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Greater intelligence allows greater introspection, prediction, rumination; allows one to build a model of self and environment not possible at lower intelligenc
by shanusmagnus 5y ago
Greater intelligence allows greater introspection, prediction, rumination; allows one to build a model of self and environment not possible at lower intelligence. The suffering that is possible when you can anticipate your death, or imagine a hopeless future, turns otherwise neutral situations into hells.
- sweetheart 5y agoThis is a double edged sword: an animal that is incapable of imagining a hopeless future may also be incapable of understanding that certain terrors it faces are temporary, and thus may live in anguish much more as it has a poorer mental model of its own situation.
- kuhewa 5y agoThis is true, for example I've handled both captive and wild animals naive to humans from the same species (for conservation related research). The captive ones are a bit feisty, but the wild ones are so terrified they are basically in shock and won't move.