Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Epistemology
Epistemology essay
A thesis statement on animal intelligence
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Epistemology
Animal Intelligence and Epistemology
Epistemology is defined as the area of philosophy that deals with questions concerning knowledge and that considers various theories of knowledge. There are many paths to follow in epistemology, including skepticism, rationalism, empiricism, constructivism, and epistemological relativism, all of which offer very different views to explain how people know things. These views concern primarily human intelligence and largely ignore animal intelligence in creating their theories, but animal intelligence could play a pivotal role in the development of epistemological theories. This issue has been controversial, especially in recent years when research has revealed that animal’s thoughts very likely extend beyond instinct and conditioning as B.F. Skinner and Rene Descartes once thought. Today, the question of whether animals besides humans possess intelligence is a prevalent one and may help humans to understand better the intricate concept of epistemology.
The concept of intelligence is itself controversial. There are varying definitions of intelligence, including the Russian Artificial Intelligence Researcher’s definition that an intelligent being gives intelligent answers to intelligent questions (Animal Intelligence). Webster’s dictionary defines intelligence as simply the capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity (Webster). In an article for The Nature Institute, intelligence is given the definition of “ the capacity to meet new and unforeseen situations by rapid and effective adjustment of behavior” (Holdrege). So, with a vague definition of intelligence, it is difficult to determine whether or not animals exhibit intelligence. To meet t...
... middle of paper ...
...o not wantonly destroy their environment for any personal gain; they do what they have to in order to survive and nothing more. Some might say that exhibits more intelligence than humans are capable of.
Works Cited
“Animal Intelligence.” 24 June 2001. 18 Feb. 2007.
Holdrege, Craig. “Elephantine Intelligence.” The Nature Institute.
“Inside the Animal Mind.” NATURE. 18 Feb. 2007
Viegas, Jennifer. “Animal Intelligence Resists Definition”. Discovery News. 6 June 2006. 18 Feb. 2007.
Webster’s Dictionary.
Nicole Starosielski describes animation as having “the potential to depict imperceptible, indeterminate and interactive environments.” That is what made this animation so brilliant. Truthfully I have always been very fascinated by Jane Goodall and her work, but there isn’t a way, other than animation, to put the feel of what she was going through on the screen.
Watch out dolphins because you may no longer be the most intelligent animals anymore! Elephants, one of our lands largest creatures, are taking your spot! In the video, Elephants Show Cooperation, the article, Elephants Can Lend a Helping Trunk, and the passage, from Elephants Know When They Need a Helping Trunk in a Cooperative Task, the authors illustrate the intelligence of these pachyderms. They all show an experiment that proves this claim. Elephants “join the elite club of social cooperators: chimpanzees, hyenas, rooks, and humans.” Their cognitive ability even surprises the researchers. They not only make wise decisions, but also work well with their companions. All three sources depict the sagacity of these remarkable creatures.
In his 2009 article “The Omnivore’s Delusion”, Blake Hurst takes a stand against the numerous non-farmers who are attempting, and in some cases succeeding, to degrade and ‘clean’ the farming industry. Hurst’s main points of contention are the lack of true knowledge these intellectuals have on the inner workings of today’s farms and their insistent belief that the farmers themselves “…are too stupid to farm sustainably, too cruel to treat their animals well, and too careless to worry about their communities, their health, and their families” (24).
One of the major differences between humans and animals is our ability to reason and differentiate our actions from our instincts (Barrett, 2011, p. 3). Justin Barrett further explains this distinction in the first chapter of his book, Cognitive Science Religion and Theology. He explains that cognitive science recognizes the uniqueness of the human mind and focuses on explaining the thinking processes that take place(Barrett, 2011, p. 5). This may seem similar to what the field of neuroscience aims to do but, cognitive science is not as interested with the biological functions of the brain. Instead of looking at physical structures Barrett writes, that cognitive science focuses on broader processes such as perception, attention, memory, reasoning and learning (Barrett, 2011, p. 7). All of these processes interact with each other to create the big questions asked in cognitive science. Some of these big underlying questions of cognitive science are explored in this first chapter, questions such as “What is innate?” or “How are mind and bodies
Animals can appear to plan for the future, for instance gathering food and storing it for future use, but then again this seems to be nothing more than instinctive behavior. Actually rationally thinking about the future involves considering prospective consequences. Animals may be aware when it is feeding time, but they will not rationalize about what they want to eat; it’s less of a choice and more of a need on a basis for survival. Animals can have distinctive capacities for memory storage. The phrase "an elephant never forgets" derives from elephants’ notable ability to recall the locations of places, other animals, and things, such as water holes, long after visiting them only one time in their life. What separates humans from animals are their abilities to reflect on the events from they’re past and evaluate them, or wish they had done something differently. How animals do learn is from repeated experience and instinct. One would expect that when a deer has a close encounter with a car, it would not cross roads or learn to cross when there are no cars, but that is not how animals think. A deer will still cross the road; it is purely luck that prevents the deer from getting hit by a car. Fukuyama references the concept of consciousness as a key element of demanding respect and dignity. While explaining the concepts of feelings of pain
Both sides had valid points about whether animals can reason, and it really leaves it up to the individual to decide whether animals have the ability to reason or not.
