The ideas about parrots are widely held misinformation based on centuries of prejudice. The specific statement "Parrots just repeat what they hear" is true for birds trained that way.
There are records dating to the ancient Greeks describing birds learning human language (Greek). I am an independent investigator of talking birds. Given the proper education many birds can learn language and assemble original ideas and express thought. For more information consult my book called "Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English" for specific examples from recorded data, some of which is on the Internet site: www.ParrotSpeech.com/Another_Mind.html
The problem is man's arrogance to think like Descartes that other animals are just robots and we are superior. I subscibe to Darwin's idea that all characteristics are on a continuum. I reepeat a famous line about animal research: The absence of evidence is not evidence of the absence of a capability for animals. Pogo: "We have met the enemy and he is us!"
Mike Florida
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Talking Animals
The ideas about parrots are widely held misinformation based on centuries of prejudice. The specific statement "Parrots just repeat what they hear" is true for birds trained that way.
There are records dating to the ancient Greeks describing birds learning human language (Greek). I am an independent investigator of talking birds. Given the proper education many birds can learn language and assemble original ideas and express thought. For more information consult my book called "Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English" for specific examples from recorded data, some of which is on the Internet site:
www.ParrotSpeech.com/Another_Mind.html
The problem is man's arrogance to think like Descartes that other animals are just robots and we are superior. I subscibe to Darwin's idea that all characteristics are on a continuum. I reepeat a famous line about animal research: The absence of evidence is not evidence of the absence of a capability for animals. Pogo: "We have met the enemy and he is us!"
Mike
Florida