If ants have a brain level of 1...

[manlymatt83]

Where are cats and dogs?

Ants: Most people think they don't really know they are alive, don't know what's going on, are very automated, can't think complex at all, don't do math, etc. If you want to argue with this, then replace ants with a tree It's alive, but has no brain!

Humans: can do complex thinking, obviously understand who we are and what we do, etc.

Where are cats and dogs on the scale?

 

[zerocool84]

Cats are EXTRMELY smart. Dogs are but some dog breeds are just downright dumb and some are extremely smart due to their breeding.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Is the scale linear? I'd probably tend to use a logarithmic scale because I believe humans are orders of magnitude more intelligent than ants, cats or dogs. But on a linear scale I guess cats=2, dogs=3, but really they're both < 2, I just wanted to differentiate because dogs are smarter than cats.

 

[Safeway]

Depends on the cat and the dog. Some breeds are 5. Some are 8.

 

[SirStev0]

Ants are also pretty smart, as a colony anyway. Some ants can uses sticks and stuff as simple tools. There are many more unintelligent organisms that would make a better one. Take an amoeba for instance.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Originally posted by: SirStev0
Ants are also pretty smart, as a colony anyway. Some ants can uses sticks and stuff as simple tools. There are many more unintelligent organisms that would make a better one. Take a republican for instance.

This is true.

 

[lxskllr]

I've heard it said that cats are about as intelligent as a 2yr old. That corresponds to my experience.

 

[MovingTarget]

Like Safeway said, it depends on the breed. I think dogs vary more than cats though. However, parrots are much higher due to the way their brains are organized (much more similar to humans).

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
Like Safeway said, it depends on the breed. I think dogs vary more than cats though. However, parrots are much higher due to the way their brains are organized (much more similar to humans).

I think you're biased towards parrots.

 

[IAteYourMother]

humans rule

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Is the scale linear? I'd probably tend to use a logarithmic scale because I believe humans are orders of magnitude more intelligent than ants, cats or dogs. But on a linear scale I guess cats=2, dogs=3, but really they're both < 2, I just wanted to differentiate because dogs are smarter than cats.

Haha, I'm a nerd because I thought the exact same thing.

 

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: manlymatt83
Where are cats and dogs?

Ants: Most people think they don't really know they are alive, don't know what's going on, are very automated, can't think complex at all, don't do math, etc. If you want to argue with this, then replace ants with a tree It's alive, but has no brain!

Humans: can do complex thinking, obviously understand who we are and what we do, etc.

Where are cats and dogs on the scale?

I'm willing to dispute that...

But in any case dogs generally seem to have the intelligence of a four year old. They can learn some words and commands, can socialize with other animals and people, and they don't completely suck at basic problem solving. But they still get pwnt by things like leashes and tethers (walking on the wrong side of a pole, wrapping themselves around a tree and not being able to figure out why they can't move), and their reasoning is based entirely upon the hierarchy of the pack and what they think they can get away with. A dog can respect you and mind perfectly, but they will not mind for someone that they feel dominant over, and when you're not around they'll often do things that they wouldn't if you were there.

I give dogs a five because they can learn and are reasonably smart on their own, but their intelligence plateaus early and stays there forever. I don't have much experience with cats, but most of them suck at socializing in any way, so I gave them a three

 

[Pliablemoose]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...ynext_from=PL&index=14

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Is the scale linear? I'd probably tend to use a logarithmic scale because I believe humans are orders of magnitude more intelligent than ants, cats or dogs. But on a linear scale I guess cats=2, dogs=3, but really they're both < 2, I just wanted to differentiate because dogs are smarter than cats.

Haha, I'm a nerd because I thought the exact same thing.

Same here..

 

[RESmonkey]

Some dogs are incredibly dumb. Some are smart.

For cats, IMO most are good hunters so I'd say they're mostly smart.

 

[Eli]

Honestly, we don't know and have no current way of knowing.

Hopefully we will be able to eventually de-code mammals' brains signals(assuming they're even similar amongst species), and know what things are thinking.

That said, it's obvious from observing any higher animal that there is a thought process going on in there.

I think even believing that ants "don't know they're alive" is stupid. They greet their colony mates.. they have a social hierarchy. There has to be thoughts happening for this to happen.

Then you have insects like the praying mantis and jumping spiders. They will look at you, interact with you.. to think they aren't thinking is stupid. We just don't know on what scale, and don't know how to read or measure it. I think it's akin to thinking the world is flat just because that's the extent of our understanding.

We will figure it out one day, and I think even the most simple of brains will blow our minds.

If an organism can know that it is dying, I think it is safe to say they know they're living. If you pin an ant's leg, it tries to escape. If a worm is in the sun, it tries to move out of it.

I would say that ants are an order of magnitude more intelligent than something like a worm. And a worm is an order of magnitude more intelligent than a single celled organism.

 

[fleabag]

meh, I think my cat is about as smart as a three year old, though even then, I'm definitely less worried about him killing himself due to ingesting any poison or drowning himself than I am with a three year old...

 

[skace]

cats 2 dogs 9

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Is the scale linear? I'd probably tend to use a logarithmic scale because I believe humans are orders of magnitude more intelligent than ants, cats or dogs. But on a linear scale I guess cats=2, dogs=3, but really they're both < 2, I just wanted to differentiate because dogs are smarter than cats.

Weird, I assumed a logarithmic scale, hence the 9.

 

[Anubis]

ants are much smarter then 1

 

[Chiropteran]

Cats are smarter than dogs.

1: cats don't eat their own feces.

2: cats don't overeat themselves to death.

3: cats are smart enough to use a litter box (or even a human toilet) I'd like to see a dog do that.

4: stray cats tend to live, stray dogs die or get picked up by the animal shelter.

Dogs are more trainable, yes. That doesn't prove they are smarter. That is like arguing that a McDonalds employee who does exactly as his manager tells him to do is smarter than a physicist because the McDonalds employee is easily trained.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Cats are stupid. Ever seen a Cat detecting Bombs or drug hauls? Ever see a Cat leading a blind man around town? No, because cats are stupid.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Cats are stupid. Ever seen a Cat detecting Bombs or drug hauls? Ever see a Cat leading a blind man around town? No, because cats are stupid.

My dog talks to me and watches TV, true story.

He also knows to bring me my hiking boot on Saturday, and he brings me my regular shoes on other days when he wants to go out. (Meaning he knows that I need to put shoes on to go out).

He will jump into fedex trucks and if they hand him a package he will carry it back into the house and give it to me. Once I open it, if I give it back to him he will destroy the box.

If I'm carrying something he will try to help carry it too (like a bed or something large).

Granted, it's all learned behavior, but it's pretty fucking cool.

 

[evident]

cats are more independent than dogs, no? don't know if that makes them smarter though.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: skace

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Cats are stupid. Ever seen a Cat detecting Bombs or drug hauls? Ever see a Cat leading a blind man around town? No, because cats are stupid.

My dog talks to me and watches TV, true story.

He also knows to bring me my hiking boot on Saturday, and he brings me my regular shoes on other days when he wants to go out. (Meaning he knows that I need to put shoes on to go out).

He will jump into fedex trucks and if they hand him a package he will carry it back into the house and give it to me. Once I open it, if I give it back to him he will destroy the box.

If I'm carrying something he will try to help carry it too (like a bed or something large).

Granted, it's all learned behavior, but it's pretty fucking cool.

Exactly. It's pretty asinine to say that because they learn they're dumb. I would contend that because a Cat is hard to teach, they are dumb. If a person is hard to teach, they are labelled 'retarded', ergo, cats are retarded.

/Thread