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Bonobos TED-talks

Savage-Rumbaugh asks whether uniquely human traits, and other animals' behaviors, are hardwired by species. Then she rolls a video that makes you think: maybe not. The bonobo apes she works with understand spoken English. One follows her instructions to take a cigarette lighter from her pocket and use it to start a fire. Bonobos are shown making tools, drawing symbols to communicate, and playing Pac-Man -- all tasks learned just by watching. Maybe it's not always biology that causes a species to act as it does, she suggests. Maybe it's cultural exposure to how things are done.

  • KUDZU
  • posted by KUDZU
  • Date 3/6/2008 6:30:59 AM
  • Views: 1610
  • All Ages
  • All Ages

Tags Tags: TED talks

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15 Comments

Current View: 15 / Show all Comments

footstab : LVL 33: VP 4.2: said:

footstab

8 votes NegativePositive

265 days 23 hours ago...

Still believe in your God?

sylwith : LVL 31: VP 4: said:

sylwith

7 votes NegativePositive

265 days 23 hours ago...

All I have to say is WOW. That was eye opening and amazing. Just goes to show you that we are not that special on this planet yet again. maybe in the future they will be able to teach us peace again.

klavlav : LVL 32: VP 4.1: said:

klavlav

1 votes NegativePositive

265 days 21 hours ago...

^^ We weren`t created in any "God`s image"; we were created in the image of our ape ancestors, with a few refinements. We can learn more from them than any god.

Other than the brief mention she makes of Bonobo sexual habits, Savage-Rumbaugh doesn`t go into much detail. Just a quick sketch for those who don`t know, Bonobo sexual activity is frequent and fairly limitless; male with male, female with female, male-female, young-old, you name it. They use sex to say `hi`, `bye`, `sorry`, `relax`, `let`s play!`,` bed time`, `wake up` etc.

The compartmentalising of life our culture does is relatively recent, and not at all universal, even among other human cultures. Many societies have been far less uptight about things like sex - far more like the Bonobos. Dr. Susan Block, a sex researcher and therapist even goes so far as to suggest what she calls "Ethical Hedonism", a moral pleasure principle based on Bonobo culture.

Bonobo or not, there are alternatives out there that cast serious doubt on the "naturalness" of inevitability of our habits and hang-ups. These alternatives are abundant and available and only require a bit of imagination to try. And they might just save us.

http://www.laweekly.com/la-people-2007/susan-block/16347/

Cerberus77 : LVL 33: VP 4.2: said:

Cerberus77

-3 votes NegativePositive

265 days 12 hours ago...

i dont know how a dolphin can be smarter then the bonobos.

Tada : LVL 38: VP 4.6: said:

Tada

4 votes NegativePositive

265 days 8 hours ago...

It`s a repost but I don`t care since it`s fucking educational and shit! Learn faggots!

Enigasm290 : LVL 4: VP 1.3: said:

Enigasm290

0 votes NegativePositive

258 days 16 hours ago...

we dont even know if it was the bonobo playing pac-man or not.
FAKE!
lol
no, thats pretty incredible actually.

MysticMan : LVL 14: VP 2.3: said:

MysticMan

-3 votes NegativePositive

258 days 14 hours ago...

Without disapointment, atheist are at it again with anti god anti religion posts. At any oppotunity you attack god. Atheists that leave posts like that are just as bad as the religious organisations you put down. Very opinionated, and out to stir as much trouble as possible.

Getting sick of the atheists trying to causing trouble with comments like "where`s your God"

Why destroy peoples hopes? same as crushing a child heart by continuing to saying there is no Santa. Leave it be.

Spiked would be better if it was not for the atheist or the Religious nuts that start trouble. There are other sites for that.

Your a strong believe in what ever, good for you. but shutup. No i am not against atheist, just against people always trying to cause fights everywhere they go.

This site is not ment to be easy going.

youarehigh : LVL 33: VP 4.2: said:

youarehigh

4 votes NegativePositive

258 days 14 hours ago...

Dr. Zaius Dr. Zaius, do do do dooooo, Dr. Zaius Dr. Zaius do do do dooo

Euthphyro : LVL 7: VP 1.6: said:

Euthphyro

-6 votes NegativePositive

258 days 14 hours ago...

Klav, your so pathetic.

On topic:

A organism who`s life is run by pure emotion and sensationalism. Nothing to learn from this, it is a primitive organism.

I guess all this video does is provide new material for atheist to jack-off to.

Enjoy Klav, I hope this brings you many orgasms.

LeighCedar : LVL 37: VP 4.5: said:

LeighCedar

5 votes NegativePositive

258 days 14 hours ago...

Mysticman,

So wait... your argument is that God is helpful to people in the same way as Santa... and that we should keep lying to our kids about both forever?

[}{] //-\\ []v[] [] []_"[]" (()) []\[] : LVL 32: VP 4.1: said:

[}{] //-\\ []v[] [] []_"[]" (()) []\[]

-1 votes NegativePositive

258 days 13 hours ago...

^ no he is saying that we shouldn`t use this site to talk to each other about the problems religions cause in society. You heard him, there will be no more religious debates on spiked from here on. (laughing my ass off at you MysticMan).

footstab : LVL 33: VP 4.2: said:

footstab

-5 votes NegativePositive

258 days 13 hours ago...

Mystic... save yourself the trouble and leave spiked. You dont belong here faggot.

LastCaucasian : LVL 26: VP 3.5: said:

LastCaucasian

2 votes NegativePositive

258 days 12 hours ago...

I know I`m a hardcore dork, but the TED stuff is prob the best stuff on here

Taylornator : LVL 27: VP 3.6: said:

Taylornator

4 votes NegativePositive

258 days 12 hours ago...

^^ at mystic ^^ funny thing you say that about santa because the children eventually find out, by themselves or not, that santa doesn`t exist. basically you`re saying that people who have faith are childish and immature, not ready for the truth yet.

smokemylungs : LVL 33: VP 4.2: said:

smokemylungs

1 votes NegativePositive

258 days 12 hours ago...

How does religion come to ones mind after watching this video?

I just thought it was great.

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