What if a different type of animal reached sapience ?
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Cheezy the Wiz
Socialist In A Hurry
Does he know it is him, as opposed to just another dog, or does he simply see a dog and react as such? What I'm referring to is being able to distinguish an image of yourself from one of others like you. If I showed you several pictures of humans, and one of them was you, I'm sure you could tell the difference. Can your dog tell the difference between an image of itself, and of another dog of the same breed?
Mad Man
Your lord and master
He doesn't bark at his reflection if thats what you mean (when he was younger he could opean doors by standing on his hind legs and fiddle with the door knobes)
I find this a pretty interesting mega article on the subject http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetacean_intelligence
There is no universally agreed definition of "intelligence." Some research shows that dolphins do have high cognitive capability meaning that they are able to recognise self and understand concept such as more or less in term of numerical continuity (but not necessarily count). [11]. Dolphins have also been recently discovered to be capable of discriminating between numbers [12]. However, a commonly used definition is "the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience." This definition is separate from social/communicative traits or the ability to learn tricks (which can be done through conditioning), which many laymen confuse with animal intelligence.
Many scientists now tend to rank dolphins about the level of elephants in "intelligence" tests and say that dolphins haven't shown any unusual talent with problem solving compared with the other animals classed with very high intelligence[13].
Whereas apes can merely touch the mark on themselves with their fingers, dolphins show less definitive behavior of self-awareness, twisting and turning themselves to observe the mark.
On Self awareness...
As a further response to these criticisms, in 1995, Marten and Psarakos used television to test dolphin self-awareness [21]. They showed dolphins real-time footage of themselves, recorded footage, and another dolphin. They concluded that their evidence suggested self-awareness rather than social behaviour. However, this study has not been repeated since then, the results remain thus uncorroborated.
So Basically they are bellow primate level of intelligence. But they are pretty intelligent.
if i would bet on which of them had a bigger chance of reaching such level i would bet other primates or even animals who spent time with humans like dogs... All constant communication with humans for so many thousands of years must have some effect on them...
There is no universally agreed definition of "intelligence." Some research shows that dolphins do have high cognitive capability meaning that they are able to recognise self and understand concept such as more or less in term of numerical continuity (but not necessarily count). [11]. Dolphins have also been recently discovered to be capable of discriminating between numbers [12]. However, a commonly used definition is "the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience." This definition is separate from social/communicative traits or the ability to learn tricks (which can be done through conditioning), which many laymen confuse with animal intelligence.
Many scientists now tend to rank dolphins about the level of elephants in "intelligence" tests and say that dolphins haven't shown any unusual talent with problem solving compared with the other animals classed with very high intelligence[13].
Whereas apes can merely touch the mark on themselves with their fingers, dolphins show less definitive behavior of self-awareness, twisting and turning themselves to observe the mark.
On Self awareness...
As a further response to these criticisms, in 1995, Marten and Psarakos used television to test dolphin self-awareness [21]. They showed dolphins real-time footage of themselves, recorded footage, and another dolphin. They concluded that their evidence suggested self-awareness rather than social behaviour. However, this study has not been repeated since then, the results remain thus uncorroborated.
So Basically they are bellow primate level of intelligence. But they are pretty intelligent.
if i would bet on which of them had a bigger chance of reaching such level i would bet other primates or even animals who spent time with humans like dogs... All constant communication with humans for so many thousands of years must have some effect on them...
Ice_Tyrant
Prince
I've wondered what it'd be like if the dominant species was actually a fish like species. You know, one that would "Drown" in oxygen, but require water to live. Gils and such. Not sure about a fish, but some kind of aquatic creature. Say, a Mermaid like creature, but not so obviously half human. Like, an Eel that has webbed hands and thumbs. How would they travel across the land masses? Or what kind of weapons they'd use? That kind of stuff interest me.
Sharwood
Rich, doctor nephew
If they weren't amphibious, they'd probably keep off the land. It's really impossible to answer such a general question, because there are many more varieties of sea creatures, and more ocean environments, than on land. Makes for an interesting sci-fi idea though, I may have to blatantly steal it.
Ice_Tyrant
Prince
Well, we aren't sea creatures, yet there are submarines. I guess they'd probably would more favor making canals just as we do, rather then make some kind of plane filled with water to go through the land. Though obvioiusly they are'nt going to build a canal that goes from east asia to the Caspian sea, at least, they wouldn't get a canal built like that if they were at the level of tech that we are right now. Though a canal from that goes through Georgia and Azerbaijin to connect the Black and Caspian sea's seems like it could happen, but oh my that would cost so much money... I'd imagine an underwater civilization would be more careful about polluting their environment. You know they would have to explore the land eventually. We went under the water. It'd just happen out of curiosity to see what life on land is like. Then I also wonder what it'd be like in the great lakes in America, or the Great Lakes in Africa. I'd imagine developing a technology to go over land if you need water to survive would be harder then our building of canoe's and such. I guess they could use rivers, though eventually you'd find a river that doesn't reach a lake or such and you have to go on land. Though, then again, Fresh Water Rivers might not work so well for the proposed sea creature who lives in the Salt Water Ocean.
Perhaps I went far on that, but I really like that idea. It just came to me one day while I was in the pool.
One race would annihilate the other. Where did the Neanderthals go?
Sharwood
Rich, doctor nephew
I was thinking more of deep sea creatures. Otherwise, they wouldn't even have access to the materials needed to create canals or vehicles, although I suppose they could domesticate creatures to do the mining for them, and they could pursue biological science a la the Yuuzhan Vong.
The list also includes the dolphins, and surprisingly... The pigeon
Sharwood
Rich, doctor nephew
Huh? Where'd you get that? I think pigeons would recognise that it was another pigeon, but not themself, personally. Dolphins are quite possible.The list also includes the dolphins, and surprisingly... The pigeon
I've read the same thing -- possibly in Carl Sagan's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.
They got in their starship and left this planet for a better one, at least in the humorous sci-fi book "Glory Lane".
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