When humans are social with humans, are they reaching out or simply reacting?
The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
21–30 of 106 posts
Re: The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
An even better aquarium owner wouldn't have them at all. My Octopus Teacher is a fantastic look into the life of an octopus, their intellectual capacity, and their propensity to interact with humans.
Why would that be better to not have them? It sounds a bit presumptive of a universal morality rather than a logical statement.
It sounds like a moral statement because it is a moral statement. Nothing wrong with that IMHO .
Re: The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
An even better aquarium owner wouldn't have them at all. My Octopus Teacher is a fantastic look into the life of an octopus, their intellectual capacity, and their propensity to interact with humans.
Why would that be better to not have them? It sounds a bit presumptive of a universal morality rather than a logical statement.
Octopuses are known to not live very long in captivity.
Re: The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
An even better aquarium owner wouldn't have them at all. My Octopus Teacher is a fantastic look into the life of an octopus, their intellectual capacity, and their propensity to interact with humans.
Why would that be better to not have them? It sounds a bit presumptive of a universal morality rather than a logical statement.
It's not an insane idea that octopuses might not enjoy being stuffed into what amounts to a studio apartment for their entire life.
Re: The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
#25I'd say ask the Octopi first. Wait, can't do that? But you were about to do it anyway ? That's why you can't be friends.
Not all communication is verbal. You can't be [friends in the same way you are friends with humans] an octopus because they are not human. I'm friends with my cat. We have a mutual social relationship and he doesn't speak a lick of English.
> he doesn't speak a lick of English
Nicely done.
Re: The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
(waiting for the recurring comments, that 2 x octopus -> octopodes or octopuses but not octopi since it's not latin 2nd declension, but rather misspelled greek)
I think 'octopodes' should be considered incorrect on the basis that the vast majority of even the people using it are probably not pronouncing it correctly.
Eh, as long as it rhymes with ‘tetrapods’, it’s accepted and current pronunciation.
Re: The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
#27Does "When octopuses are social with humans, are they reaching out or simply reacting?" really have a meaning? Or is the distinction meaningful to make?
The octopus regarded the research as "safe" and "interesting". It didn't integrate the researcher into octopus society because such a thing doesn't exist. But octopuses had a society, would it have to be more than a mutual regarding of a group as safe and interesting? Especially, since many other complex behaviors can be created from this start (just as the octopus created all sort of interesting things in the world).
"Maybe octopuses don’t regard us so much as friends or associates as giant, elaborate levers they can manipulate for their own benefit"
Maybe the difference between these kinds of relationships is less than we think.
Re: The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
#28this seems to be about the Netflix movie "My Octopus Teacher". It's a great watch and certainly interesting whether or not you think the octopus is bonding with the filmmaker.
Re: The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dogs have lived alongside humans for millennia. They're genetically engineered animals (in the oldschool way - by breeding and selection, not in a test tube). And we've bred them largely by rewarding their ability to interact with us. Dogs are obviously quite artificial species in that sense
Having grown up with a lot of domesticated animals, it's amazing how much dogs can communicate on our terms, compared to, say, a horse. Horses can communicate quite a bit, but you typically have to understand horses and meet them where they're at before you can effectivity communicate with them. Dogs do a much better job of trying different ways to get their point across to you until you get it.
A recent popular example of a horse communicating in their own way.
Re: The mystery of social behavior in octopuses
#30When humans are social with humans, are they reaching out or simply reacting?
> When humans are social with humans, are they reaching out or simply reacting?
Haha... I think it depends on the current situation of the human is in... Sometimes human just wants to have a meaningful conversation, sometimes just reacting aptly to prevent social awkwardness or being tagged rude...