities. (excluding actual viruses, I'm talking humans VS Gaia, haha)
Another reason I suggest this far out idea, is that there are plants out in the world which provide housing and protection from rain for ant colonies. The ants bring in nutrition from the parts left by mostly consumed insects that the ants have gathered and brough into the plants "digestive system."
The ant species would die without the plant, and the plant species would die without the ant species. In a way I think they've become an organism of their own. Just like me, the liver in my gullet keeps me alive, and I keep it alive by stuffing food and water into my mouth. But what I love the most about all this is that we are made of billions of individual creatures! (cells) So I often wonder if I am indeed an organism, or rather, an organism system. Many "creatures" working together to stay alive.
To take it a step further, each human is a "borg" collective conciousness of cells and bodily operations.
The ant species would die without the plant, and the plant species would die without the ant species. In a way I think they've become an organism of their own. Just like me, the liver in my gullet keeps me alive, and I keep it alive by stuffing food and water into my mouth. But what I love the most about all this is that we are made of billions of individual creatures! (cells) So I often wonder if I am indeed an organism, or rather, an organism system. Many "creatures" working together to stay alive.
To take it a step further, each human is a "borg" collective conciousness of cells and bodily operations.
manmadeflyingsaucer said:
You may not be that far out; actually we have already considerably reduced our adaptability by forcing the environment to adapt to us. That is why with an environment abundant in all the resources which ensure our survival ( food shelter safety from predators improved immunity through drugs), we are strangely rushing headlong to our own destruction.
The increase in life expectancy is being steadily matched by a concurrent increase in chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, obesity, CVD, CHD, stroke, which are escalating at a very rapid rate; e.g. obesity as defined by body mass index ( wt/htsquared) > 30 has doubled in the last 25 years, from 14% to 30% of the population.
In addition, diseases like cancer are on the increase because the increased life span means we have to deal with the consequence of accumulated defects in DNA repair, something that was not an issue when life expectancy averaged 45 years ( it is more than 70 years today). Since no one lived long enough to get cancer the body never developed any mechanisms for dealing efficiently with this problem.
We can look forward to a lot more health problems in the next 25 years
Anyone interested in starting a mars colony with me? (but I don't think that would help anyone avoid humanities various discrepencies, since we are all, only human)
(but I don't think that would help anyone avoid humanities various discrepencies, since we are all, only human)