"They're even dumber than people. " Years ago when thinking about this I used to envisage a graph with a log scale that would indicate the intelligence of brig

"They're even dumber than people. " Years ago when thinking about this I used to envisage a graph with a log scale that would indicate the intelligence of brightest humans (the Einsteins of this world), the dumbest ones and also all other supposedly sentient animals extending way down to the simplest forms of life. I pictured the graph with humans way out in front at the top but closely grouped together (that is there isn't that much difference between the dumbest and smartest human on an absolute scale). The next most intelligent animal on the scale would be widely separated from humans and a long way down the graph (despite the log scale). In recent years, witnessing some of the things you mention and other antics I've seen, that gap has just about eroded altogether. Now, I no longer have any clear idea where humans should be placed on the graph (I still find it hard to believe how stupid humans can be—and I'm not being elitist about it as I include myself in that category). Right, we need to reevaluate intelligence, IQ tests don't mean much in the grand schema. I suppose the thing that may distinguish us humans from other species is that at least some of us know how stupid we humans are. BTW, I'd still group all humans pretty much together on an absolute scale (if it were ever possible to construct one), we're all pretty much the same. PS: you're right about chickens, they're about as dumb as it gets when intelligence is measured in cognitive terms, but as you infer surviving with humans implies evolutionary intelligence (again what is intelligence?). Nevertheless, the difference in intelligence (in its cognitive sense) between chickens and covids and currawongs are miles apart—a comparison would almost be a non sequitur.