ucbvax:ARPAVAX:UNKNOWN:G:asa (11/16/82)
I don't see many intelligent life forms of any kind pulling into
7-11s....
Being a predator is not an a priori indication of superior
intelligence, and it is certainly unfair to compare the intelligence
of wild predators with that of domesticated animals (which have had
intelligence bred out of them for thousands of years).
Farley Mowat, in NEVER CRY WOLF (his classic book on wolf-caribou
interactions), found that the wolves were only able to catch and kill
very young, very old, or very sick caribou; the collective strength of
a herd of adult caribou made the bulk of the herd more than a match
for even a pack of wolves. Furthermore, he discovered that when they
were unable to get caribou, the wolves lived off field mice -- a fine
alternative, but scarcely, I think, indicative of any superior
intelligence....
Judging purely by teeth and position in the food chain, we might
consider sharks to be nearly our equals in intelligence....
I would suggest that one standard for evaluating the
"intelligence" of a species would be the extent to which "social
programming" has replaced the limitations of "genetic programming" --
that is, those species who CONSCIOUSLY modify individual and
collective behavior for a CONSCIOUSLY chosen end are "more
intelligent" than species which rely solely on genetic programming
(however successful such programming is). By this definition, homo
sapiens can be distinguished from ants, even though ants are a
highly-successful life form. Thus, human beings might well choose NOT
to be predators for reasons of health, religious belief, or
environmental concerns.
John Hevelin
ucbvax!g:asa