Re: no dolphine language

Joe E. Dees (jdees0@students.uwf.edu)
Wed, 28 Oct 1998 15:44:56 -0600

From:           	CALYK@aol.com
Date sent:      	Wed, 28 Oct 1998 15:40:20 EST
To:             	extropians@extropy.com
Subject:        	Re: no dolphine language
Send reply to:  	extropians@extropy.com

> In a message dated 10/27/98 6:37:33 PM Central Standard Time,
> bostrom@ndirect.co.uk writes:
>
> << That dolphins don't have abstract language was recently
> established in a very elegant experiment. A pool is divided into two
> halves by a net. Dolphin A is released into one end of the pool where
> there is a mechanism. After a while, the dolphin figures out how to
> operate the mechanism which causes dead fish to be released into both
> ends of the pool. Then A is transferred to the other end of the pool
> and a dolphin B is released into the end of the pool that has the
> mechanism. The idea is that if the dolphins had a language, then A
> would tell B to operate the mechanism. However, it was found that the
> average time for B to operate the mechanism was the same as for A.
> >>
>
>
> Perhaps dolphin A knew dolphin B would figure it out and let him have the
> prize of discovery.

Perhaps dolphin A was hoping dolphin B wouldn't figure it out, and that he (A) would be returned to the other side of the pool and there would be fish left.