Nicholas van Rijn, Captain Torrance and the crew of the Hebe G.B. search for intelligent beings hiding among the animals in the alien zoo ship. The gorilloids seem to have limited cranial capacity. When van Rijn suggests that they might have brains not in their heads but in their bellies, Torrance replies that some people do. This is equivalent to Captain Torres in "Margin of Profit" acknowledging that van Rijn has guts.
Torrance goes on to expound empirically what some now argue speculatively, that animals keep their brains near their principal sense organs which are usually at the top. Otherwise, neural paths would become too long. Larry Niven's Puppeteers have their brain in their body with one eye and one mouth with malleable lips also serving as fingers at the end of each arm-neck.
Torrance adds that a smaller brain will not mean less intelligence if the neurons are more efficient but how do neurons work? They fire electrically and interact chemically but how does this cause either consciousness or intelligence? We judge whether an organism is conscious, then whether it is intelligent, by observing not its neurons but its behavior. If behavior includes exchange of signals, then we ask whether signals have become symbols, i.e., language, i.e., intelligent communication.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Of course Torrance was being sarcastic when he said some people keep their brains in their bellies! It was Old Nick whom he had in mind.
Ad astra! Sean
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