Elephant painting.

[wsmith]

Interesting implications on self-awareness if true.

Comments

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

I'd need a hell of a lot more info about how this elephant learned to paint to determine if there are implications for self-awareness. Parrots can speak in full sentences if they hear them often enough, but that doesn't mean they know what they're saying. . . (it doesn't mean they don't either - like I said, insufficient data)

[lepidosiren.livejournal.com]

I was gonna flip out about how you never see the rest of the elephant again once the trunk reaches the canvas, but then they zoomed out. Still, I believe this was a carefully trained, impressive stunt, not a spontaneous self-portrait. :)

[julishka.livejournal.com]

snopes seems to say it's true, but a trained act not self awareness.

here's a link to the site in the article:
http://www.elephantart.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=63

[spitcurl.livejournal.com]

awesome. even if trained.

[alonewiththemoon]

I was going to repeat what Julishka said about it being a trained act, not a spontaneous act of self-awareness. That said, though, I read an article recently (of course, I don't remember where) that said we are really having to re-examine our assumptions about animals' self-awareness. One experiment I remember from the article was that researchers kept dolphins in a tank with a mirror. They painted spots on the dolphins' heads, and when a dolphin saw its reflection, it would peer at itself and then go try to rub off the spot on something, checking again to see if it had been successful. It had been widely accepted wisdom that animals don't understand reflections, but clearly the dolphins not only understood it, but understood how to use the phenomenon as well.

[tygerwillow.livejournal.com]

not at all related, but you wanted me to remind you about the iron pour. it's friday april 25th, roughly 6-9pm, in the massart courtyard (621 huntington ave.)

[ccarina671.livejournal.com]

Will look into it...thanks!

[trudy7879.livejournal.com]

Nice userpic!

[dyllan684.livejournal.com]

Well