Dolphin Translation Machine Coming Soon

[FalloutJack]

The first interspecies communication between humans and dolphins will probably something like this

Spoiler: You know the one

Yeah, I'm a bit worried about that too, but also...

Remember Snorky, from The Simpsons?

 

[Lord Honk]

Big whoop, when are they gonna develop a translator so we can understand women? *ducks under table*

I jest, I love women, they're grrrrrreat

Anyway, if this brings us anywhere closer to "understanding intelligence" and by that "creating artificial intelligence" then GO DOLPHINS!

 

[antipunt]

This is honestly some pretty exciting stuff. Hell -yeah- it'd open up a lot of philosophical questions.

Go science

 

[Mcupobob]

So long and thanks for all the fish?

Let's hope that's not the first thing that's translated. And if it is, DON'T PANIC.

I hear dolphins have an excellent sense of humor.

No, its mules that have a good sense of humor.


OT: Well I hope this leads to something being discovered or figured out or maybe the dolphin Apocalypse.

 

[Ketsuban]

Am I the only one who seems to know that animals, including dolphins don't have the brain configuration to carry out Complex yet mundane conversations beyond basic needs of food, shelter, and reproduction?!?!

Golly gee Mr KiraTaureLor, looks like you are, maybe you should try and find a way of explaining to these scientists exactly why they're wrong! Or maybe you're the one who's wrong, given that cetaceans engage in acts such as sex for pleasure and rape, and have communication at least up to the point of having individual names. Closing your eyes and shouting doesn't make it true.

So this is what we have been wasting our time on? we're teaching dolphins human qualities? Isn't that a bad thing?

Speaking as a student of linguistics your assertion that learning to communicate with more than just the circle of human beings you surround yourself with on a daily basis is a waste of time is insulting. Beyond that, speaking as a science student and a fan of science, you deriding research because you personally can't think of any "real-world" applications is equally insulting.

 

[Cpu46]

First thing that comes to mind: if research in this field demonstrates that dolphins are sentient, will the Japanese dolphin meat industry be guilty of genocide? Almost certainly yes, I would think,though I imagine the laws on such things don't cover interspecies offences.

Seeing as dolphins are one of the few species on the planet capable of self recognition, learned behavior, and basic usage of tools I would already classify them as sentient. If they have a discernible language then that just is another argument for it.

[sub]the other species with these traits are Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Elephants, Orcas (No tool use for obvious reasons), and of course Humans[/sub]

 

[Paksenarrion]

The first thing they'll get is "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"

[sub]Or maybe "BE SURE TO DRINK YOUR OVALTINE".[/sub]

A Dolphin Translation Machine? You'll poke your eye out.

 

[KiraTaureLor]

Am I the only one who seems to know that animals, including dolphins don't have the brain configuration to carry out Complex yet mundane conversations beyond basic needs of food, shelter, and reproduction?!?!

Golly gee Mr KiraTaureLor, looks like you are, maybe you should try and find a way of explaining to these scientists exactly why they're wrong! Or maybe you're the one who's wrong, given that cetaceans engage in acts such as sex for pleasure and rape, and have communication at least up to the point of having individual names. Closing your eyes and shouting doesn't make it true.

So this is what we have been wasting our time on? we're teaching dolphins human qualities? Isn't that a bad thing?

Speaking as a student of linguistics your assertion that learning to communicate with more than just the circle of human beings you surround yourself with on a daily basis is a waste of time is insulting. Beyond that, speaking as a science student and a fan of science, you deriding research because you personally can't think of any "real-world" applications is equally insulting.

Please don't misunderstand my post, and don't insult, and attack me, or take this personally. I was merely expressing my opinions, and did not know that was illegal, and frowned upon on this website.

As to the cetaceans, the scientists gave them individual names, they already knew how to communicate with each other without needing it. I am not questioning the intelligence, and abilities of any animals; I am questioning why we humans have to change their communications tools to be more like ours? How will that benefit the animals?

I never one mentioned anything that has to do with real world applications, nor have I insulted science. I am questioning the intentions of being able to communicate with animals more than we already can do. I am merely concerned for the animals, and don't tell me nothing dirty, and bad is going to come out of this experimenting, because history never proved that we benefited animals, all we have done is harm them, their environment,and their future.

 

[elilupe]

If dolphins turn out to be sapient, a lot of religious folk are going to freak out. Those are some pretty stark implications.

It would be like the whole identity crisis thing if we found intelligent life out in space that scientists talk about.

Also, if we are able to communicate easily with dolphins within my lifetime I am so getting a cheeky dolphin sidekick.

 

[Ulixes Dimon]

Am I the only one who seems to know that animals, including dolphins don't have the brain configuration to carry out Complex yet mundane conversations beyond basic needs of food, shelter, and reproduction?!?!

Golly gee Mr KiraTaureLor, looks like you are, maybe you should try and find a way of explaining to these scientists exactly why they're wrong! Or maybe you're the one who's wrong, given that cetaceans engage in acts such as sex for pleasure and rape, and have communication at least up to the point of having individual names. Closing your eyes and shouting doesn't make it true.

So this is what we have been wasting our time on? we're teaching dolphins human qualities? Isn't that a bad thing?

Speaking as a student of linguistics your assertion that learning to communicate with more than just the circle of human beings you surround yourself with on a daily basis is a waste of time is insulting. Beyond that, speaking as a science student and a fan of science, you deriding research because you personally can't think of any "real-world" applications is equally insulting.

