How smart are we?
Posted byu/Hamnetz
29 minutes ago
Our Deepest Thoughts Could Be Another Species Simplest
Got high a few minutes ago and I just thought are humans really that smart? Because the only reason we call ourselves intelligent is because we have no way of comparing our intelligence to another species. So its like a monkey at its best can do what our toddlers do, like putting a shape in the corresponding hole or something like understanding sign language. But there just might be a species out there where their toddlers are as smart as Steven Hawking doing astrophysics and thermodynamics while they eat breakfast. And if that is the case, then what are the Steven Hawking's of their species working on?



level 1
fishtacos123
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12 minutes ago
I think you were just high.

The way we ascertain intelligence is by observing behavior or studying artifacts created/left behind by said species. So in the modern world we can see intelligent behavior on the part of animals, some more than others, like octopuses/octopodes or elephants, apes, and so on. When that is not available, we look for artifacts that might inform us of the past.

So far no underwater or underground artifacts have been found to inform us of past intelligence expressed by other species. Not to say it couldn't happen, but as time goes on and our methods of research improve, it becomes less and less likely. At least here on Earth. (I mean besides modern observation of chimpanzees using rocks as tools, which does show a certain level of intelligence, which could also mean we are witnessing a sort of evolutionary step).

Obviously the standard of comparison is human intelligence, but we've also evolved from common ancestry with other mammals, so it's only apt to try and base our research on our ways of thinking, survival, etc.

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level 2
Hamnetz
1 point
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5 minutes ago
Okay I see what you mean, or at least how it applies to species on Earth. How do we ascertain the intelligence of a species light years away. We are smart in regard to the intelligence level of all known species on Earth, yes. But what about the ones that are not on Earth?

I think I is what im trying to say

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level 1
Denexter3
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22 minutes ago
We can compare our inteligence to other humans, aka iq tests. And there can be, even should be, a species that has inteligence over our own. But theres a catch, they will have different inteligence than we do, possibly, wont even go with rules of logic.

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level 2
Hamnetz
2 points
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15 minutes ago
I don't mean intelligence within our own species, because of course one person can say "I'm smarter than that guy his IQ is 15, mine is 200." same with a monkey, or another species from a different planet. What I'm saying is that are we, as humans as a whole, as smart as we think we are? We say we are smart because of all the technology and whatever that we have developed in the like .001 percentage of time in the universe that humans have existed, but that comparison is only within our own species. If we take every species in the universe and scaled intelligence from 1-10 how far up that scale would we actually be? because my first thought is to say something like 5 or 7 out of 10 but if you really think about it, its probably closer to 1 or 2. Because at the current moment we can only compare our intelligence to ourselves and animals that live on this planet with us.

Am I getting my point across well? do you know what I mean im high as hell im not entirely sure im explaining myself correctly

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level 3
Denexter3
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6 minutes ago
I think you do. But event though the spiecies will be more inteligent, it might not be percived as one. It all boils down to how we percive inteligence, which is relative to ourselves

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level 4
Hamnetz
1 point
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1 minute ago
Okay so what you are saying is that we would never be able to compare our intelligence to another species because we might perceive intelligence differently than them? But if that is the case then how can we say we are smart at all? we observe a fish or a monkey and we presume their intelligence to be of the same type as ours right? They are not as intelligent as us but they perceive the same type of intelligence. So maybe it is an argument of the consciousness of intelligence?