I keep saying this and people say I’m crazy, but whales, elephants, and some other animals for sure have religion (a codified mythos of spirituality passed down through generations). Our experience is not remotely unique.
Recent studies show that birds, whales, and many other animals use consistent grammar and have accents. They’re not just making mindless sounds, they’re communicating with purpose. We’ve documented empathy in several other species. Some other species outperform us in memory and certain cognitive tests.
And many animals have been observed objectively playing and having fun. It’s pretty narcissistic to think we’re that much more advanced than other animals. Just because our culture places great emphasis on our ability to manipulate our environment doesn’t mean those that don’t aren’t as ‘evolved’ as we are. That’s very egotistical, and has led to some of our subcultures oppressing even other humans that lived nomadically or with nature as ‘subhuman’.
Wanting our cheese wrapped in plastic doesn’t make us more highly evolved. We’re just as evolved as everything else alive right now, and of course it’s probable that some other animals appreciate fun. It’s a concept even our newborns understand. It’s ludicrous to assume otherwise, imo.
I keep saying this and people say I’m crazy, but whales, elephants, and some other animals for sure have religion (a codified mythos of spirituality passed down through generations). Our experience is not remotely unique.
Recent studies show that birds, whales, and many other animals use consistent grammar and have accents. They’re not just making mindless sounds, they’re communicating with purpose. We’ve documented empathy in several other species. Some other species outperform us in memory and certain cognitive tests.
And many animals have been observed objectively playing and having fun. It’s pretty narcissistic to think we’re that much more advanced than other animals. Just because our culture places great emphasis on our ability to manipulate our environment doesn’t mean those that don’t aren’t as ‘evolved’ as we are. That’s very egotistical, and has led to some of our subcultures oppressing even other humans that lived nomadically or with nature as ‘subhuman’.
Wanting our cheese wrapped in plastic doesn’t make us more highly evolved. We’re just as evolved as everything else alive right now, and of course it’s probable that some other animals appreciate fun. It’s a concept even our newborns understand. It’s ludicrous to assume otherwise, imo.