Clever Corvids: a degree of abstract thought (Introduction)

by dhw, Tuesday, March 08, 2016, 18:10 (3182 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: Somehow I doubt if even newborn humans could come up with “a full-fledged theory of mind”. However, if it is not obvious that survival strategies, decision-making, problem-solving, cooperation, symbiosis etc. require thought, I shall advise my Professor Fatt-Grant to abandon his planned sequel (Why Do Humans Think That Only Humans Can Think?) and instead concentrate on proving that water is wet, the sun is hot, and it takes two to tango. - DAVID: Jack the poodle has entered the fray: it is Spring and he has remembered where to look for lizards to chase. He certainly can contain ideas and memories. Just a vast difference in kind. - As we have said many times before, I doubt if many people would claim that poodles, ants, elephants, humans and duckbilled platypus have the SAME ideas, memories, thoughts etc. as one another. The whole point here is that organisms DO have ideas, memories and thoughts. They are not automatons but thinking beings, and I am surprised that this is still news to some people.