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NASB | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, "Can it really be that God has said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" [Rev 12:9-11] |
Subject: Animal Intelligence Isn't Rational |
Bible Note: Conrary view, Experience ...................... Dear Lionstrong, You said that my definition of "rational" was acceptable, so let's take a look at it. I have defined rationality as the ability to learn or to process information in an orderly manner. This is a pretty standard definition according to dictionaries. Now let's look at some historical facts about animals. There was once a scientist named Pavlov. He had a bunch of dogs that he did an experiment with. He would ring a bell, and then feed them. He did this over a period of time, and noticed a change in the dogs. They associated the bell sound with food, which was demonstrated by salivation. When Pavlov would ring the bell, the dog's mouths would water even before he would feed them. This was not INSTINCT. A wild dog's mouth doesn't water when it hears a bell. These specific dogs were able to PROCESS INFORMATION that they received to LEARN that the food followed the bell. A much more advanced experiment was performed with the famous gorilla named, Koko. She was able to actually LEARN sign language and was able to communicate with her trainers and visitors. She was able to PROCESS INFORMATION not only that she was specifically taught, but was also able to combine concepts in order to learn things that were not taught to her. Her story has been chronicled and documented in numerous books and documentaries. I assume that you were unaware of these events, and share them so that you may be better informed of the scientifically proven exhibitions of animal intellegence. However, you can observe these things on your own as well. If you or someone you know has a dog that can "sit", "lie down", or "roll over" on command, that is also a good example. These are not INSTINCTS. Wild dogs do not understand a human voice command, much less obey it. These behaviors must be LEARNED, and that shows "rationality". This all being said, you did earlier in this thread, quote several good Bible verses, which seem to say that animals are not rational. I would suggest that the Bible is using the word "rational" to mean something beyond what the dictionary defines the word to mean. This would be similar to when Jesus said, "I am the Truth", meaning more than just being a fact and real. |