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Language: en
and now for some final thoughts on smart
animals smart pets are the ones that
obey simple commands and as we've seen
can memorize the names of things smart
chimpanzees even know how to stack boxes
and reach a banana or combine hand
gestures into rudimentary sign language
these animals are cherished by their
owners and are often the Marvel of
scientific
conferences though impressive for their
own species their intellectual talents
are no greater than that of a human
toddler our brain is of course capable
of art poetry philosophy mathematics
technology meanwhile only a small
genetic difference separates humans from
other mammals especially chimps what a
difference that little bit makes you
might say but suppose that intelligence
difference was as small as the genetic
difference itself and we just tell
ourselves it's large suppose another
life form showed up with the same small
genetic advantage on us that we have on
chimps what would we look like to them
the most brilliant Among Us say Steven
Hawking would be presented at their
conferences as they Proclaim this one is
slightly smarter than the rest he can do
astrophysics calculations in his head
just like our little Timmy over
here come to think of it we've never
meaningfully communicated with a species
on Earth less intelligent than we are
could it be that our simplest thoughts
are too abstract too complex for them to
comprehend leaving me to wonder whether
this hypothetical smarter life form
would be similarly challenged trying to
communicate with us as they wonder
whether their simplest thoughts are too
abstract too complex for the human mind
to
understand and that is the cosmic
perspective