Proposed New Paradigm in Animal Cogition -- From Observation and Experimentation to Making Contact
I was watching a Nova special on corvids, and it mentioned that the meaning of over 250 distinct calls in one species of crow had been deciphered. And I got to thinking about the implications of this, combined with our recent discoveries of syntactical language in prairie dogs and natural sign language in bonobos. I concluded that we should make
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I was using the lower life forms as an absurd extension of what I still feel is a barrier between humman "communication" with lower life forms.
There is no doubt that many sounds and movements are recognized to identify specific realities within each living things life experience.
Approach a bird's nest and a guard or too is liable to get antsy, do a dance, squawk, even dive over your head.
A female bird may cover her newly-hatched youngs with leaves the exacy color of their beaks.
A mouse may be conditioned to respond to a bell "knowing" there's food on the table.
A dog, through living with humans, becomes aware that certain words and faces mean certain things within its experience.
Apes and chimps, as you referenced, are most certainly the closest to humans in actual thought processes and the ability to engage in human-like behavior.
What I am saying is that any real "communication" between humans and other higher forms of life is most likely to be a one-way street for the most part ... aside from the examples you gave and. dependent on the intelligence of the animal and the complexity of its experiences.
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