07.+What+is+Intelligence+(February+2006) - Get a Free Blog

What is Intelligence? 10
Perhaps the equally interesting question here is to ask whether this is
really a sign of intelligence or rather of vanity?
Some people could also argue that the fact that dolphins don’t walk on
land and build space rockets and computers doesn’t mean they are less
intelligent, they might even be superior in intelligence.
For example, a so called “enlightened” man or woman, or for that matter
someone high on drugs does not desire anything much from the material
world, due supposedly from some deeply satisfying or thrilling inner state
of consciousness.
So perhaps, this argument goes, that because dolphins are “enlightened”
creatures in comparison to us and constantly in a state of “inner bliss”
they don’t bother to create the nasty polluting technological world that we
do, they just send their high pitched “Morse code” to one another and
spend a lifetime of swimming, acrobatics, eating, dating and mating,
which for many humans plausibly would seem to be a heaven of sorts,
and further explain perhaps why dolphins seem to have a slightly roguish
smile etched permanently upon their faces.
Based on this kind of thinking, some people even worship dolphins, and
go swimming with them to pick up on “the good vibes.”
Whilst we are not condemning people for finding ways to make
themselves feel better that don’t hurt others, and we regard dolphins as
fascinating and wonderful creatures, again, we must point it wouldn’t be
truly intelligent to indulge too deeply in these imaginings without any
greater evidence.
Then there are the chimpanzees whom supposedly have been taught a few
hundred “words” in sign language.
But before getting too deep into the whys, wherefores and maybes of
these experiments, and their conclusions, let’s remember that firstly,
parrots can quote a line of Shakespeare, but don’t show any other
indication they know what they are talking about, and presumably all that
we have hit upon in “teaching them language” is that they have a
remarkable facility for recognising and imitating bird, animal and human
speech sounds, which would in theory suggest this facility is a definite
evolutionary asset.