Views Your letters

摘要

A unicycle is a mode of transport. So, too, was the space shuttle. However, their similarities are dwarfed by their differences. The same applies to intelligence and its sibling consciousness when comparing animals with humans. That there is variation in terms of problem-solving capability within animal populations doesn't make them "like us". That isn't to say that intelligence and consciousness are uniquely human traits. Should our species end, it is likely that, in the aeons to come, another creature will evolve these attributes and also be capable of writing an email like this. However, crucially, it won't be an orangutan. This species will be something entirely different. Regardless of its physical features, it will, essentially, be far more "like us" than any non-human creature currently living on this planet.