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irenaeuslyons
Guest
Koko has never asked a single question, despite all that he was taught.
This question more than anything else is making me doubt Catholic philosophy
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IWantGod
Guest
looool. True, but that does not mean koko didn’t have some level of understanding. The question is, what does it mean for an animal like koko to have understanding, or is it just an illusion? Even if it’s just a very rudimentary or basic level of comprehension, this would incline me to think that koko has an immaterial aspect to it’s nature. This does not mean, however, that koko can have a personal spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ like we can.
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irenaeuslyons
Guest
I think its an illusion or mimicry. It comes down to self awareness. I think being able to ask questions, and having knowledge of our own ignorance which impels us to ask questions, is something I have not seen in Koko which to me is distinctly human. We can bring knowledge of not just the past but also the prospective future to bear on the present. Which takes intellect and abstract thought.
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Theo520
Guest
Why are you using Thomism as your sole test of Catholic philosophy? That seems unreasonable.
I’m also not clear how koko’s existence disputes Thomism, can you elaborate on that point.
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midori
Guest
Does your theology hinge on philosophy?
Philosophy is the use of logic and reason to analyze how we experience the world, and our place in it.
Theology is more the study of the nature of the divine, and consequently informs us regarding our relationship to God, and to each other.
Philosophy can supplement our theology, but it’s a very poor replacement for theology.
And in a religion where we believe we consume the Body and Blood of our Redeemer because he said so, if Koko the Gorilla is where your stumbling block is… that’s a bit of an odd place to choose to stumble on.
Philosophy is the use of logic and reason to analyze how we experience the world, and our place in it.
Theology is more the study of the nature of the divine, and consequently informs us regarding our relationship to God, and to each other.
Philosophy can supplement our theology, but it’s a very poor replacement for theology.
And in a religion where we believe we consume the Body and Blood of our Redeemer because he said so, if Koko the Gorilla is where your stumbling block is… that’s a bit of an odd place to choose to stumble on.
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STT
Guest
Animals share feelings and have a basic language. The complexity of their behavior and the level of their understanding depends on how much they are evolved. Evolution is a continuous process.
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ProdglArchitect
Guest
Except for that that logic doesn’t pan out. There are innumerable species that have existed far longer than humanity, therefore giving them more time to evolve, but none of them developed the same level of complex behaviors / linguistic system that humans developed in a relatively short amount of time. If time and evolution were the only criteria then a species like sharks, who’ve been around for millions of years, should be far more advanced than humans.
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