To be less nice?

[cronus]

What if it can be proven that humans are less caring than another species even if that species turns out to be a insect? What if humans are less nice than say ants?

[Xamonas Chegwé]

What then?

"Caring" and "nice" only have meaning to humans.

[cronus]

What then?

"Caring" and "nice" only have meaning to humans.

No they don't. That's spaciest.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

What then?

"Caring" and "nice" only have meaning to humans.

No they don't. That's spaciest.

Spaciest? What's that? An irrational dislike of Kevin Spacey?

And kindly provide your evidence for any animal (doesn't have to be an ant but that would be ideal) that understands the concept of "nice" or "caring". Any peer-reviewed scientific study would suffice. I'll be posting bollocks elsewhere while you go look...

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24494230

Apes comfort each other 'like humans'

Young bonobos that are are more "socially competent" are more likely to cuddle and calm other apes that are in distress, research has revealed.

Scientists working at an African sanctuary found that bonobos that recovered quickly from an upsetting experience, such as a fight, were also more likely to comfort others.

This mirrors findings from studies in children, and suggests bonobos manage their emotions in a very similar way.

The work is published in PNAS journal.

The researchers captured footage showing "emotionally competent" young apes rushing to hug other juveniles that were screaming after being attacked.

(continued)

[Xamonas Chegwé]

No. That just shows that some animals behave in a way that we would recognise and describe as "caring". It doesn't show that they understand the concept, no more than a spider understands "carnivory" or a flea understands "parasitism". Your claim was that "caring" and "nice" have meaning to animals other than humans.

[cronus]

No. That just shows that some animals behave in a way that we would recognise and describe as "caring". It doesn't show that they understand the concept, no more than a spider understands "carnivory" or a flea understands "parasitism". Your claim was that "caring" and "nice" have meaning to animals other than humans.

You want 'words' for proof like a talking elephant?

[Xamonas Chegwé]

No. That just shows that some animals behave in a way that we would recognise and describe as "caring". It doesn't show that they understand the concept, no more than a spider understands "carnivory" or a flea understands "parasitism". Your claim was that "caring" and "nice" have meaning to animals other than humans.

You want 'words' for proof like a talking elephant?

That'd do. You got one?

[samphony]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24494230

Apes comfort each other 'like humans'

Young bonobos that are are more "socially competent" are more likely to cuddle and calm other apes that are in distress, research has revealed.

Scientists working at an African sanctuary found that bonobos that recovered quickly from an upsetting experience, such as a fight, were also more likely to comfort others.

This mirrors findings from studies in children, and suggests bonobos manage their emotions in a very similar way.

The work is published in PNAS journal.

The researchers captured footage showing "emotionally competent" young apes rushing to hug other juveniles that were screaming after being attacked.

(continued)

Faggots.

[Audley Strange]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24494230

Apes comfort each other 'like humans'

Young bonobos that are are more "socially competent" are more likely to cuddle and calm other apes that are in distress, research has revealed.

Scientists working at an African sanctuary found that bonobos that recovered quickly from an upsetting experience, such as a fight, were also more likely to comfort others.

This mirrors findings from studies in children, and suggests bonobos manage their emotions in a very similar way.

The work is published in PNAS journal.

The researchers captured footage showing "emotionally competent" young apes rushing to hug other juveniles that were screaming after being attacked.

(continued)

Faggots.

You bad man!

[JimC]

No. That just shows that some animals behave in a way that we would recognise and describe as "caring". It doesn't show that they understand the concept, no more than a spider understands "carnivory" or a flea understands "parasitism". Your claim was that "caring" and "nice" have meaning to animals other than humans.

Perhaps an organism doesn't have to understand the concept of caring to actually be caring in practice...

I think his claim was that another organism could be more caring than a human, which I think could be quite possible, not that its own behaviour had "meaning" for it...

[cronus]

No. That just shows that some animals behave in a way that we would recognise and describe as "caring". It doesn't show that they understand the concept, no more than a spider understands "carnivory" or a flea understands "parasitism". Your claim was that "caring" and "nice" have meaning to animals other than humans.

Perhaps an organism doesn't have to understand the concept of caring to actually be caring in practice...

I think his claim was that another organism could be more caring than a human, which I think could be quite possible, not that its own behaviour had "meaning" for it...

Other people could be all philosophical zombies if you want to put it like that?

[pErvinalia]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24494230

Apes comfort each other 'like humans'

Young bonobos that are are more "socially competent" are more likely to cuddle and calm other apes that are in distress, research has revealed.

Scientists working at an African sanctuary found that bonobos that recovered quickly from an upsetting experience, such as a fight, were also more likely to comfort others.

This mirrors findings from studies in children, and suggests bonobos manage their emotions in a very similar way.

The work is published in PNAS journal.

The researchers captured footage showing "emotionally competent" young apes rushing to hug other juveniles that were screaming after being attacked.

(continued)

Yeah, but bonobos are sluts. It's all about getting some lurv.

But if we found out that ants are more caring than us, then we should immediately exterminate our species and hand the planet over to the ants.

[charlou]

No. That just shows that some animals behave in a way that we would recognise and describe as "caring". It doesn't show that they understand the concept, no more than a spider understands "carnivory" or a flea understands "parasitism". Your claim was that "caring" and "nice" have meaning to animals other than humans.

Perhaps an organism doesn't have to understand the concept of caring to actually be caring in practice...

I think his claim was that another organism could be more caring than a human, which I think could be quite possible, not that its own behaviour had "meaning" for it...

Aye .. Reading the OP brought to mind behaviours which can be described as altruism, cooperation, nurturing .. even empathy. Different species of organisms seeming to occupy different places along a spectrum of any of those attributes.

Heard something on the radio the other day ..about the notion that anthropomorphism being an unrealistic and undesirable approach to understanding other animals (with reference to religious notions of human separation and heirarchy) is being debunked by science and should be considered old fashioned. It was part of a broader interesting conversation to listen to on my way to work, as they so often are.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/pro ... ke/4981002

[Xamonas Chegwé]

No. That just shows that some animals behave in a way that we would recognise and describe as "caring". It doesn't show that they understand the concept, no more than a spider understands "carnivory" or a flea understands "parasitism". Your claim was that "caring" and "nice" have meaning to animals other than humans.

Perhaps an organism doesn't have to understand the concept of caring to actually be caring in practice...

I think his claim was that another organism could be more caring than a human, which I think could be quite possible, not that its own behaviour had "meaning" for it...

His claim in the OP, certainly. But I was referring to his rebuttal of my claim here.