Just to add one other idea - is a rather remote possibility - but what about the giant squid?
They don't need to be technologically gifted to be more intelligent than humans. Hard to achieve much by way of technology so deep under water and without fire, even though they have reasonable dexterity.
It's really hard to see them, and we know so little about them. We can't keep them in aquariums and they die when brought to the surface. Just a few short glimpses on film.
And - what if there is some other large intelligent sea creature living down there?
Intelligent creatures may be harder to find because they can hide, and most of the ocean bottom is unexplored. And even very intelligent sea creatures far more intelligent than us might well not be able to develop technology in the way we did, just because they live in the sea.
Whales and dolphins also could be far more intelligent than we realize.
For instance - a young child who is never exposed to human language - may have great difficulty learning it as an adult.
So similarly - attempts to communicate with whales may be like trying to learn to talk as an adult when you never learnt as a child - both ways - for them and for us. Do super intelligent creatures have to think in a similar enough way to us for it to be easy to recognize each other's intelligence?
They also - especially if non technological themselves and not really appreciating what is involved in technology -might not see technology as a sign of intelligence - but rather - as a thing unintelligent creatures do like termites, who knows?
Just a few thoughts. I don't know how likely any of them are - not trying to say any of these are correct, just hopefully fun ideas to think over.
They don't need to be technologically gifted to be more intelligent than humans. Hard to achieve much by way of technology so deep under water and without fire, even though they have reasonable dexterity.
It's really hard to see them, and we know so little about them. We can't keep them in aquariums and they die when brought to the surface. Just a few short glimpses on film.
And - what if there is some other large intelligent sea creature living down there?
Intelligent creatures may be harder to find because they can hide, and most of the ocean bottom is unexplored. And even very intelligent sea creatures far more intelligent than us might well not be able to develop technology in the way we did, just because they live in the sea.
Whales and dolphins also could be far more intelligent than we realize.
For instance - a young child who is never exposed to human language - may have great difficulty learning it as an adult.
So similarly - attempts to communicate with whales may be like trying to learn to talk as an adult when you never learnt as a child - both ways - for them and for us. Do super intelligent creatures have to think in a similar enough way to us for it to be easy to recognize each other's intelligence?
They also - especially if non technological themselves and not really appreciating what is involved in technology -might not see technology as a sign of intelligence - but rather - as a thing unintelligent creatures do like termites, who knows?
Just a few thoughts. I don't know how likely any of them are - not trying to say any of these are correct, just hopefully fun ideas to think over.
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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