The long history of mankind has brought people to the high level of development at which we are now. It is generally accepted that man is the only rational being on the planet. However, in science there is no exact definition of the criterion of reason. That is why it is difficult to give any characteristics. Disputes on this topic among scientists are still ongoing. It has been experimentally proven that dolphins, elephants, monkeys and other inhabitants of the planet can be attributed to intelligent beings. And lovers of mysticism generally believe that the Earth is inhabited not only by people, but also by other creatures that came from outer space.
The concept of the mind
Man is the most intelligent being on the planet. However, the very concept of reason is quite broad. There are many criteria for evaluating this concept. With different approaches to this issue, it may turn out that there are much more intelligent beings on Earth than we used to think. scientistsnumerous experiments were carried out, during which confirmation of the rationality of animals and other creatures was obtained. So, for example, monkeys, elephants and dolphins in the course of experiments discovered the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror, which indicates the existence of self-consciousness. Such experiences allow people to understand nature and comprehend the origin of the mind.
There are different definitions of the concept of mind. In general, we can say that this is an integral part of the essence of a person or any other creature, which provides the possibility of meaningful activity. It is thanks to the mind that an adequate picture of the world is formed. He provokes to solve problems in all possible ways, to look for answers to the questions posed. The mind is the motivating force that makes you do certain things.
Smart Monkeys
According to scientists, there are not so few intelligent beings on Earth. Monkeys can be safely attributed to them. Back in 1960, Gordon Gallup conducted an interesting experiment. Anesthetized chimpanzees applied red paint to their cheeks near their ears. The animal didn't even know about it. After the chimpanzee came to his senses, the pet was asked to look at himself in the mirror. It is worth noting that the animal was already familiar with its reflection and recognized itself.
So, when they saw themselves in the mirror, they immediately grabbed the spot painted with paint. In the course of such simple experiments, the animals quickly realized that something was wrong with them, which means that the monkey remembers how it looked before. Is this notsign of sanity?
Later experiments were carried out with macaques. During the tests, it turned out that they do not perceive their reflection at all. In the mirror, the monkey sees an opponent and tries to bite him. I never managed to develop at least some recognition of my reflection.
In the 1970s, scientific reports appeared that gorillas and orangutans could also recognize themselves in mirrors. But other monkeys - capuchins, macaques, gibbons - are not aware of themselves in the reflection. By the way, other animals also took part in further experiments: cats, pigeons, dogs, elephants. But they also did not recognize themselves in the reflections. Although, many animals are sentient beings.
Further experiments
It would seem that the fact that dogs are rational beings is undeniable. Over the long history of mankind, these cute animals have long been side by side with people and have long proved their extraordinary mind and abilities. However, in the course of experiments conducted with a mirror, it turned out that dogs, seeing their image, perceive it as another dog. But since the animal does not smell any, it quickly loses interest in its own reflection.
Not so long ago in Canada, in the Vancouver area, owners began to find broken mirrors on their cars. The first thing that came to mind was the appearance of a maniac. However, the solution to the strange phenomenon turned out to be quite simple. It was noticed that local woodpeckers got into the habit of flying up to the mirrors and smashing them with their powerful beak. Ornithologists explained that this is verytypical bird behavior. In reflection, they see an opponent, and therefore enter into battle with him. By breaking the mirror, they defeat the enemy.
Dolphins
Many experts believe that dolphins are intelligent creatures. And there is a lot of scientific evidence for that. The unusual abilities of dolphins have long been known. These marine inhabitants carry a huge untapped potential. According to experts, dolphins have speech. Of course, it is incomprehensible to us, but numerous analyzes of the sound signals emitted by animals have been carried out. V. Tarchevskaya, a researcher at the bioacoustic laboratory, notes that their institution has been working on the topic of dolphin vocal communication for many years.
The range of frequencies of the signals emitted by these animals significantly overlaps the human one. Sound communication between humans occurs at a frequency of 20 kHz, and among dolphins at a frequency of 300 kHz. Studies have shown that animals have as many levels of sound organization as humans - six (sounds, syllables, phrases, words, etc.). Semantic understanding in humans appears at the level of words, but at what level it occurs in marine life is still unknown. Of course, dolphins are intelligent creatures. Despite numerous studies, there is still a lot about them that remains unknown and unsolved.
