Quote:
Originally Posted by Jel
I just can't understand it. I mean, dogs have the same brain capacity/process as humans, right? How in hell could a dog think this way after weighing up the fact it slept fine with humans, and humans had never hurt it? Sometimes it's like dogs don't have any logic at all, or are just too lazy to learn things humans tell them. If only there was some way to determine whether or not dogs aren't humans, and don't have the same thought processes.
ps dogs are exactly like guns  - I've lost count of the number of times a gun owner was responsible, yet the gun fired shots on it's own because it had a meltdown in it's cute, fuzzy, human-like brain.
pps I'm a complete neutral, but some funny shit in this thread  |
Dogs have much more primitive brains than humans. You are pondering and contemplating, thinking forward, thinking backward, you are remembering, imagining scenarios in your mind, imagining different outcomes etc etc etc and a dog does not posses the ability for any of that and there is little evidence that a dog has any conscious awareness of anything at all... but are just following urges and responding instinctively. Though there is some circumstantial evidence that a dog may possibly possess some slight degree of conscious awareness, it is not much, if any at all. The primary function of conscious thinking in any animal is to interrupt those innate instinctive programs.... for example, like a dog chasing his tale, there is nothing interrupting the urge to do it with the idea of "hey man, you're just not gonna catch this fucking thing, maybe it's time to stop" and THAT is the precise function and purpose of conscious thinking and awareness.
Though animals appear to have distinct personalities, its largely only that which we project upon them as we humanize them. Sure some appear happier, some not, some more energetic, some not, some more dependent, some not etc but these are all just minor variations in brain development, brain activity in certain areas and genetics and its us largely inventing the "personality". But it's the "instinctive urges" part that is the problem. Just like any other wild animal that is thought to be friendly or domesticated, they can be triggered. When an animal already has the genes for horrible behavior, it can come out at any time. When an animal has the genes for horrible behavior AND it's being encouraged by environment, that's a bigger issue.
Any animals basic instinctive behaviors are guided by very simple programs of the brain "approach/avoid", "kill and eat/ignore - its not food", "nurture protect/attack" etc. Though everyone seems to want to believe their dog is just a few days away from finishing a doctoral thesis on particle physics, they just aren't capable of any sort of human like understanding of the world around them as those areas of the brains and all the functionality that makes that possible is absent.
The funny part to me is that when you point out obvious neurobiological truths of how an animals brain works... they get intensely upset. That should also tell you how strong the desire is of people to believe their pet is much more than they are. After all, if it was simply "untrue", no one would care any more than me saying "dogs can't fly".