Convergence or divergence? (Introduction)

by dhw, Sunday, September 15, 2013, 18:04 (4087 days ago) @ David Turell

Dhw: I simply cannot see how a newborn foal instinctively standing and sucking its mother's teat proves that despite their plans and strategies, their engineering skills, their inventions, their meaningful communications etc., ants are not intelligent! Human babies also act instinctively (and a lot of our adult actions remain instinctive), so does this prove that human plans and strategies, engineering skills, inventions and meaningful communications are all instinct? 
 
DAVID: Human babies suckle instinctively. What does that prove? Your further discussion avoids our enormous intellect and consciousness. Very little of what we humans do after early childhood is instinct.-You have asked me the same question that I have asked you. The fact that human babies suckle instinctively proves absolutely nothing about our intelligence, just as the foal suckling instinctively proves absolutely nothing about ant intelligence. You simply cannot compare these automatic actions to the planned strategies, complex engineering, inventiveness, efficient communications etc. that characterize both ant and human societies.