Will monkeys/apes someday become sentient?

[Twilight Hue]

If such a scenario occurs given time, Can humans co-exist and share the planet with a newly evolved sentient being arising from a different branch of the evolutionary tree to which interbreeding remains exclusive to that branch? How would that affect a persons perspective and philosophy in regards to co-existing with a being that formerly was only considered as an intelligent, yet instinctive animal?

 

[bhaktajan]

You too can learn to find ants with the use of a stem.

Inre your illiterate bereftment ---maybe remedial reading courses?

sentient sen·tient (sěn'shənt, -shē-ənt)

adj.

1. Having sense perception; conscious.
2. Experiencing sensation or feeling.

All living "Beings" do the same 4 catagories of Acts [karma]:
eat,
sleep,
mate,
defend.

IOW, Living "Beings" eat, sleep, mate, and defend--- ergo, they are all sentient beings.

If we humans relegate are entire existences to ONLY these 4 Acts ---be are polished animals, and nothing more.

Do you remember being potty-trained? No 'instinctive' sensibilties led you to advance class grade placements? Did you fail any school courses?

Bestial animals simply have less to concern themselves while passing away the time of their LIVING LIVES as beasts with an individual conscious soul that shines through . . . in a limited manner that is in accord with the species of living creature that the soul was born into ---as per the summation of their past works [karma-phalam; aka, fruits of work].

Good luck with Human Karma while we have a chance to "make a change",
Bhaktajan

 

[strikeviperMKII]

Africans were once considered barely human. How were they treated by those who believed as such?

Could we treat this new species with respect that they deserve? First we have to figure out what that means...and there could be hiccups along the way. Of course...they might be the ones treating us unfairly. Remember Planet of the Apes?

 

[ninerbuff]

Hate to tell you that there are people out there who don't resemble humans now...........they are called congress.

 

[Engyo]

There is an interesting science fiction book series called 'The Uplift Universe' by David Brin.

Different species and civilizations gain or lose status by how many client species they have raised to intelligence.

 

[Breathe]

I'd like to say yes...
...but I get the feeling people would kill them off before they got too big in number, either directly or indirectly.

 

[Twilight Hue]

There is an interesting science fiction book series called 'The Uplift Universe' by David Brin.

Different species and civilizations gain or lose status by how many client species they have raised to intelligence.

You get the gist. Also qualities such as empathy of which is not commonly shared between sentient and non-sentient beings with exception made to some instances where an action may be arguably construed as such.

Like Odin, I would think there would be a resulting degree of conflict upon full sentience* even when the client species is ironicly helped along, such as engaging our primate cousins in conversation by teaching them rudimentary languages and signing. Such a boost might expedite the process allowing evolution to do the rest.

*Being on par with human level of understanding and self-reflection

 

[Twilight Hue]

Hate to tell you that there are people out there who don't resemble humans now...........they are called congress.

We very well could go the other route in testimony of witnessing a reversal here.

 

[tumbleweed41]

Will monkeys/apes someday become sentient?

We have

 

[kutulu]

Hate to tell you that there are people out there who don't resemble humans now...........they are called congress.

i couldnt have said it better myself!!! lol

 

[Twilight Hue]

We have

True. Yet who do you think is next in the evolutionary line of which in happenstance, humans may someday come to a realisation that we wont forever be the only ones existing on the planet possessing such unique qualities that have made us so successful?

 

[kutulu]

just because we dont understand doesnt make them less than human, only different. many animals (whales for instance) have very complex languages and use many complicated techniques as a monkey would use a tool. were do you draw the line?

 

[kutulu]

Ability to lie. (Some apes can do this, not all)
Ability to plan for the future. (Some apes can do this, not all)
Ability to be introspective. (Unobserved in any animal)
Ability to create art. (Tools and problem solving don't count, so unobserved in any animal)
Ability to apply and discern more than one meaning to a word based on situational context. (Unobserved in any animal)
Ability to create and expand upon vocabulary to adapt to rapidly changing environment. (Unobserved in any animal)

i'd like to disagree with the last as obviously to have a language it must have been expanded at some point and animals would not be what the are today if they had not adapted...

 

[kutulu]

so you assume that whales for instance have no word or series of clicks or w/e to describe humans or boats or etc? at 1 time seals must have been new to them. again. how do we know this if we dont know what they are saying?

 

[Madhuri]

Most animals already are sentient. Wrong choice of wording.
What you are referring to is the level of intelligence and perception matching that of the human brain.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Most animals already are sentient. Wrong choice of wording.
What you are referring to is the level of intelligence and perception matching that of the human brain.

In retrospect yes. I should have referenced this as full sentience to clarify. That is, full as the human experience goes. I think that most posters caught on nevertheless to what I was relaying here Madhuri. :O)

 

[Engyo]

I think the word you are looking for is 'sapience'.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I think the word you are looking for is 'sapience'.

I'll go with it in light our developed brain is credited as being the primary reason we have accomplished more than anything else living on the planet.

Sapient it is.

Hopefully this wont further digress over issues involving terminology to which I apologize for not being clear. I just wanted to know if another species can evolve enough to reach a level that compares to our own capabilities and reasoning, and the possibility that our planet could perhaps in half a million or so years from now, be co-habited by another species other than humans given enough time. I regarded primates as being the most likely candidates for this.

 

[tumbleweed41]

True. Yet who do you think is next in the evolutionary line of which in happenstance, humans may someday come to a realisation that we wont forever be the only ones existing on the planet possessing such unique qualities that have made us so successful?

Is it arrogant to assume the next to posses these qualities will be another ape?

 

[LuisDantas]

Is it arrogant to assume the next to posses these qualities will be another ape?

Not necessarily, but it shows a lack of faith in the potential of other animals.