--- In SkunkworksAMA_at_yahoogroups.com, "Capt. Havoc"
<capthavoc123_at_...> wrote:
>
> Well spoken.
>
> One of the things that the scientific community agrees on to this
day is that the human brain is the most sophisticated and complex
thing in the universe. The UNIVERSE. Pretty bold statement for a
species that hasn't been past its own solar system yet, let alone its
own galaxy.
>
> -Capt. Havoc
>
> ANTIcarrot <dante_feditech_at_...>
wrote: > From: Brandon Payne
> > Biologically yes, mentally NO. Calling a human an animal is like
> > calling a computer a calculator.
>
> Don't be silly. Computers at present *only* calculate and compair
numbers.
> You might be playing Halo and trying to get that last stubborn
grunt on the
> upper ledge, but the computer doing addition and subtraction, and
following
> rather simplistic 'fetch and carry' instructions. The fact that a
PC (or
> xbox) has a better graphics output, and more raw number crunching
power,
> does not make it a better or more sophisticated computer.
>
> And some science...
> Those who dislike rants (or dull and boring science) might wish to
skip it.
>
> > And there is a difference between being sentient and sapient.
>
> Yes. And there is a difference between America and Unamerican. The
first one
> has real meaning and can be precisely defined in several different
ways;
> geolgy and nationality being two. The second word though means
whatever some
> twit wishes it to mean, and has no fixed definition or purpose
outside of
> politics; where is is a byword for witch hunt.
>
> Sentient and sapient break down similarly. Sentient means 'aware
of its
> enviroment'. Sepient is the word give to the ever shrinking list
of 'things
> only humans can do'. Alegedly. (People may remember that 'tool
using' and
> 'tool making' *used* to be on that list before such behaviour was
observed
> elsewehre in the animal kingdom.) It's used to define the apparent
> difference between all humans (who deserve civil rights) and
everything else
> (which doesn't) - and to exxuse the often rightful unkind way we
treat
> animals. It's as political as the word 'unamerican' and just as
meaningless.
>
> > Sentient means
>
> "My ego," said the human race, "is so bloated I want to pretend I
is better
> than everything else; to the extent that I will willfully ignore
and where
> possible distort scientific evidence for the sake of my own self
> rightousness."
>
> Do I think pengins should be given the vote? No. That would be
silly. But
> the issue is much more complex than "humans can and animals
can't", and the
> sum total of scientific observation indicates that we aren't quite
as
> special as we used to think we are, and the 'sepient list' is
proably going
> to shrink some more over the next centuary.
>
> ANTIcarrot.
>
>raptor here and yes a computer is a sophisticated calculator and
man is just animal just more sophisticated animal
Received on Sat Feb 17 2007 - 07:26:18 CST