Self-awareness in dolphins
In the course of research, the question arose more than once of whether dolphins have self-awareness. Many have probably heard that there is an encephalization coefficient, which shows the ratiobrain mass to total body mass. There are many animals whose brain mass is larger than that of a human. An example is the brain of a sperm whale weighing 7-8 kg. But when comparing the ratio of its mass with the body, a person wins. By the way, the encephalization coefficient of monkeys is approximately at the human level. But when calculating this value for dolphins, it turned out that marine life is between humans and chimpanzees in its level.
The logical question was whether marine animals could perceive their reflection in a mirror. In 2001, an experiment was conducted in a swimming pool. The dolphins were given a variety of invisible marks. That is, the animals felt that something was glued to them. But in the mirror lowered in the pool, they did not see foreign objects. Swimming up to him, they began to spin, substituting different parts of the body. Further analysis of the video recordings confirmed that the dolphins turned to the mirror precisely those parts of the body on which the marks were located. This means that animals are aware of themselves in reflection. This indicates that they have the beginnings of self-awareness. No wonder dolphins have long been recognized as intelligent creatures.
Abilities of sea creatures
The intelligence of marine life has always amazed people. A lot of interesting facts can be told by people working with them in dolphinariums. And it's not just their excellent training abilities. Elementary communication between dolphins and humans occurs at the level of gestures and sound signals. However, coaches say that very often such a reasonable livecreatures do not need additional signals. They perfectly understand what they hear. Dolphins are generally incredibly amused by working with people, they are ready to follow them everywhere.
Interesting facts
Dolphins are one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth. The recognition of this fact is undeniable. That is why in some countries they were even recognized as individuals, they were forbidden to be kept in captivity and to conduct entertainment programs with them. One of the first countries in this regard was India, which has historically developed an understanding of animal rights. Not so long ago, the Minister of the Environment banned any show not only with dolphins, but also with other cetaceans, since it is not appropriate to keep intelligent creatures and individuals in captivity.
Following India banned entertainment with marine animals Hungary, Costa Rica and Chile. And the reason for this decision was the cruel capture of dolphins in the Caribbean, Thailand, Japan and the Solomon Islands. Humane means are not selected during trapping. The process itself is quite brutal. Packs are driven into shallow water and suitable females are selected, the rest of the pack is mercilessly killed.
Elephants
There are not many kinds of sentient beings on the planet. But gradually their ranks are replenished by more and more new representatives. Among them are elephants. The mental abilities of animals have been noticed and used by people for their own purposes for a long time. But the latest studies of contemporaries allow us to classify them as rational beings. Scientists have found that elephants are able to communicate with each other over long distances. Whereinthey make sounds inaccessible to the human ear. Only sometimes people can notice a slight rustle.
Experiments with mirrors were also carried out with the participation of elephants. After it was placed with the animals and they got acquainted with the object, marks were applied to the body. Some marks were invisible, while others were visible. After some time, the elephant began to look in the mirror and try to rub off the colored cross with her trunk. And this means that elephants recognize themselves in the mirror. Hence, they are self-aware. But there is a small nuance - animals do not distinguish colors.
But elephants have a very good memory. They are able to remember the faces of people and events, which indicates the level of intelligence. They remember friendship with a person for years, but they will not forgive the offender either.
Fight of two minds
Some researchers believe that at one time two intelligent species fought among themselves for dominance. In this light, modern science fiction films about the struggle between cybermind and man do not seem so impossible. Researchers believe that in the past, a struggle for survival between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons is quite likely, as a result of which the latter won. And the Neanderthals died out as a less developed species. There are no scientifically confirmed facts of these events. But as a hypothesis, the assumption has the right to exist.
Perhaps not all Neanderthals were so undeveloped. Since archaeological excavations show that their brain sizes are comparable tosize of modern man. But other indicators are very different.
Disappearance theories
According to archaeologists, Homo sapiens and Neanderthals existed side by side for about five thousand years. Subsequently, the latter disappeared as a species. What is the reason for this, scientists do not yet know. There are different hypotheses. In particular, one of them says that a reasonable person could bring new diseases to foreign lands, from which all Neanderthals gradually died out. Jared Diamond adheres to this version. However, it seems doubtful, since five thousand years is a long time.
Other researchers believe that Neanderthals could not adapt to climate conditions. Although paleontologists say that living conditions in that era were very favorable.
It is also suggested that Homo sapiens simply supplanted the Neanderthals as a less developed species. But this hypothesis is also not entirely clear, since the existence of two intelligent beings on the planet is quite possible. For example, dolphins throughout the history of mankind live side by side with people who damage their population, but still they live in the same world.
Instead of afterword
No scientific evidence yet. All assumptions remain only guesses, which also have the right to life.
