momar said:
Interesting...I think it's true like others have said that the species are different. The angel always swims up to the front of the tank when I'm around and nibbles my finger when it's food time. The harlequins rush to the top of the tank when I open the lid, but that's it - however, I think they must have some social intelligence to get on in a group. Others like the redtail just don't seem to care... Cichlids certainly seem the brightest though.
I should have added an instinct otion to the poll. But i don't like 'instinct' - it always seems to me to be a way for people to say humans are conscious but animals aren't. I wouldn't think fish are any more guided by instinct than humans - instinct is what drives us to ask
etc etc.
Interesting fact on this topic: Honey bees are insects. Therefore they act purely on instinct, right? Maybe not...they do a really complicated dance to tell other bees exactly where flowers are. So what? So...there isn't actually enough nerve or brain in a bee to have all that preprogrammed - the bee has to consciously learn or remember. And if a bee can do that, I don't see why a fish can't do a lot more.(however learning does not mean emotions or reason - we'll never know)
Did you really have to go there?
Instinct is what tells some types of birds where, thousands of miles away, they should go to nest and how to get there, despite ever having been there.
Sure, people think, "where's the food?" and "Where's the ladies?" and "get off my front lawn."
But they also think...
Why am I here?
What will happen to me after I'm gone?
What were those who came before me like?
How does my brain work?
How does the world work?
How many species are out there?
Why do even young children have consciences?
Why do we have a sense of justice?
What is my purpose here?
Where's the food, and what am I going to do if I lose my job and I can't meet my mortgage because my credit score is too low because I made a miscalculation in my bank account?
And why do we have a spiritual sense, from every civilization at any time that's ever been unearthed?
Why do we read and write, and speak in languages?
Why do we notice a pretty sunset?
I believe animals have instinct, otherwise how could they do what they do, without ever having taught it to their young (if they've even ever seen their young), or written it down, etc. Whether they're conscious or not in comparison to humans... what does that mean, conscious of themselves? I don't know, watch Star Trek TNG...?
They're a life, they have a lot of intelligence - case in point, car companies are examining the Box Fish because of it's strange shape being aerodynamically sound and reducing drag. But I doubt if the fish knows or cares anything about that.
I don't think stating that obvious fact is somehow maligning them.
They're intelligent, and they DO learn in instances. But you can't deny most of their existance has usually been programmed into them somewhere. And the fact that I have the ability to speculate on whether a fish can think, says all I need to personally know about the topic.
P.S. Did you know that 1 celled organisms in the ocean create beautiful 'glass' sculptures? The miniscule work that they do is more beautiful than most artists' sculptures I've ever seen. It boggles the mind how they could weave elaborate flower designs and snow flake designs that are so small, they need to be blown up many times to see. And they are only 1 celled organisms, even without a brain. How do they "know" to weave these sculptures to aid in their catching sunlight? Why do they make them so beautiful and elaborate?
