4 ms·

I find it human-exceptionalising when we say that non-human animals can't have a concept of number. Why wouldn't they? In evolutionary terms, we followed the s

• disown 6y ago
  > Why wouldn't they? In evolutionary terms, we followed the same path to get here. Then why can't I fly? We know that language had a role in our ability to count. Most primitive societies with limited language only counted 1 or 2 and everything else was "many". It's why many languages have a "half" and a systematic one-thirds, one-fourth, one-fifth, etc. If we had "numbers" and the ability to count, we'd say "one-twos" rather than half. This is true for most cultures/languages. Also, if you think animals grasp the concept of number, do you think they have the ability to understand negative numbers?