Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community
Topic

dogs

Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 23, 2021
Categorized
Animal minds, Intelligent Design
Tagged
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Why do researchers need to try to prove that animals have personalities?

Denyse O'Leary
February 23, 2021
Animal minds, Intelligent Design
Mammals, birds, and reptiles differ by ability but those that have been studied seem to have individual personalities within the frame of their intelligence. What they don’t have or make little use of is abstract reasoning. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 20, 2020
Categorized
Animal minds, Intelligent Design
Tagged
, , ,

If you think dogs are smarter than cats, this will surprise you

Denyse O'Leary
August 20, 2020
Animal minds, Intelligent Design
Interspecies comparisons are difficult but if we are going to compare, a better matchup would be between cats and wolves because both species have generally had to solve their own problems, as opposed to dogs which are bred to wait for human guidance. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 6, 2020
Categorized
Animal minds, Intelligent Design
Tagged
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There is no human counterpart to some types of dog intelligence

Denyse O'Leary
August 6, 2020
Animal minds, Intelligent Design
What dogs really excel at is understanding humans. It’s the key to their well-being. Naturally, when they succeed, we think they are very clever. Are wolves more clever because they survive on their own? Well, they are more clever in certain ways, such as group co-operation and problem-solving, but not in understanding human communications. It really depends on what type of intelligence we want to measure. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
January 9, 2020
Categorized
Animal minds, Evolution, Intelligent Design
Tagged
, , ,

Researchers: Dogs co-operate as well as wolves

Denyse O'Leary
January 9, 2020
Animal minds, Evolution, Intelligent Design
“The researchers point out that, although the kind of coordination shown in the present study may rely on more simple mechanisms than full, conscious cooperation, … ” Surely no one thinks that dogs or wolves have a theory of co-operation? Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 4, 2018
Categorized
Animal minds, Culture, Intelligent Design, Mind
Tagged
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Researchers: We tend to overrate dog intelligence

Denyse O'Leary
October 4, 2018
Animal minds, Culture, Intelligent Design, Mind

From ScienceDaily: People who think dogs are exceptionally intelligent are barking up the wrong tree, new research shows. Scientists reviewed evidence that compared the brain power of dogs with other domestic animals, other social hunters and other carnivorans (an order including animals such as dogs, wolves, bears, lions and hyenas). The researchers, from the University of Exeter and Canterbury Christ Church University, found the cognitive abilities of dogs were at least matched by several species in each of these groups. The study examined more than 300 papers on the intelligence of dogs and other animals, and found several cases of “over interpretation” in favour of dogs’ abilities. … “They are often compared to chimpanzees and whenever dogs ‘win’, this gets Read More ›