TED Conversations

Peter Emer

Hinder

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

Are people really smarter than chimps?

Before you answer this, think, everything we classify as intelligence is based our definition of it. Could it be possible that we manipulated the definition to only suit us? At the end of the day, we are animals. Just like chimps, just like dogs, just like dolphins. We are 1% genetically different from chimps, which means that everything thats different about us from chimps comes from that 1%. But what if that difference is not all that much? Imagine another life form, that is 1 % different from us in the direction that we are different from chimps. What would be to them?

Topics: HUMAN intelligence
0
Share:
progress indicator
  • thumb

    Debra Smith 200+

    • 0
    May 27 2011: I think so..................but we are also a lot stupider than they are too.
    • thumb

      Peter Emer

      • 0
      May 29 2011: Hi Debra, thanks for the comment. I think you might have just contradicted yourself(:
      • thumb

        Debra Smith 200+

        • 0
        May 31 2011: No Peter, I said just what I meant.

        We are obviously smarter. We can build technology etc. etc.
        But don't we also do things that they would never do-- like destroy the planet?
        • thumb

          Peter Emer

          • +1
          Jun 20 2011: Yea i am not taking either sides...i am want to hear what people have to say. I heard Niel Tyson talk at a convention and he brought up this topic..and i was curious what others thought. Your point is well put...because we do take part in a lot of idiotic things but then again we are capable of amazing intelligence. But sometimes the smart things that we do are indirectly linked with the ridiculous things that we do. Like the physics behind the A-Bomb is amazing but it should have never been created because we used it in a stupid way.
    • thumb

      anthony bruni 30+

      • +2
      Jun 8 2011: I like that a lot Debra. It does require quite a bit of intelligence to justify some of the stupid things we do.
  • thumb

    Neil Abelardo Pacheco

    • +1
    May 27 2011: chimps does have one advantage on people...they love bananas.thats why there always happy. unless your a fruitarian, well you might have no prob getting along with chimps. so whos smarter??? well both wish to mimic each other as a sign of talent...... its a jungle out there, going bananas!!!

  • Martini Whoelse

    • 0
    May 26 2011: People is a word that's too general, too many stereotypes for correct judgement.
    If your referring to the whole of mankind then probably not.
    A particular person maybe.
    Otherwise rephrase because this question is very relative.
    • thumb

      Peter Emer

      • 0
      May 29 2011: Hey Martini, sorry if the question was unclear. Yes i am referring to whole of mankind not as individuals.
  • thumb

    Salim Solaiman 50+

    • +5
    May 26 2011: They are smarter than us to survive in their own environment.. own habitat..... but how much we left that for them ?
    We are smarter in destroying their habitat ...........
  • thumb

    Andrew Buchmann

    • +1
    May 26 2011: Are you suggesting 'intelligence" is something out there in the world, maybe in the sense of platonic morality? If yes, then maybe. I'm willing to bet, however, that intelligence is NOT something out there in the world, and is merely a subjective nomenclature used to account for distinct and specific attributes. There are thus many ways to define intelligence and equally many ways to say one thing is smarter than another.

    Thus, In order to answer your question, you must define what you mean by smarter.
    • thumb

      Peter Emer

      • 0
      May 29 2011: Thats where the problem lies. The definitions for intelligence are meant for humans. So of course if one was to ask "who is more intelligent Peter or his dog?" the answer is most likely going to be Peter. Let's intelligence is the ability to acquire knowledge and learn from it to better one's self. I dont know how clear i am making this, so let me know if its all over the place. (:
  • thumb

    Meher Like Spring Rabbit 10+

    • +1
    May 26 2011: I would say that we are much cleverer than chimps, but that our cleverness has led us to behave more idiotically than them.
    • thumb

      Peter Emer

      • 0
      May 29 2011: Hmmm....if i am not wrong, you just said that we not smarter than chimps right?(:
Showing all 16 comments