canberrabirds

The Swoop of the Magpie (revisited)

To: "Philip Veerman" <>
Subject: The Swoop of the Magpie (revisited)
From: "Geoffrey Dabb" <>
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 14:10:58 +1000
Thank you, Philip.  Not exactly what I wanted to know, but an interesting viewpoint nonetheless.
 
I wonder how far back we would have to go to find some common ground.  For my part I am puzzled when people say, sometimes emphatically,  that birds - or other animals - cannot 'think', or 'reason', or engage in 'intellectual cause and effect reasoning' (I am not sure what 'intellectual' adds).  I am puzzled because I do not understand what they are saying birds cannot do.
 
Perhaps we need different verbs, but I would have thought that if a bird (let's stick with birds) was unable to associate an event or action with an effect or result it would be unable to learn (ie gain knowledge about) anything.   To be guided by cause and effect association, it is not necessary to understand the underlying process.  Many people turn on the television expecting to see 'Big Brother' without understanding what electricity is or knowing that they have a retina.  Do you accept that birds can have a store, perhaps a limited store, of memories (for want of a better word)  of experiences that helps guide how they behave?
 
Perhaps you mean that birds do not reason verbally or mathematically, which is a different issue.      
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the Canberra Ornithologists Group mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the list contact David McDonald, list manager, phone (02) 6231 8904 or email . If you can not contact David McDonald e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU