A recent online article was headlined "Dogs as smart as tots, study says."
I'm not terribly surprised. The intelligence of extremely young human beings should not be overestimated. For example, at birth, a human infant and a chimpanzee infant are really very similar in their cognitive abilities. Of course at some point–and I forget what age this is—the development of the human infant really takes off and leaves the chimp far behind.
And, as to dogs, anyone who knows and loves dogs knows they are smart. The study cited in the article says "Even the average dog has the mental abilities of a 2-year-old child."
A lot of birds, too (such as parrots) are very smart. And then you’ve got dolphins. And squirrels.
So, to look again at the human infant: at some point, at least, being human is more about potential than about present skills and abilities.
Copyright © 2009 by Richard Stein
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