Do elephants have souls?

[hunter]

From Barrett808 in the science forum:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=228&topic_id=24703&mesg_id=24703

Elephants have joined a small, elite group of species--including humans, great apes and dolphins--that have the ability to recognize themselves in the mirror, according to a new finding by researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in New York. This newly found presence of mirror self-recognition in elephants, previously predicted due to their well-known social complexity, is thought to relate to empathetic tendencies and the ability to distinguish oneself from others, a characteristic that evolved independently in several branches of animals, including primates such as humans.

This collaborative study by Yerkes researchers Joshua Plotnik and Frans de Waal, PhD, director of Yerkes' Living Links Center, and WCS researcher Diana Reiss, PhD, published in the early online edition of the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, was conducted as part of a wide array of cognitive and behavioral evolution research topics at Yerkes' Living Links Center.

"We see highly complex behaviors such as self awareness and self-other distinction in intelligent animals with well established social systems," said Plotnik. "The social complexity of the elephant, its well-known altruistic behavior and, of course, its huge brain, made the elephant a logical candidate species for testing in front of a mirror."

In the study, researchers exposed three female elephants housed at the Bronx Zoo in New York to a jumbo-sized mirror measuring eight feet high by eight feet wide inside the elephants' yard. During the exposure, the elephants tested their mirrored images by making repetitive body movements and using the mirror to inspect themselves, such as by moving their trunks to inspect the insides of their mouths, a part of the body they usually cannot see. Further, the animals did not react socially to their images, as many animals do, and did not seem to mistake their reflection for that of another elephant.

"Elephants have been tested in front of mirrors before, but previous studies used relatively small mirrors kept out of the elephants' reach," said Plotnik. "This study is the first to test the animals in front of a huge mirror they could touch, rub against and try to look behind."

(more)

http://www.whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=8080

I vote yes, of course.

[C_U_L8R]

1. Contrary to republicans

phants are good hearted souls

[AnnieBW]

2. Ganesha The Elephant God

One of the most popular Deities in the Hindu pantheon is Ganesha, the elephant God of good luck. So yeah, I would say that elephants have souls.

[Book Lover]

3. Other:

No. Nobody has souls. It's a metaphor.

[hunter]

5. I think it has to do with time...

This kind of self-awareness changes the way the future plays out. Self aware creatures might leave a unique imprint on the universe.

Perhaps there is a sort of immortality in that.

[Richard D]

4. Soul is an interesting word . . .

. . . and I won't go there. But do they have intelligence, consciousness, humor, wisdom, self-awareness? Yes. Some amazing essays, based on personal experience of the author on her experiences with elephants can be found at http://deenametzger.com. Click on "Animals".

[supernova]

6. I think all sentient beings have souls

and that includes elephants.

[hunter]

7. Would a sentient machine have a soul?

I ask for any AI's that may be posting here... ;)

[supernova]

8. Hee.

Well, if Deep Thought is posting here, I guess so. ;-)

[cyborg_jim]

9. I am a sentient machine

[salvorhardin]

13. I couldn't tell you

I failed the Turing Test.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

10. Yes. Very large souls.

[hunter]

12. I imagine so!

:)

[moobu2]

11. If you votes yes..That elephants do have souls

don’t you think someone should help save their souls from eternal damnation? Attempt to get them to accept Jesus as their personal savior... or whatever you guys do.

[Evoman]

14. Poor elephants

they keep getting man-handled by blind theists.

The muslim grabs his tail

The christian his trunk

The jew his leg.

And all the while the elephant is thinking, "Jebus Christ, get the fuck off me"

[hunter]

15. Maybe the elephant was thinking: DAMN MONKEYS!

They're everywhere! We should've let the bloody lions eat every last one of them, but NOOOOOOO, someone had to say that would be unethical.

[bryant69]

16. All things have souls.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Chulanowa]

17. All things have "souls"

However, only a few of them are aware that they do.