Wednesday, 23 April 2008

Animals

I just wondered if anyone had considered whether animals have a Daemon on an animal scale, our human brain whilst maybe more advanced than say an intelligent dog the dog brain still has two hemispheres etc. Often animals seem to tap into a wider sensory perception than humans. Even birds can show some amazing feats of intelligence even though their brain is small. Many animals may see a different version of reality perhaps. There are accounts of animals appearing to read their owners minds. Animals have tracked down owners over thousands of miles of territory to places they have never been before. That is some Daemon at work to do this but is it the animals or the human owner's Daemon?.
I am a little unclear what I am trying to prove here if anything but only humans have been discussed and feel that whilst we are limited to human to human discussion on these topics and we cannot prove say Deja Vue in animals so easily it must presumably exist. Or is human existence something special and unique
Posted by at

5 comments:

Karl Le Marcs said...

Rod;
Firstly, hello and welcome to the jungle! (pun definitely intended)

Now, in fear of everyone yelling at me for repeating myself I shall say just this:

Microscopic studies of the human brain have revealed neural structures, enhanced wiring, and forms of connectivity among nerve cells not found in any other animal - similarities between animal and human abilities are small, the dissimilarities are large!

Professor Marc Hauser of Harvard College recently presented a new theory which postulates four key elements differentiating human cognition from animal cognition.

1. “the ability to combine and recombine different types of information and knowledge in order to gain new understanding”

2. ”to apply the same “rule” or solution to one problem to a different and new situation”

3. “to create and easily understand symbolic representations of computation and sensory input”

4. “to detach modes of thought from raw sensory and perceptual input.”

There are, of course, many more insights into human cognition that, in my opinion, are not exhausted by Prof Hauser's four identifications, however all of the above indicates a simple and self-evident fact about human cognition that is denoted by single concept: The Conceptual Faculty; that is, man’s consciousness is uniquely conceptual in nature.

I am reminded of Charles Darwin, who wrote in The Descent of Man that the difference between human and animal cognition is "certainly a matter of degree and not one of kind."

*runs off for a banana and a scratch*

23 April 2008 at 19:17
ra from ca said...

Rod:

Thanks for posting and welcome.

I don't know whether animals have a daemon, but the thought does occur that although animals don't have the language ability of our left brain, they have considerable abilities that are generally in our right brain. My understanding is that we often underestimate our right brain and in turn I think it highly likely we arrogantly underestimate what animals understand and perceive. When I look at my good friend Smudge, the cat who just sauntered into my home one day, and has trained me to feed him and to give him a rub when he wants it, and when I look at his zen-like calm and acceptance of the world around him, I wonder who is more highly evolved. Perhaps he is pure daemon?

23 April 2008 at 19:47
Jesamyn said...

Hi Rod and thank you for your comments.... I know that even as a regular Poster here, I am not couched in Academic Language but at a basic Level I would like to say that Animals are far far better than we are... Seeing a cat from a train tending to her kittens in wasteland nearly broke my heart...they are all noble, caring and following the Pattern of Existence that we ignore... they trust us and are often disabused of that Trust.. I am not Religious as such but Animals embody all the purest emotions and do the right thing by *instinct*... if there is a Rewards System in place, they have all earned it more than we have... thank you for your post...
Jesamyn.

24 April 2008 at 13:25
Karl Le Marcs said...

Surely my Cat has nine Daemons !!!

25 April 2008 at 14:08
Anonymous said...

Hi, once again thanks for your comments. The jury is out on this it seems and not knowing enough about brains etc I am far from qualified to answer.
I know very shortly after I had my dear old dog put to sleep many years ago. I was sat in my chair dozing but not really fully asleep the dog barked in a quick single bark as he oftened did to get my attention. Startled I looked down to expect him to be there on my right hand side of the chair against all logic. It was a one off never to be repeated. Yes you guys will say you dreamt it, you imagined it. Well maybe I did but I think he came back to say good bye. I still love him him after 14 or so years and sorely miss him. Till we meet again old chap.

25 April 2008 at 19:46

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)