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Book Review: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
- iainctduncan 6y agoThis is the best popular science book I've read. Frans De Waal is amazing, and a fantastic writer to boot.
- gnulinux 6y agoHe's a primatologist right? I didn't read this book but listened to his TED talk, it was amazing. Just curious, does he have any qualification in neuroscience? I was curious because the title of the book sounds like a problem of neuroscience, or cognitive science, or maybe philosophy of mind? Am I mistaken?
- iainctduncan 6y agoHe's a primatologist, but has been a leader in studying emotion and intelligence in primates for decades. Both this book and his follow up, "Mama's Last Hug", are life-changing reads, literally.
- IvyMike 6y agoA short work by Ted Chiang that got me asking the same question: https://nautil.us/issue/75/story/the-great-silence https://nautil.us/issue/75/story/the-great-silence
- failwhaleshark 6y agoWhat most people forget is that "intelligence" is an inferred perception/quality based on performance and/or interaction at a particular point in time. If a person can't communicate with an animal, it's only anthropocentrism to automatically leap to the conclusion that it's "dumb." Perhaps the perceiver is the "dumb" one?
- alnguyen3 6y agoThis made me want to pick up the book, thanks for sharing