Chimpanzees Have Shown an Ability to Learn More Than 240 Words in Sign Language. Do You Think We Should Teach?

March 28, 2009

them about God in case they have a soul?
Should Jesus come back as a Chimp to die for their sins?
Or should we just give them more bananas?

http://www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/psych26/language.htm

1 comment… read it below or add one

J.P. March 28, 2009 at 5:06 am: So far every attempt to teach abstract logic has failed. Their communications have been limited to that which was currently observed by them, interally or externally. (HUNGRY ME) "I'm hungry," is an observation of their current state. (HUNGRY YOU Qu) "Are you hungry?" is a desire to observe another's state. However, they have never been able to collect the thought of, (THIS THINK YOU WHAT Qu) "What do you think of this?"

That's not to say it might never happen but so far… no good.

I think though it's rather telling that these apes are using portions of the brain that humans use for language processing, albeit much less developed areas. But the abstract leap still seems to be a bit too much to ask of them.

By the way, forgive the glosses, I took three semesters of sign language in college.