Ape Genius
by Nova
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: NovaDirector: Nova
Brand: Nova
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 56 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS
Product features:
- The great apes which include chimps, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos, seem to have rich emotional lives similar to our own. But just how smart are these animals? A new generation of investigators is revealing the secret mental lives of great apes that are turning out to be far smarter than most experts ever imagined. Scientists are at last zeroing in on what separates us from our closest living r
Movie Reviews of Ape Genius
Movie Review: Apes are smarter than we thought, but still apes
Summary: 5 Stars
Apes are smarter and more thoughtful than we previously thought based on casual observations of these animals. But these geniuses are still apes.
This conclusion is based on recent systematic field observations as well as carefully designed scientific experiments.
Most of these experiments are well illustrated and fun to watch in this NOVA special edition. For example, a chimp, when shown two bowls of candy, can never resist pointing to the bowl with more candies, even though it has learned from previous tries that the one it is pointing to will be given to the other chimp and he will be given the other bowl. In other words, unlike humans, apes cannot easily overrule its instinctual urge.
But the really interesting part in the experiment is that the chimp will point to the bowl with fewer candies if you replace the candies with number cards.
In another experiment, apes and small children are asked to follow instructions to remove a candy from a box by tapping the box and pulling some levers. Both groups can handle the work. And then, some blocking pieces are removed from the box, leaving only a transparent structure. Now all can clearly see how their step-by-step actions lead to the successful retrieval of the candy. They are asked to do it again. The children follow exactly what they are taught, even though it is clear that some of these steps are unnecessary. The chimps, on the other hand, cut to the chase by skipping the useless tapping steps - they can learn, but they don't take learning that seriously.
The program is about studying the ape mind, but it's really aimed at showing the human genius and its limitations. Watching the video reminds me of Adam Smith's words in the Moral Sentiment - human behavior is the outcome of the struggle between "passions" and the "impartial spectator." Today we call that instinct and consciousness. The more the impartial spectator wins, the more rational our behavior tends to be. Unfortunately every time the instinctual urge is denied, it takes revenge by making us feel bad. Another keen observer of human nature, Buddha, says human suffering is inevitable. That may be true even for apes and many other animals.
Summary of Ape Genius
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