On Apr 1, 5:42 am, "John Hasenkam" <jo... from goawayplease.com> wrote:
> So now we find that chimps have a "theory of mind", this concept typically
> invoked when describing symptoms of autism(ie. autistics lack it). Does that
> mean there are autistic chimps? King Kong?
>> Perhaps this is one for Joseph Campbell, he might have something to say
> about theory of mind. After all, he was the whiz kid in mythology.
>> Who's Bad? Chimps Figure It Out By Observation
>> Who's Bad? Chimps Figure It Out By Observation
>>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326095411.htm>> ScienceDaily (Mar. 31, 2008) - Chimpanzees make judgments about the actions
> and dispositions of strangers by observing others' behavior and interactions
> in different situations. Specifically, chimpanzees show an ability to
> recognize certain behavioral traits and make assumptions about the presence
> or absence of these traits in strangers in similar situations thereafter.
> These findings are by Dr. Francys Subiaul - from the George Washington
> University in Washington DC - and his team.
hmm. this is one of those things where i don't know whether to say, in
a know it all sarcastic fashion, 'gee, you mean that evolution might
find it advantageous to be able to predict the behavior of others in a
general way?' or 'gee, you mean that the creatures most closely
related to us have similar abilities for things which are strongly
advantageous evolutionarily?'
