“PEOPLE ARE SMART AND ANIMALS ARE DUMB”


That was the commonly held belief when I was a young girl and even later in my life as well. People who thought differently, like myself, were considered atheist or just plain weird. Humans used their lack of intelligence in those days to excuse the fact that we kill and eat them all the time, and too often treat them cruelly as well. The source for that belief is the Bible where it says that we have been "given dominion over" the animals. I believe the spiteful disregard for black people, whom many rightwing Whites do consider to be less intelligent than "we" are, is also due to this cause. I wish people would stop using the Bible to prove so many fallacious and often evil things. Christians should THINK and treat others as Jesus has told them to, as well as read the Bible.

In 1903 a famous physiologist named Ivan Pavlov did an experiment on conditioning in a dog, now called "Pavlov's dog," which was experimentally conditioned to salivate in response to a bell that signaled the coming plate of food. This, Pavlov decided was the beginning of learning, and he spawned a long line of experimental psychologists. Each studied one aspect of intellectual functioning after another during the 1900s and as a result most modern people of good conscience would not now beat a dog brutally because it had an accident on the floor. They did laboratory experiments on mice/rats, chickens, dogs and cats, and above all the primates, which have produced lots of evidence of intelligence of several kinds and in both birds and mammals. If you don't believe that, look up the chimpanzee named Kanzi and the gorilla Koko on the Net. The lower animals like turtles and frogs probably have very little intelligence, and they taste pretty good so I have no problem eating them. (The French are called “frogs” for their love of frog legs, snails and other gourmet dishes that some Americans won’t touch. We in the Southern US certainly do eat frog legs, though, and turtle as well. Southern farming families ate a lot of things that we don’t eat anymore.) But more on animal intelligence.

Now, chickens are really not as smart as mammals, but the crow and some parrots are quite a bit brighter than a chicken. A particular African Gray parrot called Alex – who only died within the last few years – was the pet/test subject of a young female psychologist. Alex not only recognized 4 or 5 shapes in their 4 or 5 materials and colors, he could name them accurately almost every time. The idea that parrots don’t really know what they are saying is no longer valid, as a result. Her work is recognized by other professionals in the field. Also some birds are thought to be able to tell if one of their nestlings is missing and therefore may be able to count.

In fact, intelligence in general, because it allows animals to do things that benefit them in their environment, has developed over time in many mammalian species and a few birds. Crows and parrots, not to mention the clever squirrel and rat -- tend to show some ability to solve problems, remember where they buried that nut, and even count. Rats are known for finding their way through mazes to get a bite of cheese. As a result of all that, I more strongly than ever differ with the Biblical view that the world was made for us humans alone, and that we have a perfect right to devastate all other life forms with God’s blessing. I believe the Buddhists, despite their having “a godless religion,” have a very intelligent, thoughtful and humane religion – good for building ancient societies. It shows “emotional intelligence,” as folks are fond of saying during the last ten or so years, to mean that an individual has a good social adjustment as well as a high IQ. One of their tenets, while not common to all Buddhist believers, is that we shouldn’t kill and eat animals. Some are Vegetarian and others are Vegan, and I personally don’t know the difference. I think some vegetarians will eat eggs and drink milk. I would need to have some source of animal protein, personally. To get “complete protein” (all of the necessary amino acids) in one meal you have to eat a combo like beans and rice to get the different amino acids. If they aren’t consumed in the same meal the body won’t translate them into “complete protein.” All animals, on the other hand are made up of complete protein. One girl I used to know was a highly advanced person philosophically and refused to eat any animal products, nor did she always go for “complete protein.” Unfortunately, her hair was falling out. I’m a bit more pragmatic about it all.

While I do still eat meat, especially chicken, I have enough respect for their relative status and worth on the chain of life to feel more than a little bit guilty about it. For one thing, how an animal is killed is important, as some methods are slower or more painful. The life of a veal calf is especially cruel. The technique of bleeding a calf to remove most of their blood so they will have “white meat” and before that raising them in narrow crates so they can’t move around and grow “tough” muscles is unspeakable to me. I have tasted veal a time or two and it is no better to me than any other kind of beef. Now the eating of tender young lambs is a guilty pleasure of mine, but lamb is expensive and I rarely buy it. It’s the taste of the meat that I really like, not its’ tenderness, so I suspect I could enjoy the meat of a fully grown sheep as well. At this point I am trying to eat mainly vegetables and fruit, or at least to see that I include them in a couple of meals daily.

The following article is about proven animal intelligence. See below.




http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/18/chimps-orangutans-have-human-like-memory/

Chimps, Orangutans Have Human-Like Memory
Posted by Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato in Weird & Wild on July 18, 2013

Photograph -- A chimpanzee named Frodo seems to pose in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania.

Forgot your Facebook password? Can’t remember if it’s one cup of sugar or two? Misplaced your keys—again?

Why we remember and forget is a big topic of study, and scientists at the Aarhus University Center on Autobiographical Memory Research in Denmark have turned to the animal kingdom for answers.

Now, a new study published today in Current Biology shows that captive chimpanzees and orangutans can quickly recall past events like people. Chimpanzees are our closest relatives.

“I think [the study] tells us that our memory systems are not unique,” said study co-author Gema Martin-Ordas, a postdoctoral researcher. (Read more about memory in National Geographic magazine.)

“We’re showing that there are some features we share with other animals.”

