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Do Fish Think? Konrad Lorenz
Re: Do Fish Think? Konrad Lorenz
by PenultimateManStanding » Thu 18 Aug 2005, 13:17:42
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('max_power29', 'O')ctopi are suposed to be one of the smartest animals.
I was thinking of using octopi as an example! And I bet they just love seafood.-
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Re: Do Fish Think? Konrad Lorenz
by entropyfails » Fri 19 Aug 2005, 09:32:10
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('EnergySpin', 'W')hy do you guys think that fish have a symbolic program (like specop does).
There is nothing of that sort in their "brain". Just cells and electrical currents that jump from one cell to the other.
In fact that kind of symbolic thinking that Specop proposes, only appears in higher mammals
There is nothing of that sort in their "brain". Just cells and electrical currents that jump from one cell to the other.
In fact that kind of symbolic thinking that Specop proposes, only appears in higher mammals
All those “cells and electrical currents” create a symbolic map for reality. While we should all agree that the map has a very limited power and low ability to make sense of inputs outside their genetically predisposed environment, I just don’t see how you feel that what they do doesn’t count as thinking.
They can separate targets from non targets, i.e. classification. They can find paths to said targets, i.e. goal planning. What about this doesn’t count as thought?
Of course they cannot recursively abstract symbols and perform high level manipulations on them. But why do you feel the bar for thinking has to get set that high?
Even a single celled organism has the ability to distinguish food from non food and sense dangerous elements near it and react appropriately. They think too.
We can classify thinking as the manipulation of symbols to impart meaning. Because the methods that some lifeforms use to transmit and use those symbols seems alien to you, you discount what they do as thinking. I don’t see the reason for the distinction.
EntropyFails
"Little prigs and three-quarter madmen may have the conceit that the laws of nature are constantly broken for their sakes." -- Friedrich Nietzsche
"Little prigs and three-quarter madmen may have the conceit that the laws of nature are constantly broken for their sakes." -- Friedrich Nietzsche
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