#3 - Human Minds and Animal Minds

We (humans) still suffer from many errors in our thinking. Among these errors is an incorrect and damaging view of nature and other animals. We view animals as being naturally pigeonholed – ‘dogs are for petting, horses are for riding, pigs are for eating’. Why is it barbaric to eat a dog but not a pig?

Many humans still entertain a Book of Genesis notion that humans have dominion over all animals. At the very least, we (incorrectly) view the human species as separate and from the rest of nature. Pollution is seen as a transgression against the natural realm – ‘unnatural’ human activities disrupting ‘natural’ states of being.

Morality aside, this outlook is factually mistaken! Geoff Allen argues that we should cancel the word ‘natural’. As he puts it: ‘A bird’s nest is no more or less natural than a Toyota Prius’.

Topics also include: the logic of Mean Girls; genetics versus memetics; culture among apes and monkeys; animals planning for the future; thinking abstractly versus thinking concretely.

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• Bibliography and further reading: geoffallenwriting.wordpress.com/2020/10/06/extrapolator-bibliography