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Contemporary Connections
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Animal Intelligence

In this chapter you've explored various accounts of the nature and scope of human knowledge. You've also had the opportunity to reflect on the degree to which gender may be relevant to epistemic topics. But what about non-human animals? What can they know, and how do they know it? In what respects can we say animals other than humans possess intelligence? Use the links below to explore these questions.


General resources

Animal Consciousness
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article
( http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consciousness-animal/ )
Animal Intelligence
General BBC guide with overview of issues such as symbolic complexity, tool use, etc.
( http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A582275 )
NATURE: Inside the Animal Mind
Collection of articles and video clips to accompany PBS television special
( http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/animalmind/ )
Animal Cognition and Learning
Course web site with numerous links by Robert Cook (Tufts University)
( http://www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/psych26/ )
Primates

Machiavellian Monkeys & Shakespearean Apes: The Question of Primate Language
Thought-provoking Zoogoer article by Alex Hawes (The National Zoo)
( http://www.fonz.org/zoogoer/zg1995/primate_language.htm )
The Evolution of Primate Intelligence
Article by Scott Rifkin from The Harvard Brain
( http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~husn/BRAIN/vol2/Primate.html )
Animal Intelligence vs. Human Intelligence
Article distinguishing the intelligence of human and nonhuman primates by Trevor Major (Apologetics Press); requires Adobe Reader
( http://www.apologeticspress.org/rr/reprints/an-intel.pdf )
Other nonhuman animals

What the Buzz is All About
Zoogoer article on bee communication by Alex Hawes (The National Zoo)
( http://www.fonz.org/zoogoer/zg1995/buzz.htm )
Bird Brains
Article by Gareth Huw Davies to accompany PBS special: David Attenborough's The Life of Birds
( http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/brain/index.html )
Dolphins and Man. . . Equals?
Account of dolphin intelligence by Regina Blackstock; also contains excellent collection of links at end
( http://www.polaris.net/~rblacks/dolphins.htm )
Elephantine Intelligence
Part of monograph series by Craig Holdrege (The Nature Institute)
( http://www.oreilly.com/people/staff/stevet/netfuture/ni/ic/ic5/elephant.html )

The Scientific Method and the Paranormal

Traditionally philosophers have taken knowledge to be justified true belief.  Should any of the widely publicized claims about paranormal phenomena count as knowledge, or should we be skeptical about such claims?  What distinguishes science from pseudo-science?  Does the scientific method provide a foundation for scientific claims that's absent from most approaches to the paranormal?  Use the following links to investigate some of these questions.

The Paranormal



Paranormal Place
Web site devoted to testimonials about a variety of paranormal experiences
( http://www.paranormalplace.com/ )
X-Project Paranormal Magazine
Online magazine with weekly articles investigating paranormal phenomena
( http://www.xproject.net/ )
Paranormal News
Online magazine with links to a variety of articles about the paranormal
( http://www.paranormalnews.com/ )
Skepticism about Pseudo-science and the Paranormal

Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
Homepage of organization skeptical about the paranormal; includes collection of links to various related online resources
( http://www.csicop.org/ )
Index of Online Articles from the Skeptical Inquirer
List of online articles treating skepticism about the paranormal and other issues
( http://www.csicop.org/si/online.html )
Skeptic
Online magazine devoted to skepticism about a wide variety of topics; current issue by subscription only but plenty of interesting archived material and links
( http://www.skeptic.com/ )
The Skeptical Gourmet
Homepage of Terry Rozelle; contains numerous links relating to skepticism about the paranormal and other issues
( http://members.tripod.com/Skeptic12/ )
The Scientific Method

Introduction to the scientific method
Overview by Frank Wolfs (University of Rochester)
( http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_labs/AppendixE/AppendixE.html )
The Scientific Method
Course Notes by Jose Wudka (U. C. Riverside)
( http://phyun5.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/node5.html )
Scientific method
Definition and suggested links by Garth Kemerling
( http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/s2.htm#scim )







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