“Shocking” Primate Memory

Martin-Ordas and her team used specific cues to trigger memories of an experiment that the chimps and orangutans had learned three years prior.

During that previous experiment, researchers hid tools in strategically placed boxes and asked the primates to find them. When the scientists recreated the test, the primates had no trouble quickly remembering where the tools had been concealed.


This suggests that primates can quickly recollect past events, a feat that scientists previously thought only humans could do.

“I was shocked that the chimpanzees and orangutans found the tools,” Martin-Ordas said. “I was skeptical. I thought it wouldn’t work, and it did.”

“This is really impressive,” she added.

Memories Not Created Equal

If you have trouble remembering what you had for breakfast yesterday—let alone three years ago—don’t worry: Not all memories are created equal.

People remember general and specific events. General events are those that happen over and over, similar to our collective memory of attending school. Specific events are those that happen once, like our first day of school.

There are lots of triggers for memories. Martin-Ordas and colleagues used visual cues with the primates, using the same lab layout and technology to activate the animals’ remembrance of the experiment.

Other triggers like sound and smell can also prompt powerful memories.

“Every time I smell this perfume, it brings back memories of me going to school when I was five or six,” Martin-Ordas said. “It’s really intense.” (Test your memory with a National Geographic game.)

Memory recall is important for humans because it allows us to plan for future events, she added. When we’re thinking about what we’re going to pack for our next trip, for example, we usually have in mind what happened during the last one.

Memories also allow people to build their sense of self across time in a coherent way, which plays a big role in our personal wellbeing.

“We usually share memories with others,” Martin-Ordas said. “That’s important to establish relationships.”

Memory Research Still Ongoing

Next, researchers will look at whether chimpanzees and orangutans are aware that they’re recalling a personal memory.

Autobiographical memories are like movies that you store in your brain: When something triggers a memory, the movie replays in your head. You know that it’s your memory, but do animals have the same realization?

Chimps and orangutans “share some features of autobiographical memories that humans have, but we can’t be sure whether they’re aware of those memories, and that’s the debate,” Martin-Ordas said.

The science of memory storage and remembrance is still a field in its infancy: The brain is such a complex organ that it’s difficult to pinpoint exact memory-storage processes. (See a 3-D memory interactive.)

But further study of memory in the animal kingdom could provide valuable information that could someday prevent memory problems in people.

Tell us: What do you usually forget?



COMMENTS -- INCLUDING THE ONE OBLIGATORY HARD CORE BAPTIST AND CHARLES DARWIN HIMSELF


Kay

Santa Monica CA
April 19, 2014, 5:57 pm

I would have liked to read more information about any of the numerous topics in this article.- Sleep and memory and development, etc. Aren’t the same cells in the brain that store memory existent in all our organs? Is memory thought to only be located in the brain? …


Tyler Esmon

United States
November 6, 2013, 8:15 pm

This is an interesting article but it’s a shame there isn’t more information on the tests run on the chimps. I feel it would be important to tie emotional events or actions with the tests to see if that would alter or improve their memory. I am curious if chimps suppress things that traumatize them like humans do. I feel like that would be a great thing to test.


Memory Man

Singapore
October 14, 2013, 11:03 pm

The human brain is amazing when it comes to encoding information visually. That’s the trick that all memory experts use. I wonder if these chimps do the same? More research should be done here.

http://www.pinnacleminds.com.sg



grace javier

philippines
July 22, 2013, 10:09 pm

i usually forget simple things like where i have placed the pair of scissors or a coin i was holding just a while ago and placed it somewhere.. perhaps i think it’s because my brain is preoccupied because i have a baby and all my attention is on him because now he is just over a year old and it is during this time that he has to be watched 24/7 because he already tries to do lots of stuff like walking, climb up the stairs, and even puts everything that he can grab in his mouth!



Azmach Begashaw

ETHIOPIA
July 22, 2013, 12:31 pm

don’t undermine the work of GOD



Bipul Saha

Kolkata, India
July 21, 2013, 10:08 pm

quite interesting study. to study functions human brain, we have to work a lot with our closest primates. we also have to study how nervous system with brain evolved over geological time.



Charles Darwin

Westminster Abbey
July 21, 2013, 10:50 am

Argh!

I just rolled over ….

Why is this surprising? Where do these “surprised scientists” think we humans got our ability to remember past events?

I have written a couple of books on the subject that these scientists, or, more likely this journalist, might want to read….

C.D.



Justin Green

Atlanta
July 21, 2013, 9:36 am

So, you’re saying that apes have human like memory because humans have bad memories? Why not emphasize the good memory of chimps instead of bad memory of humans as in your tag line? Is this demeaning to our species, theirs or both, I guess it doesn’t matter since humans are apes anyway.



Paula Rice

Booneville Ky
July 21, 2013, 12:51 am

I usually forget why I went to the kitchen. To save face, I heat a cuppa coffee or grab a cold pop. I get back to the computer area and remember that I originally went to the kitchen to get some paper towels. Or some cookies, or or or lolol



Gabriel Frommer

July 19, 2013, 1:32 pm

I am not impressed. Put a pigeon back in a test chamber three years after training on some a rather elaborate task, and it will do the task (almost) immediately. A better test of human-like memory would be to train the chimpanzee (or other species) in a rather richly complex environment and return the animal to that environment, the basic layout of which remains largely unchanged must many of the specific features deleted, modified, or replaced.