mrgray wrote:
Are you willing to say no animal is more aware than someone with 60 IQ?
I'm not sure which discussion you're trying to have.
Are you looking to discuss comparative intelligence?
Or are you wanting to talk about awareness?
Those are two distinct things.
What I am saying is that no animal is
smarter than a person with an
average IQ.
Including extreme deviations from the norm is akin to making the case that a bowling ball is just
as good a swimmer as a fish, providing that that fish had no fins. It's an unnecessary argument.
But, yes, I am willing to concede that an animal
might be more intelligent than a person in a
vegetative state.
As to their "awareness", given that almost all animals react or respond to their environment in
some fashion, through conscious effort or not, technically I would say that all animals are aware
to some degree.
Now if, by "aware", you actually mean "self-aware", that is a bit tougher to quantify.
There have been mirror tests done that show some species "recognize" themselves and therefore
exhibit some level of self-awareness. The usual suspects performed well: chimps, dolphins and some
members of the corvidae family.
But one could also make the argument that an understanding of one's mortality is the key component to
self-awareness and in that regard animals seem to be lacking.
Despite all of the research done on this topic, the jury is still out.
I suspect it's like modern art. Folks see what they want to see.
BTW, I would worry less about the affairs of the animal kingdom and start worrying more about the
business model of your local strip clubs. According to your description, I'm starting to doubt their
fiscal viability. Although... the extra creases for bill tucking could increase their profit margin quite nicely...