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A whale who tried to mimic human speech (2014)

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: A whale who tried to mimic human speech (2014)

#31

Post by _y5hn »

masswerk wrote: post #24

What I find fascinating about this is that there are various species which have tackled human speech with at least some success (both actively and passively), while, conversely, we are apparently rather bad at participating in their communicative acts (like, imitating utterances in a meaningful way). Is it just for a lack of interest on our side, or are we lacking something else? Edit, regarding "something else": App…

You can do dog language. Many people do. It's not about barking or asserting dominance.

Re: A whale who tried to mimic human speech (2014)

#34

Post by [deleted] »

hellbannedguy wrote: post #27
montenegrohugo wrote: post #2

It seems to me more and more like the biggest, only real difference between most animals and humans is their lack of sophisticated communication. Certainly they communicate; but they do not have access to our rich verbal symbols with which we can convey anything imaginable. Perhaps you could add the lack of a prehensile thumb and deft fingers to build tools with, but I think communication is even more fundamental for…

Actually, I think many animals might communicate better than humans, but we don't know how they do it. I wouldn't completely suprise me if their are certain animals using telepathic thought? Or, some way if communicitating we haven't a clue existed. (And yes I know telepathic thought has been completely debunked in humans. Actually, there's a million sitting stomewhere if any person can successfully pass a institutes…

[deleted]

Re: A whale who tried to mimic human speech (2014)

#35

Post by a3n »

suifbwish wrote: post #19

Worst mobile webpage of all time. Cant read anything because it constantly jumps around loading ads and pop ups. I would expect this from the daily news not something like the smithsonian.

Use an ad blocker. It viewed just fine for me.

Your poor experience is justification enough for blocking.

I await the day when internet ads are not resource sucking, malware vectoring, PII leaking surveillance systems. Until then, I block.

Online venues say they need ads to survive. I say they need benign ads to survive much longer.

It could even be a form of competition, like Volvo marketing themselves as "safe."

EDIT: Cut to child reading a tablet with, er, childlike wonder, and two parents giving each other a visual "whew!"

Re: A whale who tried to mimic human speech (2014)

#36

Post by joe_the_user »

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #4
montenegrohugo wrote: post #2

It seems to me more and more like the biggest, only real difference between most animals and humans is their lack of sophisticated communication. Certainly they communicate; but they do not have access to our rich verbal symbols with which we can convey anything imaginable. Perhaps you could add the lack of a prehensile thumb and deft fingers to build tools with, but I think communication is even more fundamental for…

This is precisely why I’ve transformed my eating habits. I realized that while I can’t prove these animals have a conscious experience like mine (or one I would value as I do the human conscience, I suppose), I also can’t prove that they don’t. We can all read and likely have many experiences indicating that animals, in many circumstances, actually behave much like humans do. And for all the arguments that animals do…

The arguments around this seem paradoxical.

"Animal have a strong commonality with us, so we shouldn't eat them in the fashion that we don't eat each other.

But

"Animal has a strong commonality with us, and one species of animal will eat another species of animal. Even species considered herbivores will eat some meat when it comes to them (deer, etc). If we're like animals, what is wrong with behaving like them?"

At which point, the argument skews to look at what's different about humans (most often "we can choose good versus evil" etc)

That said, for all I know, some different, intelligent, omnivorous animal species has had a group or subculture that also decided to stop eating meat. Of course we actually know little about these things.

Re: A whale who tried to mimic human speech (2014)

#37

Post by matz1 »

jonathanlb wrote: post #20
matz1 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure why my morality has to change, doesn't matter if pig turn out to have conscious experience like mine, I will still eat it.

Ok, I’ll bite (no pun intended): if it were socially acceptable to eat people, would you?

I wouldn't, like I wouldn't eat dog/monkey even though its socially acceptable in certain place, in my mind its disgusting. Pig on the other hand its delicious.

Re: A whale who tried to mimic human speech (2014)

#39

Post by dehrmann »

axiolite wrote: post #21
IronWolve wrote: post #8

Don't forget Koko the Gorilla. She was able to sign, understand english and recount stories of her past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4QQ8Mfjb_g

Not as clear as case as we've been led to believe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYWSXRUGxDQ

"Can Apes Really 'Talk' To Humans?"

Nit: humans are apes.

Re: A whale who tried to mimic human speech (2014)

#40

Post by gizmo686 »

masswerk wrote: post #24

What I find fascinating about this is that there are various species which have tackled human speech with at least some success (both actively and passively), while, conversely, we are apparently rather bad at participating in their communicative acts (like, imitating utterances in a meaningful way). Is it just for a lack of interest on our side, or are we lacking something else? Edit, regarding "something else": App…

> Apparently, we are able to recognize individuals of other primate species by face at a very early age,

Something very simmilar happens with language. Babies are able to distinguish speach sounds of all languages, but quickly lose the ability to percieve distinctions that are not present in their "native" language (native in quotes because this happens before they have made a single utterence)

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