Human intelligence is an eel-like subject: slippery, difficult to grasp, and almost impossible to get straight [3]. Many scientist and psychologist have made numerous attempts to come up with an explanation for the development of human intelligence. For many years, there has been much controversy over what intelligence is and whether it is hereditary or nurtured by the environment. Webster's dictionary defines intelligence as "the ability to acquire and apply knowledge; which includes a sensing an environment and reaching conclusions about the state of that environment [7]. In this paper I am going to examine the factors, which make up ones intelligence. I will be investigating whether or not intelligence is fostered by genetic heritance or nurtured by ones environment.
Monkey see, monkey do. Apes have always been thought to have an increased level of intelligence. Over the years, researchers have attempted to understand the degree of intelligence these primates possess. However, it is essential to understand the definition of intelligence in order to determine the amount of intelligence primates have. Intelligence is the capability of obtaining knowledge and being able to utilize it in everyday situations. There are many hypotheses that focus on the evolution of intelligence in primates that view a number of factors including brain size and modernism. Primate intelligence has been a topic of interest to many because it will allow us to further understand the close relationship between humans and primates. Additionally, we will be able to understand the difference between human and primate cognition. Some studies suggest that the human and primate brains possess many similarities. This demonstrates why primates tend to respond to stimuli in a manner that is closely related to humans. Researchers have conducted a number of studies in an effort to understand primate cognition.
In response to this, George and Wagner state that death, although ugly, is a natural part of life. They then compare humans and animal experimentation to a hunter and its prey. Non-surprisingly, Aronson wholeheartedly disagrees with George and Wagner on the issue of animal importance in society. Viewing animals as equally deserving as humans, he is curious as to what qualities a living being needs to possess to qualify as a superior lifeform. He concludes that many would say it is an individual’s “intelligence” and “self-awareness” that defines a lifeform as a superior beings. To counter this belief, Aronson provides specific examples to prove that animals can possess these qualities. One example he contributes the quality of intelligence to is the Octopus, a sea creature which can “demonstrate considerable problem solving ability.” They display this skill by discovering ways to open fish-filled jars with no assistance from an outside
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines intelligence as the capacity to apprehend facts and propositions, to reason about them, and the ability to understand them and their relations to each other. A. M. Turing had this definition in mind when he made his predictions and designed his test, commonly known as the Turing test. His test is, in principle, simple. A group of judges converse with different entities, some computers and some human, without knowledge of which is which. The job of the judges is to discern which entity is a computer. Judges may ask them any question they like, "Are you a computer?" excepted, and the participants may answer with anything they like, and in turn, ask questions of the judges. The concept of the test is not difficult, but creating an entity capable of passing the test with current technology is virtually impossible.
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies knowledge. It is mainly concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge. It attempts to answer the basic question of what distinguishes true or adequate knowledge from otherwise false or inadequate knowledge (Heylighen). The major branches of epistemological theory are rationalism, empiricism and mysticism. Rationalism implies that knowledge is obtained through reason and introspection. Ones ideas are justified by sense experience, but if the senses and intuition are in conflict, the sensory evidence must be discarded. In empiricism, knowledge is obtained through observation and experiment. Models and theories may be used to organize this sensory experience, but if theories contradict experience they are wrong. In mysticism, knowledge is obtained through faith, emotions or revelation but if observation or intuition contradict, the knowledge is thus deemed wrong (“Rationalism”). Doubt, as a Persian Proverb once said, is the key to knowledge. It is one of the influencing factors in the expansion of knowledge. A fact that is conside...
Intelligence by definition is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills” (Oxford Dictionary, 2014). However, many psychologists argue that there is no standard definition of ‘intelligence’, and there have been many different theories over time as psychologists try to find better ways to define this concept (Boundless 2013). While some believe in a single, general intelligence, others believe that intelligence involves multiple abilities and skills. Another largely debated concept is whether intelligence is genetically determined and fixed, or whether is it open to change, through learning and environmental influence. This is commonly known as the nature vs. nurture debate.
I will first look at the views of Peter Singer, who is a utilitarian. A
It is nearly impossible to say whether non-human animals are intelligent. Most studies, in this field of psychology, were carried out on primates, and it is thought that these animals are naturally superior. It seems most behaviour in the research discussed in this essay can be explained through association learning, therefore not actually a result of intelligence. It is difficult to falsify whether animals are intelligent or not because, although they are able to solve problems they only show some aspects to suggest ToM.
Animals can be perceived in many different ways. While some humans consider animals to be mindless machines programmed with instinct, others view them as spiritual creatures capable of coherent thought and emotions. I feel that animals are somewhere in the middle. Although they rely heavily on instinct, the ability to feel emotions shows that their mental capacity is not far from that of a human.