Aug 2, 2022·edited Aug 2, 2022Liked by Scott Monty
I’m curious what Schopenhauer would think today, knowing that we now know animals are quite sentient. Our genetically closest primates — chimps — wage war on each other and commit infantcide, while our other closest relative — the Bonobos — handle all conflict through sex. Dolphins and sea otters are known to rape and murder each other.
And not only our pets show intelligence, but so-called “lower animals” show advanced cognitive abilities, particularly corvids, octopuses and squids — even spiders. The Corolla spider in the Namib desert surrounds its burrow with tightly-packed crystals. It has figured out that a certain array of them will send electrical current along web strands connected to the crystals, thus extending its ability to detect passing prey in the windy, sand-shifting African desert. It was named “the Mathematical Spider” by its discoverers.
Plants have feelings and show empathy. Trees are known to send nutrition through their root systems to felled stumps. And there’s no question that animals suffer depression as well as humans. It’s been documented in dogs, cats, elephants, horses, and parrots.
I’m curious what Schopenhauer would think today, knowing that we now know animals are quite sentient. Our genetically closest primates — chimps — wage war on each other and commit infantcide, while our other closest relative — the Bonobos — handle all conflict through sex. Dolphins and sea otters are known to rape and murder each other.
And not only our pets show intelligence, but so-called “lower animals” show advanced cognitive abilities, particularly corvids, octopuses and squids — even spiders. The Corolla spider in the Namib desert surrounds its burrow with tightly-packed crystals. It has figured out that a certain array of them will send electrical current along web strands connected to the crystals, thus extending its ability to detect passing prey in the windy, sand-shifting African desert. It was named “the Mathematical Spider” by its discoverers.
Plants have feelings and show empathy. Trees are known to send nutrition through their root systems to felled stumps. And there’s no question that animals suffer depression as well as humans. It’s been documented in dogs, cats, elephants, horses, and parrots.