XPost: alt.animals.ethics.vegetarian, sci.agriculture.poultry, sci.agriculture   
   XPost: rec.pets.cats.misc   
      
   On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 07:33:02 GMT, Ed Earl Ross wrote:   
      
   >whatthe@fu..?com wrote:   
   >> _________________________________________________________   
   >> On Sun, 03 Jul 2005 21:21:03 GMT, Goo wrote:   
   >>   
   >>>Dogs NEVER anticipate, nor do cats, or   
   >>>cattle, or any other animal you've ever encountered.   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> Apparently Goo has a case of extreme ignorance.   
   >   
   >Perhaps, but I wish to point out that ignorance can be eliminated   
   >with education.   
      
    The person must want to learn in order to do it. Goo thinks that   
   he already has learned. He thinks that everyone else who recognises   
   emotions in animals is really projecting their emotions into the animals   
   somehow...he believes it's a sort of voodoo or something that makes   
   the animals act like they are experiencing something he insists they   
   cannot experience.   
      
   >Moreover, Goo may mean something entirely different   
   >than I when he says "Dogs NEVER anticipate, nor do cats, or cattle,   
   >or any other animal you've ever encountered." I believe animals   
   >anticipate.   
      
    That's because you've been around them, and recognise what   
   you have seen. Goo not only has very little experience with animals,   
   but in his few encounters with them, if any of them have been in a   
   situation which caused them to anticipate--for example if someone   
   brought out a bag of cat food and a cat responded to that--he   
   admittedly was not able to recognise it when it happened right in   
   front of him.   
      
   >I have a goat that roams the yard, except for immediately around   
   >the house in the garden area. On several occasions, she has gotten   
   >into the garden area, and we have chased her out with much noise.   
   >Recently, she got in the garden, and we saw each other through the   
   >window; whereupon, she walked to the gate and waited for me to let   
   >her out. In other words, she anticipated that I would act.   
      
    Quite obviously to most people, but Goo would never be able   
   to understand it, much less figure it out for himself as you did.   
      
   >BF Skinner, a famous phycologist, studied animals in "Skinner   
   >boxes," a cage with electronics, such as two or three large buttons   
   >and a bell. All kinds of animals were taught to respond (e.g.,   
   >press a button) whenever a stimulus (a bell) occurred, whereupon,   
   >the animal received food.   
      
    I've read of similar experiments. The tasks they must perform become   
   more complicated too, and also the incentive. We learned about similar   
   experiments done with pigeons, in which the pigeons most definitely   
   had to learn to anticipate in order to get food, and also in some cases   
   to avoid things they didn't like such as electric shock.   
      
   >To me, bell rings, animal anticipates   
   >food, presses button, and receives food.   
   >   
   >I cannot imagine learning without anticipation.   
      
    That sort of thinking makes you much different from Goo. He can't   
   even understand such basic things as that. I do feel sorry for him, but   
   the fact that he considers himself extremely intelligent makes it funny   
   and also justifies any amusement we can get from his absurd beliefs.   
   I feel sure it would be fun to see you try, but you won't be able to teach   
   Goo anything. He will remain ignorant, and also remain ignorant of his   
   own ignorance.   
      
    Goo is very bad about making claims that he can't back up. This   
   is a particularly amusing one to me. We see animals clearly display   
   behavior which appears to be anticipation, in response to situations   
   which could easily cause anticipation, but Goo insists that they really   
   are not experiencing anticipation. So what does he think causes them   
   to act like they are??? Hilarious!   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)   
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