From:
smb11@uakron.edu
Date: 2005-01-29 16:58:12 UTC
Subject: Ferrets and their (in)ability to deliberate
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <7577932.1107017892469.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Today, one of my professors stated that animals don=92t have the ability to=
deliberate therefore they cannot reason or be rational. They make their de=
cisions merely on instincts. Since ferrets are so domesticated, haven=92t t=
heir instincts diminished over their generations, as have ours? I understan=
d that there are some instincts that won=92t go away, but are their decisio=
ns still based on instincts that they really haven=92t had to use for a lon=
g time? When I tried to discuss this with my professor, he said that we can=
=92t prove that they deliberate because we can=92t tell what is going on in=
their heads. =
So, since we can=92t tell what is going on in their heads, how can they pro=
ve that ferrets aren=92t deliberating? My professor=92s answer: they have b=
een experimented on, tested, and their brains have been examined so much th=
at it has been scientifically proven that they do not have the ability to d=
o this. This is all coming from an Ethics professor, NOT a Biology professo=
r, so I=92m very skeptical on what he is saying. Does anyone know if it is =
true that they don=92t have the brain capacity to rationalize and reason? O=
r does anyone know where I can find research on this topic? When I watch my=
boys, it sure seems like they are thinking about what to do next and some =
of the decisions they make don=92t seem to have anything to do with instinc=
ts. =
Thanks,
Stephanie, Max, Jack, & Oscar
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