[Xmca-l] Re: [Xmca -l] sociocultural theory of sentient beings

[Andy Blunden]

As Vygotsky showed, whatever behaviour "distinguishes"
humans from other animals, then that behaviour will be found
in rudimentary form in some animals. The point is not to
look for an attribute which one has and another doesn't, but
the behaviour which generates the transition from non-human
animal to human. If that behaviour did not exist in any
non-human animals, then you would be looking for God to
grant it to humans.

Andy

------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Blunden
http://www.ethicalpolitics.org/ablunden/index.htm
On 6/05/2018 10:47 AM, John Cripps Clark wrote:
> A recent episode of Freakonomics is perhaps apposite here:
>
> http://freakonomics.com/podcast/animal-economics/
>
> Alexandra Horowitz finishes the show by saying:
>
> " I’ve studied and taught animal cognition and comparative psychology for decades. And this question, “What’s the one thing that distinguishes humans from non-human animals?” is clearly the driving force of much research. We might trace it back to Plato, who described man as a featherless biped. But the smart-alec Diogenes then plucked a chicken and said triumphantly, “Here is Plato’s man.” To which Plato simply pivoted, adding, “Okay, a featherless biped with broad nails, not claws.” And so it has been since, trying to find the feature that will verify the human species’ uniqueness. “It’s imitation.” “It’s culture.” “It’s teaching.” “It’s language.” “It’s a theory of mind.” Each confidently proposed and then collapsing under the weight of actual evidence.
>
> The one thing that makes humans human? Our obsession with asking and answering this question. As far as I know we’re the only species so concerned with distinguishing ourselves from other animals. Of course, research could prove me wrong."
>
> John
>
> On 6/5/18, 6:54 am, "xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu on behalf of HENRY SHONERD" <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu on behalf of hshonerd@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>     A continuacion:
>     So, I’m watching the pre-event narrative for the Kentucky Derby on NBC. My Navajo brother Herb is watching, because his daughter works with thoroughbred horses a few miles down the road from where the broadcast is eminating. “Boring” was what Herb said about the commentary until  a back story that was about thoroughbred horses that were set free during a forest fire in California, rather than be burned to death.  Forty-six were unlucky enough to have the doors to their stalls stay shut as the fires came on. Some of the survivors spent days on the run. The story was courage, love and respect. And horses and their owners were back to winning in statistically unexpected ways. Herb didn’t think that story was boring.
>     Henry
>
>
>
>
>
>     > On May 5, 2018, at 10:51 AM, mike cole <mcole@ucsd.edu> wrote:
>     >
>     > ​That video is thought provoking, Annalisa. I'll have to try it with my dog.
>     >
>     > There are other dog behaviors that seem to be analogues of human
>     > behaviors. For example, in humans, around 9-10 months, infants begin
>     > to display "social referencing" when they start to engage in behaviors
>     > that they are uncertain about (a little kids crawls over the open drawer
>     > where kitchen ware is stored, starts to grab a dish  and then looks back
>     > at her father sitting on a chair behind her to check his reaction before
>     > proceeding to pick up the dish or leave it where it is.
>     >
>     > My dog does the same thing when we go for a walk and she is unsure of which
>     > direction we are going to take, but she is in the lead on leash.
>     >
>     > I do not see how to get that article, Alfredo. Our library does not get the
>     > journal.
>     > Can you obtain it?
>     >
>     > mike
>     > ​
>     >
>     > On Sat, May 5, 2018 at 8:22 AM, Alfredo Jornet Gil <a.j.gil@iped.uio.no>
>     > wrote:
>     >
>     >> That’s an intellectual twist to cute cats/dogs vids in social media! There
>     >> was this overview article on comparative cultural cognition that I thought
>     >> of; I think it’s open access: http://wires.wiley.com/
>     >> WileyCDA/WiresArticle/wisId-WCS14.html
>     >>
>     >> Alfredo
>     >>
>     >> On 5 May 2018, at 04:35, Annalisa Aguilar <annalisa@unm.edu<mailto:annal
>     >> isa@unm.edu>> wrote:
>     >>
>     >> Hello Xmcars,
>     >>
>     >>
>     >> Saw this on twitter and I couldn't help but consider mirror neurons
>     >> working across the species.
>     >>
>     >>
>     >> https://twitter.com/AMAZlNGNATURE/status/992062861735219201
>     >>
>     >>
>     >> It's not exactly pointing, but it seems to point to something.
>     >>
>     >>
>     >> (Then again, we can't hear the sound, so there may be a prompt (and a
>     >> treat) afterwards!)
>     >>
>     >>
>     >> Still, something to consider why animals might be more like us than we
>     >> think!
>     >>
>     >>
>     >> They want to belong too!
>     >>
>     >>
>     >> Kind regards,
>     >>
>     >>
>     >> Annalisa
>     >>
>
>
>
>
>
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