Please don't misunderstand my post, and don't insult, and attack me, or take this personally. I was merely expressing my opinions, and did not know that was illegal, and frowned upon on this website.

As to the cetaceans, the scientists gave them individual names, they already knew how to communicate with each other without needing it. I am not questioning the intelligence, and abilities of any animals; I am questioning why we humans have to change their communications tools to be more like ours? How will that benefit the animals?

I never one mentioned anything that has to do with real world applications, nor have I insulted science. I am questioning the intentions of being able to communicate with animals more than we already can do. I am merely concerned for the animals, and don't tell me nothing dirty, and bad is going to come out of this experimenting, because history never proved that we benefited animals, all we have done is harm them, their environment,and their future.

I'm pretty sure the whole point of the machine is to turn fishy dolphin noises into meaty human noises and vice versa. So we can give dolphins basic commands in chirpy dolphin sounds.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

Somebody better fund this research so that we can do this to other animals. I've always wanted to talk to a wolf.

I'm sure their culture would be cool to understand.

Wolves lack sapience so meh, it would not work.

I disagree. Wolves are smarter than you think. How can they form packs? How can they have a class system? How can they work together to take down another animal?

 

[Saulkar]

Somebody better fund this research so that we can do this to other animals. I've always wanted to talk to a wolf.

I'm sure their culture would be cool to understand.

Wolves lack sapience so meh, it would not work.

I disagree. Wolves are smarter than you think. How can they form packs? How can they have a class system? How can they work together to take down another animal?

I said sapience not intelligence though I meant sentience as well. :3

Wolves primarily act on instinct, essentially they are driven by urge alone, their brain calculates a change in their environment like their alpha male releases a scent, the prey suddenly shifts to the left while running, an obstacle presents itself, etc, and then sends the signal telling the consciousness what to do via desire and they carry that out through hereditary intelligence and environmental awareness. Sort of like touching a frying pan and pulling away automatically only FAR more complex. They are indeed capable of feeling a wide variety of emotions but they are not self aware to the same level as us, they never truly comprehend the concept of me or I am. The best way to envision this is to blank you mind, despite there being nothing going on you can still recognize your environment, you can still comprehend your feelings, but you cannot analyze them because there is no cognitive thought going on just subconscious acknowledgement.

Wikipedia Reference: (Yes I double checked against independent sources but do not take my word for it, go look for yourself)
Sapience: Sapience is often defined as wisdom, or the ability of an organism or entity to act with appropriate judgment, a mental faculty which is a component of intelligence or alternatively an additional faculty with its own properties. Robert Sternberg[19] has segregated the capacity for judgment from the general qualifiers for intelligence, which is closer to cognizant aptitude than to wisdom. Displaying sound judgment in a complex, dynamic environment is a hallmark of wisdom.[\b]

Sentience: Sentience is the ability to feel, or perceive, or be conscious, or have subjective experiences. 18th century philosophers used the term to distinguish the ability to think ("reason") from the ability to feel ("sentience"). In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences (known as "qualia"). For Eastern philosophy, sentience is a metaphysical quality of all things that requires respect and care. The term is central to the philosophy of animal rights, because sentience implies the ability to suffer, which entails certain rights. In science fiction, a non-human character described as "sentient" will typically have similar abilities, qualities and rights to a human being.

A Wolf's Sentience quotient is too low.

Self-Awareness: Self-awareness describes the condition of being aware of one's awareness. It is the awareness that one exists as an individual being. Without self-awareness the self perceives and accepts the thoughts that are occurring to be who the self is. Self-awareness gives one the option or choice to choose thoughts being thought rather than simply thinking the thoughts that are stimulated from the accumulative events leading up to the circumstances of the moment.

Wolves do indeed have some self awareness but it is highly limited. Even though they lack the true capacities to realize their existence as an individual they can differentiate between what they like and do not like from a cognitive perspective. On the other hand many animals despite giving the impression of suffering are reacting instinctively to negative stimuli, non the less this can result in mental damage like any other creature.

And before some intellectually indignated intellectual points out any flaws in my argument,(not the person I am replying to) it is to be expected that I get things wrong via being a flawed being, i.e. human, and since much of this still resides in theory and not empirical fact your opinions are no more righter than standing theories, only righter in correcting my interpretations of them. Soooooo, HONK BLARGH! XD

 

[fractal_butterfly]

This would not be the first time, that humans were able to communicate with an animal. There are examples of gorillas learning sign languages (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_%28gorilla%29) and also examples of Gorillas even teaching the language to other Gorillas (couldn't find the source here, sorry...).
There ARE more sentient creatures than humans, and I think, in one way or another, every animal is sentient, although they look at the world in a whole different way than a human.
At the "stupid christians with stupid bible" comments: did you ever read it? I don't think so...

 

[Bobbity]

Damn.
I doubt that they'd have much to say, but it's still awesome. Now just imagine if I could figure out what the bloody hell my dog wants every time it comes up to me...

 

[thirdsonsaburo]

And this way, we'll be able to tell when they give us their final "so long and thanks for all the fish".

Kidding aside, it's wonderful that humans are working out ways to communicate on the same level with intelligent non-human organisms! Hopefully, it'll give us a little more perspective on the condition of being living creatures...

And it'll be useful if we ever need to communicate with intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy, most likely.