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Animal Consciousness (and a thank you)
6 years ago
I'm in the middle of reading a fascinating article about animal consciousness on the Atlantic Magazine's website when the following quote jumped out at me:
We last swam in the same gene pool with the animals that evolved into fish about 460 million years ago, more than 100 million years before we split from birds. The notion that we are kin across this expanse of time has proved too radical for some, which is one reason the ever-changing universe described by Darwin has been slow to lodge in the collective human consciousness. And yet, our hands are converted fins, our hiccups the relics of gill-breathing.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazin.....-knows/580726/
If you believe (as I do) one of the reasons to be a fur is to reach out to the non-human animal world in a symbolic way and acknowledge our kinship, this is a must-read article - long but fully worth your time.
***
I cannot begin to thank the various FA folks and friends who reached out with messages of condolence and support to my journal about my brother Mike's passing - but I will anyway: thank you all so very much.
We last swam in the same gene pool with the animals that evolved into fish about 460 million years ago, more than 100 million years before we split from birds. The notion that we are kin across this expanse of time has proved too radical for some, which is one reason the ever-changing universe described by Darwin has been slow to lodge in the collective human consciousness. And yet, our hands are converted fins, our hiccups the relics of gill-breathing.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazin.....-knows/580726/
If you believe (as I do) one of the reasons to be a fur is to reach out to the non-human animal world in a symbolic way and acknowledge our kinship, this is a must-read article - long but fully worth your time.
***
I cannot begin to thank the various FA folks and friends who reached out with messages of condolence and support to my journal about my brother Mike's passing - but I will anyway: thank you all so very much.
https://qz.com/1294941/a-debate-ove.....he-human-mind/
- Chuck Jones
It somewhat reminds me of an interview with Jane Goodall I was listening to whilst working, once. The scientists of the day refused to believe that chimps had personalities, but she recalled how she had a great teacher who taught her that all animals are in fact individuals. That teacher, you may ask... her pet dog!