Beyond a Zoo

[biostudent84]

well, the monkey would survive longer, so you think the monkey is smarter?

The point I'm making...that I've been making ever since this thread (and another thread by Inuyasha) started, is that it is impossible for a human to compare relative intelligences between organisms. Since we ourselves are organisms, we will always have extreme bias. The more like us an organism is, the more intelligent it appears to be to us.

[Inuyasha]

What if u ran a double blinded T test on both tested and testing subjected. U could list each of a certain creature's traits and have HUMANS decide which creature they are better off. But have the real experiment be a two sample T test....

[biostudent84]

It won't work....because in a human-designed test, the test would by design mark the more human-like organisms as more intelligent.

[James]

So is intelligence a solely human trait?

[mith]

no, it's simply inherently biased towards humans.

[Inuyasha]

but in a double blind, although humans are the sample test takers they wouldn't know what they were testing. they can be given characteristics to choos their "favorite" traits and rank them.

[mith]

but those choices would be biased, ok lemme give you an example

Animal 1: Can solve complex differential equations.
Animal 2: Can peel a banana with it's foot.

Animal 1: Can tell political jokes.
Animal 2: Screeches in a number of funny octaves.

[Inuyasha]

Right. But still can't u think of one way?