U.K. Scientists Warn of "Planet of the Apes Scenario"
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
I'm not that scared. I own several firearms, I know the territory around me, I know how to survive more or less indefinitely in isolated locations. And I have friends that trust me enough to come with if shit hits the fan. We could take on the apes, besides, there are so many more pressing issues to worry about, like the economy. Environmental issues. Overpopulation. Decreasing fossil resources. ect.
I'm not that scared. I own several firearms, I know the territory around me, I know how to survive more or less indefinitely in isolated locations. And I have friends that trust me enough to come with if shit hits the fan. We could take on the apes, besides, there are so many more pressing issues to worry about, like the economy. Environmental issues. Overpopulation. Decreasing fossil resources. ect.
I nearly died laughing reading some of the comments here, you all know that this is probably viral marketing by the people advertising Planet of the Apes, right? If it's not I am still not scared.
So what if we make another race of sentient apes/lions/whatever animal. You honestly think the circumstances of them taking over the world are even remotely plausible outside of a movie screen? Freaking out just because something has human-level intelligence is just silly, and it just shows how insecure we are as a species. Just out of curiosity, I'd love to see something we could actually communicate with in my lifetime. I don't care if it is something we made or aliens or what. It would just be nice to get a different perspective on things.
So what if we make another race of sentient apes/lions/whatever animal. You honestly think the circumstances of them taking over the world are even remotely plausible outside of a movie screen? Freaking out just because something has human-level intelligence is just silly, and it just shows how insecure we are as a species. Just out of curiosity, I'd love to see something we could actually communicate with in my lifetime. I don't care if it is something we made or aliens or what. It would just be nice to get a different perspective on things.
"The fear is that if you start putting very large numbers of human brain cells into the brains of primates, suddenly you might transform the primate into something that has some of the capacities that we regard as distinctively human [such as] speech, or other ways of being able to manipulate or relate to us," said Professor Thomas Baldwin
Yeah....real scary.
Is this even science?
Yeah....real scary.
Is this even science?
What makes this even scarier is the fact that a movie called "rise of the planets of the apes" is coming out soon.
I don't know what he's worried about, the ones who should be worried are actors.
When we get apes to talk, I imagine almost every actor in Hollywood will be out of a job.
When we get apes to talk, I imagine almost every actor in Hollywood will be out of a job.
Aren't there only a few hundred thousand apes left in the world anyways?
Even if they were ALL to somehow obtain human levels of intelligence, and they got their hands on a modern weaponry and learned to use it, they'd still be faced with the task of killing/enslaving 6 or 7 billion people. Who also have guns, planes, ships, and what not.
Even if they were ALL to somehow obtain human levels of intelligence, and they got their hands on a modern weaponry and learned to use it, they'd still be faced with the task of killing/enslaving 6 or 7 billion people. Who also have guns, planes, ships, and what not.
Don't worry, if the apes start rising we'll just make a race of combat robots that will be able to destroy said apes before they cause any problems. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with giving Robots intelligence, free will and fully realized combat skills-
...Oh yeah.
...Oh yeah.
The thing is some Chimpanzees actually already have surprisingly good language skills. The case study done by Savage-Rumbaugh in to Bonobo Chimps and language showed they are actually quite capable. They can create simple sentences that actually make sense, and are often about thing that aren't in the immediate area, such as requests and things. They did quite a few tests with them and found they understood a hell of a lot of human language. So yeah, if they are worried about apes getting language skills, too late mate. Evolution got there first.
But even with those language skills they still cannot talk. Their larynx isn't sophisticated enough to create speech. These guys fail to realise just because you alter the brain of an animal to make it have the ability to understand language it still can't speak.
But even with those language skills they still cannot talk. Their larynx isn't sophisticated enough to create speech. These guys fail to realise just because you alter the brain of an animal to make it have the ability to understand language it still can't speak.
As pointed out the ethical considerations are more worrying than any planet of the apes style situation.
A few other points that have been raised:
1 On human experimentation, that is currently the final phase of testing to get a drug to market, after several levels of animal experimentation, themselves after tests in more limited contexts. The number of humans required to remove all animals from testing is truely insane. Other options like creating full human systems in a lab is morally appaling at best, and part sustems in many ways worse than imperfct anumals as a test inviroment.
2. On humans being inhrantly moer violent and cruel etc than other animals, this is total bullshit, we are mealry in a postion where we can actually afford to be. Most carnivores kill only what they eat, becasue their hunting is inefficient enough that they can't afford to kill any more. When they fight its generally for the same sort of reasons humans do, territory, personal privilage, resources and survival. Make a fox hunt wild animals and it kills sparingly killing what it needs, give it a captive prey source, and it kills more than it needs, and takes only what it does.
What sets humans apart from animals is not mearly sentience but an advanced form of it, and the development of morals, the little basis on saying humans are good or bad is not the actions per say but the fact we have the capscity and morals to define such things, a fox that kills indiscriminately is being instinctive, it knows no better, a human who is not mentally ill is making a choice, and does know better.
Note violence towards other species and you own is not exsclusive to carnivores and true omnivores, herbivores also display it, particuarly when it comes to territrial matters. Humans are mearly the species that got to a point where we could exercise such tendancies on a larger scale first, and no species has made it since that wasnt in close enough competiton to early humans to be wiped out.
A few other points that have been raised:
1 On human experimentation, that is currently the final phase of testing to get a drug to market, after several levels of animal experimentation, themselves after tests in more limited contexts. The number of humans required to remove all animals from testing is truely insane. Other options like creating full human systems in a lab is morally appaling at best, and part sustems in many ways worse than imperfct anumals as a test inviroment.
2. On humans being inhrantly moer violent and cruel etc than other animals, this is total bullshit, we are mealry in a postion where we can actually afford to be. Most carnivores kill only what they eat, becasue their hunting is inefficient enough that they can't afford to kill any more. When they fight its generally for the same sort of reasons humans do, territory, personal privilage, resources and survival. Make a fox hunt wild animals and it kills sparingly killing what it needs, give it a captive prey source, and it kills more than it needs, and takes only what it does.
What sets humans apart from animals is not mearly sentience but an advanced form of it, and the development of morals, the little basis on saying humans are good or bad is not the actions per say but the fact we have the capscity and morals to define such things, a fox that kills indiscriminately is being instinctive, it knows no better, a human who is not mentally ill is making a choice, and does know better.
Note violence towards other species and you own is not exsclusive to carnivores and true omnivores, herbivores also display it, particuarly when it comes to territrial matters. Humans are mearly the species that got to a point where we could exercise such tendancies on a larger scale first, and no species has made it since that wasnt in close enough competiton to early humans to be wiped out.
