Collection of Thoughts » Collection of thoughts

Why do we do what we do?

(5 posts)
  • Started 1 year ago by YetAnotherSeeker
  • Latest reply from Starss

  1. YetAnotherSeeker
    Member

    YetAnotherSeeker

    Another story about monkeys, posted for your thought and comment.....

    In a certain primate research facility, there was a population of chimpanzees that was under observation. There was minimal human interaction, and the chimps were being observed for social interaction.

    One day, the human observers hung a bunch of bananas just out of reach. They also placed a sturdy box a on the ground a few yards from the bananas. Eventually, one individual figured out that the box could be moved to help reach the bananas. When he tried to climb on the box, the rest of the chimps were immediately sprayed with high pressure fire hoses. A few minutes later, another individual climbed up to get a banana, and the others were sprayed with water. When a third chimp climbed up, the other chimps attacked her to keep from getting sprayed. So it continued, each time an individual tried to climb on the box, the rest of the chimps prevented it to keep from getting sprayed. Several days later, the bananas were removed, but the chimps still prevented anyone from climbing on the box.

    Eventually, over several years, the research population was changed out, individual by individual, until there were none of the original individuals left. But any time any chimp tried to climb on the box, the rest of the population still attacked that individual to prevent it.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  2. abstractprophet

    Interesting post YAS.

    Does it suggest some form of collective conciousness written into that space? Would chimps outside that space attack others for climbing on a box?

    I did feel like a bannana but I am a little scared now. lol

    Posted 1 year ago #
  3. shin
    Member

    shin

    The chimps learned, and passed on the knowledge, that there was no point in climbing onto the box, after all there were no bananas ever after they were removed. IOW, the getting sprayed with water was a device to create and evenually pass on the esoteric knowledge that one should not climb on boxes if there are no bananas to be had.

    One could also ask a question about researchers who repeatedly inflict experiments so far removed from nature on sentient beings that one will have to question the validity of its results and conclusions drawn from it.

    One has to ask the question of who shows more intelligence here, the chimps or the reseachers. I vote for the chimps.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  4. abstractprophet

    Although I do appreciate your humour shin, I would vote for neither. I see that both chimps and humans are not that bright with both displaying characteristics that are calous and calculated.

    I was at a festival once and met this guy who was singing this song "Free Your Monkey Mind" which I found amusing at the time. I saw the book a year or two later although I can't say it interests me greatly.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  5. Starss

    Did you know that two people can invent the same new invention at the same time?
    Both race to the Patents Office and the first one in line gets to patent it first.
    The idea was floating in the ether and both of them picked it up. Two people begin
    to utter the same idea and one says "you first"...followed by "That's just what I
    was thinking!"
    As far as knowledge, it is available to all individual units, but what chimp
    would benefit by E=mc2? You pick up that knowledge that can benefit you..and the
    rest is simply passing through.

    Posted 1 year ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.