How do we view "Animal Intelligence?"
Human beings or rather, scientists, tend to measure animal intelligence in human terms. Reality is a lens through which perspective always plays a part- so animal intelligence cannot really be evaluated on its own terms without the framework of the humans who set up certain tests to measure animal intelligence. However- it seems a little ridiculous that the ape enrichment programs involves letting chimps play games on iPads while reaching their arms through a metal gate to get to the game. This seems like an extreme example and perhaps one that could be replaced by letting the chimps roam open fields. When studying animal intelligence- scientists of course measure animal intelligence to comparable ages of humans in terms of skill level. There does seem to be a kind of cutesy child-like awe humans have in regards to testing animal intelligence- where amusement takes the place of empathy and animals are locked in cages while humans sit back and go, "oh- look at the cute smart monkey."
I had the throw in this interesting tidbit of info since we were asked to look at Fritjof Capra. His nephew, Pablo Capra, is my poetry publisher: lifeasapoet.com…and my favorite book of Fritjof Capra's is the Tao of Physics- where he shows how Eastern philosophy is backed up by Western physics. Amongst these insights were the Buddhist idea of Emptiness, where everything is seen as empty, and that our minds therefore influence matter more than we think. Capra backed this up by showing that more than 99% of an atom, was in fact, space, and so that what we see as concrete and material, was in fact, almost totally empty.
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