What animals are capable of (it’s more than you’d think)

Hi Ya'll,

Are human beings the only intelligent creatures on this planet? Or are we missing something here because we only see things—intelligence—from a human perspective?

In the video below, Marta Halina, a senior lecturer in the philosophy of cognitive science at the University of Cambridge, explains what animals are capable of. Let me tell you: what she has to say will expand your world.

Now, one example of an intelligent being is the chimpanzee, Halina says. It can set a goal and fulfil it, it can plan for the future - for instance, by picking the right tool they’ll need later on to fulfil a task or solve a problem. It’s also very sophisticated socially: it understands the intentions and goals of other agents and can distinguish whether a partner is unwilling or unable to cooperate. Perhaps we should consider giving them the status of legal persons? - as it has been suggested.

Now, as chimpanzees seem closer to humans, it may seem more obvious to us that they can act in clever ways. But what about insects or even smaller organisms?

We have long assumed that you need a large brain to engage in intelligent behaviour. But recent research shows that that doesn’t seem to be the case. For instance, Halina explains, a study reveals that honeybees can count numbers up to 4 or 5, and in addition, they seem to understand that zero is less than 1 or more.

This is incredible! - Or is it? Perhaps we're only amazed because we know little about non-human animal intelligence. Often we understand intelligence by examining how species interact with their surroundings. Here’s an example: Jellyfish and sponges vs. slugs and worms: The nervous system of jellyfish and sponges is what you can describe as a network-shaped system where all neurons are connected with all other neurons. This is very different from sea slugs and worms, which have centralised nervous systems - a cluster of neurons.

So, is a centralised nervous system a sign of higher intelligence compared to a network-shaped system? Not necessarily, Halina argues. Both systems have possibilities and limitations and the animals can be equally intelligent.

Halina points to an interesting idea: what if we start seeing animals as beings that are built differently - instead of ranking them on a list from ‘less to more intelligent’, like this illustration shows:

When you look at intelligence in a more broad sense, Halina says, it can help us appreciate the diverse intelligence in the world. It can show us that intelligence can take many forms and that a human perspective may be only one among a great many.

BIO

​Marta Halina​, a senior lecturer in philosophy of cognitive science at the University of Cambridge.

Author of ​Animal Minds​ (2024).

"You have to go through life hopefully" 

...says artist Patti Smith in ​this​ video.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time - Majken xx

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It's FEMiNOMENAL!_is a blog on WOMEN within the field of History - Writing - Culture. All texts, videos, etc., are about women and/or created by women or by a team strongly represented by women. WHY? Because overall, a female approach only gets a little airtime in this world, and we need to change this. Welcome and thank you for joining.

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