Contemporary Connections

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 (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consciousness-animal/) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article



Animal Intelligence (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A582275) General BBC guide with overview of issues such as symbolic complexity, tool use, etc.



NATURE: Inside the Animal Mind (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/animalmind/) Collection of articles and video clips to accompany PBS television special



Animal Cognition and Learning (http://www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/psych26/) Course web site with numerous links by Robert Cook (Tufts University)

Primates
Machiavellian Monkeys & Shakespearean Apes: The Question of Primate Language (http://www.fonz.org/zoogoer/zg1995/primate_language.htm) Thought-provoking Zoogoer article by Alex Hawes (The National Zoo)



The Evolution of Primate Intelligence (http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~husn/BRAIN/vol2/Primate.html) Article by Scott Rifkin from The Harvard Brain



Animal Intelligence vs. Human Intelligence (http://www.apologeticspress.org/rr/reprints/an-intel.pdf) Article distinguishing the intelligence of human and nonhuman primates by Trevor Major (Apologetics Press); requires Adobe Reader

Other nonhuman animals
What the Buzz is All About (http://www.fonz.org/zoogoer/zg1995/buzz.htm) Zoogoer article on bee communication by Alex Hawes (The National Zoo)



Bird Brains (http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/brain/index.html) Article by Gareth Huw Davies to accompany PBS special: David Attenborough's The Life of Birds



Dolphins and Man. . . Equals? (http://www.polaris.net/~rblacks/dolphins.htm) Account of dolphin intelligence by Regina Blackstock; also contains excellent collection of links at end



Elephantine Intelligence (http://www.oreilly.com/people/staff/stevet/netfuture/ni/ic/ic5/elephant.html) Part of monograph series by Craig Holdrege (The Nature Institute)

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 (http://www.paranormalplace.com/) Web site devoted to testimonials about a variety of paranormal experiences



X-Project Paranormal Magazine (http://www.xproject.net/) Online magazine with weekly articles investigating paranormal phenomena



Paranormal News (http://www.paranormalnews.com/) Online magazine with links to a variety of articles about the paranormal



Archive X (http://www.wirenot.net/X/) Indexed collection of stories about paranormal experiences

Skepticism about Pseudo-science and the Paranormal
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (http://www.csicop.org/) Homepage of organization skeptical about the paranormal; includes collection of links to various related online resources



Index of Online Articles from the Skeptical Inquirer (http://www.csicop.org/si/online.html) List of online articles treating skepticism about the paranormal and other issues



Skeptic (http://www.skeptic.com/) Online magazine devoted to skepticism about a wide variety of topics; current issue by subscription only but plenty of interesting archived material and links



The Skeptical Gourmet (http://members.tripod.com/Skeptic12/) Homepage of Terry Rozelle; contains numerous links relating to skepticism about the paranormal and other issues

The Scientific Method
Introduction to the scientific method (http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_labs/AppendixE/AppendixE.html) Overview by Frank Wolfs (University of Rochester)



The Scientific Method (http://phyun5.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/node5.html) Course Notes by Jose Wudka (U. C. Riverside)



The Scientific Method (http://home.xnet.com/~blatura/skep_1.html) Discussion by Bill Latura (Engineer, Nalco Chemical Company)



Scientific method (http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/s2.htm#scim) Definition and suggested links by Garth Kemerling

2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.