I feel that my life would be missing something important without a border collie. Other dogs I have had kind of existed alongside me; my border collie seems to integrate herself into everything I do.
Can you give any examples, to help (non-Collie) dog owners get past 'My dog is integrated in everything I do; there's no way yours is more so than mine!'?
I've always wanted a border collie, but until I live on a farm or have a large house with a family I just can't justify getting one. They require a lot more stimulation than most dogs.
> Rico could infer the name of a third, unfamiliar object when presented with it alongside two of his toys. Chaser could learn names by exclusion and remember them, just like Rico.
Neil Degrasse Tyson demonstrates the above with the actual dog Chaser:
In regards to: "Cooperation leading to the development of language is one of the leading hypotheses for what makes human beings unique among the animals."
The core difference between humans and animals is that humans can reason; we possess cogitative powers. Philosophers of mind and language, like PMS Hacker, have written extensively on this topic. Humans can ask "why?", can plan, can hope, can wish, can dream, all through language. Language is an ability and allows us to reason, give reasons, and have reasons. Dogs and animals can't ask "why?" "Why?" is beyond their limit of expression because they do not possess language. They can be confused, but confusion is not asking "why?" because "why?" is a demand for reasons. Confusion is simply not knowing what is going on, while reasoning is thinking in future and past tenses, it allows us to plan and introspect.
I think the equation of whistling with full language is interesting, but it potentially reads cogitative powers in dogs when it might simply be the humans reading themselves into the dogs.
The point around cooperation is fascinating in this regard, in which case, the cooperation might be that humans reason for the dog. In other words, the dogs provide the brawn and the handlers supply the brains. We domesticated dogs because they worked for us.
I think you are confusing inability to communicate with inability to think.
Many animals are dumb, Many are smarter than we give them credit for. In past few decades there have been a great many papers indicating some animals can do things just short of what we can do and many people used to think that animals could think, feels emotions, learn by trial/error or even communicate.
You are making an assertion "No animal thinks 'Why?'" without evidence. You could be right or wrong, but you have chosen an odd place to stand. You are inside an ever receding pocket of ignorance.
>The core difference between humans and animals is that humans can reason; we possess cogitative powers.
I agree that human language makes it possible for human beings to do all sorts of cognitive things that animals can't.
That said, you are making the term "reason" have a single meaning, whereas there are actually many types of cognitive activity, some of which animals can do, and some of which they can't. You really need to be more specific about the different types of reasoning, and each different type of reasoning should get a distinctive label.
Well a lot of time I asked why and was confused. Lots of people are even more confused. They may ask why but have no clue whatsoever about anything they're looking at.
Maybe we have larger neuron capacity than animals that allows to store signals, relationships that "maybe" will later resolve that why, while they just have to accept that confusion and just go along doing something else, maybe remembering a map (context, confusion, avoid).
My shepherd is by no means special yet he asks 'Why?'.
He plans, hopes, and most definitely has and could express wishes. And while his intelligence is limited and very material in a pragmatic way he does possess a language (that I'm still learning) and he could reason.
He is not into abstractions, but, perhaps, could master one or two with a sufficiently tasty motivation. But he understands generalisations, conditionals and iterations.
[+] [-] tjr|8 years ago|reply
Highly recommend Donald McCaig's book, Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men: https://www.amazon.com/Eminent-Dogs-Dangerous-Men-Searching/...
[+] [-] OJFord|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Judgmentality|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] swlkr|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] computator|8 years ago|reply
Neil Degrasse Tyson demonstrates the above with the actual dog Chaser:
https://youtu.be/_6479QAJuz8?t=66
I almost always prefer the written explanation rather than watching a video, but this is one case where it's worth seeing.
[+] [-] mabub24|8 years ago|reply
In regards to: "Cooperation leading to the development of language is one of the leading hypotheses for what makes human beings unique among the animals."
The core difference between humans and animals is that humans can reason; we possess cogitative powers. Philosophers of mind and language, like PMS Hacker, have written extensively on this topic. Humans can ask "why?", can plan, can hope, can wish, can dream, all through language. Language is an ability and allows us to reason, give reasons, and have reasons. Dogs and animals can't ask "why?" "Why?" is beyond their limit of expression because they do not possess language. They can be confused, but confusion is not asking "why?" because "why?" is a demand for reasons. Confusion is simply not knowing what is going on, while reasoning is thinking in future and past tenses, it allows us to plan and introspect.
I think the equation of whistling with full language is interesting, but it potentially reads cogitative powers in dogs when it might simply be the humans reading themselves into the dogs.
The point around cooperation is fascinating in this regard, in which case, the cooperation might be that humans reason for the dog. In other words, the dogs provide the brawn and the handlers supply the brains. We domesticated dogs because they worked for us.
[+] [-] interfixus|8 years ago|reply
So there's a body of research suggesting beyond reasonable doubt that no animal - except us - is capable of reason? Do you have a link?
[+] [-] sqeaky|8 years ago|reply
Many animals are dumb, Many are smarter than we give them credit for. In past few decades there have been a great many papers indicating some animals can do things just short of what we can do and many people used to think that animals could think, feels emotions, learn by trial/error or even communicate.
You are making an assertion "No animal thinks 'Why?'" without evidence. You could be right or wrong, but you have chosen an odd place to stand. You are inside an ever receding pocket of ignorance.
[+] [-] woodandsteel|8 years ago|reply
I agree that human language makes it possible for human beings to do all sorts of cognitive things that animals can't.
That said, you are making the term "reason" have a single meaning, whereas there are actually many types of cognitive activity, some of which animals can do, and some of which they can't. You really need to be more specific about the different types of reasoning, and each different type of reasoning should get a distinctive label.
[+] [-] agumonkey|8 years ago|reply
Maybe we have larger neuron capacity than animals that allows to store signals, relationships that "maybe" will later resolve that why, while they just have to accept that confusion and just go along doing something else, maybe remembering a map (context, confusion, avoid).
[+] [-] garrybelka|8 years ago|reply
He plans, hopes, and most definitely has and could express wishes. And while his intelligence is limited and very material in a pragmatic way he does possess a language (that I'm still learning) and he could reason.
He is not into abstractions, but, perhaps, could master one or two with a sufficiently tasty motivation. But he understands generalisations, conditionals and iterations.
[+] [-] oh_sigh|8 years ago|reply
> Dogs and animals can't ask "why?" "Why?" is beyond their limit of expression because they do not possess language
[+] [-] coldtea|8 years ago|reply
Citation needed.
[+] [-] lazyant|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ardit33|8 years ago|reply
They need a yard/open space as they are very lively dogs, and we have a large backyard. They are not meant to be apartment dog.
[+] [-] bigpoo|8 years ago|reply
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