Anyone else ever had the thought we aren't the smartest beings on earth?

[Powerogue]

While we're definitely the most advanced species we've found (superintelligent atlantians have yet to surface and share their vast wisdom) some days I do think other animals have got it all figured out. Cats hopped right aboard the domestication train and we expect pretty much nothing in return for all that pampering except what they already do on their own (hunt vermin) and often not even that. That's a pretty sweet deal.

[Fascinate]

Doesn't matter. Humans are the smartest creatures on this planet by any metric.

Again, we first need to define intelligence. That is really at the heart of what i am asking about. What is important in life, animals dont have to ask this question it is built into their DNA. Humans have to figure this out for themselves, and in the process we get a ton of genetic rejects.

[Shadowferal]

saying "deprive a human of their technology" is like saying deprive them of using their brain. put a person in the woods and they will develop rudimentary "technology" out of what is available to survive. Our critical thinking and tool (technology) creation is what sets us apart.

It's amazing how some people have indeed made such a replacement.

[Revi]

Intelligent?
I don't believe that our way of thinking has changed for thousands of years.

But since we have knowledge that has piggy-backed generation after generation...but little else.

Deprive a person of his/her technology and we see how smart s/he really is.

Rob an ant of his colony and see how well adapted he is.
Rob a fish of it's fins and see how well it swims.
Rob a bat of it's hearing and see how well it hunts.

Culture, the transfer of knowledge, communication.. That's our "thing". It's our specialty.

[Deleted]

Again, we first need to define intelligence. That is really at the heart of what i am asking about. What is important in life, animals dont have to ask this question it is built into their DNA. Humans have to figure this out for themselves, and in the process we get a ton of genetic rejects.

Do you even know the basic meaning behind the words you use?

[Fascinate]

The fact you debating this doesnt make us the smartest beings??!?!?!? no troll

Awesome question, but us being able to have a written language does not automatically put us above animals because we need to define intelligence farther than that. Is having a solid relationship more important than being able to write out common language? Some would argue yes (almost all animals species have amazing relationships within their species, taking the good with the bad). Humans often have very poor relationships with each other and overcomplicate things, animals tell their mates when they are ready with calls and dont play no bullshit mindgames.

[Puri]

God is in the universe.

I literally just spilt my coffee on my table. This was such an unexpected turn in regards to the opening post.

[Packing an i5]

well any other intelligent species on earth hasn't had the time to evolve and grow hands with fingers to be able to Build. Humans are an engineer species with a large brain cavity for our size.

There are other engineer species but they do not have hands and have not evolved enough to use as much of their brain as we do. Animals can communicate, problem solve, recognize themselves in a Mirror. Play, Hunt, Gather.

Still Incredibly simple in comparison to Humans. Humans are the only species on Earth that have created written languages and civilization.

I wish sometimes that was not the case and we were sharing knowledge and customs with another species that could Build/create like we Do.

The smartest animal that I know of is the Dolphin. Dolphins have a very sophisticated Social society and are very similar to Human beings in all the wrong ways.

[Shadowferal]

Culture, the transfer of knowledge, communication.. That's our "thing". It's our specialty.

So is our ignorance, and the ability to be the most savage destructive creature on the planet.

[Gib Lover]

This thread just reminds me of every time someone posts a video of an animal sad because another animal died.
"ANIMALS ARE CAPABLE OF MORE LOVE THAN MOST OF THE WORLD!"
"WE ARE NOT THE SMARTEST THINGS ON THIS EARTH!"
"ANIMALS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN US!"

[Fascinate]

I literally just spilt my coffee on my table. This was such an unexpected turn in regards to the opening post.

This i completely understand seems hypocritical. But god gives us free will at the same time.

- - - Updated - - -

Some people exist to make others look good by comparison.



Then what metric should we use to measure intelligence?

That is the crux of the thread tbh, what is intelligence.

[Gib Lover]

Awesome question, but us being able to have a written language does not automatically put us above animals because we need to define intelligence farther than that. Is having a solid relationship more important than being able to write out common language? Some would argue yes (almost all animals species have amazing relationships within their species, taking the good with the bad). Humans often have very poor relationships with each other and overcomplicate things, animals tell their mates when they are ready with calls and dont play no bullshit mindgames.

Animals also casually eat the young of their species, roll around in their shit, eat poisonous plants like it was lettuce, and usually die at a quarter a human lifespan.
You also seem to be a bit of a "nice guy" with that last sentence tbh.

[Gib Lover]

Like the very fact that you are having an existential crisis literally proves you are a member of the smartest species on earth.
Dogs don't sit around contemplating if they are actually the pet and not the owner.

[Reeve]

Intelligence is completely subjective as we all know. Extrapolate that to the extreme, are we smarter than animals because we can build skyscrapers or map our DNA?

Yes. /10chars

[Gib Lover]

Yes. /10chars

Pretty much this. Intelligence can be as subjective as you want it to be, geese flying south for the winter is not more intelligent than us somehow making hunks of metal the size of a small building fly through the air so we can travel somewhere just because we want to.

[remeran12]

There is no real answer to your question if we go by your logic. In your view, intelligence is an abstract concept that we made to measurable to our standards. I disagree, it's been said before but the very fact that we can have this conversation proves that we are superior. Sure there are animals that do certain things better than us, but we are clever enough to be able to find clever ways around those things, better than the animal. Our ability to work around our limitation is really powerful.

Also, passing things down from generation to generation is extremely important. When an animal is born he is essentially on his/her own. Conversely, we stand on the shoulders of giants. it's the same reason why Object oriented programming is such a huge break through in computer science.

[Fascinate]

If you want to overturn the current way of measuring intelligence, you should at least have a suggestion on how else to do it.

That is fair i suppose. Well my main reason for creating the thread is if anyone simply just thought for a second what if we arent the most "intelligent" species that resides on earth? I guess i am suggesting that overthinking things as humans do really puts us at a disadvantage. Animals simply know how to live life, hardships are incurred naturally they know what is coming to them or not. Animals don't have to deal with nearly anything that humans do but at the same time can partake in some of the best things humans do (good food, sex, companionship).

[Donald Hellscream]

We are the top of the food chain because we invented ways to kill anything larger, stronger and faster than us. That alone means we are smarter than everything else or atleast more evolved which again would make us the smartest.

[Fascinate]

If you want to overturn the current way of measuring intelligence, you should at least have a suggestion on how else to do it.

It really comes down to how animals live life vs humans in my mind. I made this thread asking if anyone else has at least had the thought pop into their mind as i had. Animals are able to partake in many of the things humans hold dear (sex, food, companionship) without many of the negatvies.

[Deleted]

That is fair i suppose. Well my main reason for creating the thread is if anyone simply just thought for a second what if we arent the most "intelligent" species that resides on earth? I guess i am suggesting that overthinking things as humans do really puts us at a disadvantage. Animals simply know how to live life, hardships are incurred naturally they know what is coming to them or not. Animals don't have to deal with nearly anything that humans do but at the same time can partake in some of the best things humans do (good food, sex, companionship).

Citation needed