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THE GREATNESS OF A CIVILIZATION AND ITS MORAL PROGRESS CAN BE JUDGED BY THE WAY ITS CITIZENS ARE TREATED
MAHATMA GANDHI THE GREATNESS OF A NATION AND ITS MORAL PROGRESS CAN BE JUDGED BY THE WAY ITS ANIMALS ARE TREATED
Daily Mail, Thursday, August 25, 2016 Page 64 ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS Compiled by Charles Legge QUESTION THIS assumes a direct cognitive ladder, from lower to higher life forms, with our own intelligence at the top. But cognition takes different forms, often incomparable to ours. Are we less intelligent than a squirrel because we can't recall the locations of buried acorns? Brain size, tool use, vocabulary and soci learning are just a few possible tools to measure animal IQ. There is no agreed test for measuring interspecies IQ. One attempt to correlate animal IQ was made by Edward 0. Wilson, a professor of science at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology. He explained his system thus: `I relied on the "encephalisation index", which measures the size of the brain relative to that of the body as a whole and has been shown to be roughly correlated with intelligence.' He arrived at a top ten of: 1. Chimpanzee; 2. Gorilla; 3. Orangutang; 4. Baboon; 5. Gibbon; 6. Monkey; 7. Orca; 8. Dolphin; 9. Elephant; and 10. Pig. An alternate study looked at the concentration of neurones in the neocortex, the area involved in higher functions such as sensory perception, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning, conscious thought, and in humans, language. The result here gave a very different answer 1. Sperm Whale; 2. Humans; 3. Killer Whale; 4. Pilot Whale; 5. Humpback Whale; 6. Orangutang; 7. Chimpanzee.; 8. African Elephant; 9. Gorilla; and 10. Indian elephant. Another test measured intelligence with regards to self-awareness: the experimenter discreetly marks the animal with a coloured dye. The animal is then presented with a mirror and their reaction is observed. A self-aware animal will turn their body to get a better view, touch the coloured spot or try to remove it. Using this, ten animals demonstrated self-awareness. They were 1. Human, 2. Orangutang (below); Other creatures thought to have high IQs are giant octopuses, which can play, solve problems, navigate through mazes
and have a respectable short-term memory. African Grey parrots can mimic words and express emotion, and rats which have remarkable maze skills.
THE ENLIGHTENMENT NATHAN THE WISE Gotthold Ephraim Lessing 1729-81 Page 24 " She has one dream - a fancy, if you like, Most dear to her. It's that her Templer No mortal man, no son of mortal man, But one of the angels, whom her young heart From childhood onwards loved to think of as Her own protector. Stepping from the cloud Which veiled him, hovering round her even in The fire, he suddenly appeared in Templar's Form - don't smile at her! - Who knows? or if You smile, let her at least emjoy a dream Where Christian, Jew and Muslim can unite As one - a dream that is so sweet!
NATHAN THE WISE Page 77 Scene 5 Saladin and Nathan SALADIN Come closer, Jew - closer - right up to me. Don't be afraid. NATHAN That's for your enemies! SALADIN You call yourself Nathan? NATHAN Yes. SALADIN The wise Nathan? NATHAN No. SALADIN You may not; but the people do. NATHAN The people! Possibly. SALADIN You surely don't Believe that I despise the people's voice? For some time now I've wished to meet the man Whom all the people call the Wise. NATHAN And if They call him that in mockery? If wise 78 Means to the people nothing more than shrewd, And shrewd just means aware of his own interest. SALADIN You mean his own true interest, I presume? NATHAN Then the most selfish man would be the shrewdest. Then shrewd and wise would be the same. SALADIN I hear You proving what you wish to contradict. Humanity's true interest, which the people Cannot understand, you understand. At least you've tried to understand it. You have reflected on it. That alone Makes a man wise. NATHAN But everybody thinks He's wise. SALADIN That's quite enough of modesty! To hear this all the time when what I seek For is sober reason fills me with disgust. (He gets up quickly) Now let's come straight to the point. But, first of all Be honest with me, Jew! Be honest! NATHAN Sultan You can rely on me. I'll serve you, and Prove worthy of your further patronage. SALADIN You'll serve me? How? NATHAN I promise you the best Of everything, and at the cheapest price. SALADIN What are you talking about? Surely not About your goods? My sister may well haggle With you sometime. (That's in case she's listening!) I have no business with you as a merchant. NATHAN In that case, I expect you want to know What news about the enemy I gathered On my travels. It is true the enemy Is active once again, and to be frank... SALADIN No, that was not my aim in meeting you. I know already everything I need To know of that. - In short - NATHAN Command me, Sultan. SALADIN I want your teaching on another subject. Something quite different. Since you are so wise, Tell me, what kind of faith, what kind of law Has seemed most plausible to you? 79 NATHAN Sultan I am a Jew. SALADIN And I a Muslim. And The Christian is between us. Of these three Religions only one can be the true one. A man like you does not remain, where chance Of birth has cast him: if he does, he stays From insight, reason, choice of what is best. So, share with me your insight. Let me hear The reasons which I haven't had the time To ponder for myself. Tell me the choice Determined by these reasons - in the strictest Confidence, you understand - so I Can make that choice my own. I see you hesitate. You look me up and down. It may well be That no Sultan has ever had this kind Of whim before. And yet it does not seem Unworthy of a Sultan. Do you think? - Speak! - or do you want a moment to Collect your thoughts? Very well, you may. (I'll go and see if Sittah's listening And hear if I've done it right.) Now think! Think quickly. And I'll soon be back. (He goes into the ante-room where Sittah went) Scene 6 Nathan (Nathan alone) NATHAN How strange! How do I stand? What does the Sultan want? I come expecting money. And he wants The truth. The truth! and wants it so - straight out. In cash, - as if it were a coin! If it Were ancient coinage, valued by its weight -- That might have passed. But such new kinds of coin Valued by their stamp, which you must count Out on a board, are not like truth at all. Can truth be counted out into our heads Like money in a sack? Now who's the Jew? - He or I? And yet I wonder. Is He truly searching for the truth at all? Should I suspect that he is only using Truth to trap me? That would be too petty. Too petty? Nothing is too petty for A great man. And, of course he rushed right in, 80 Like someone bursting through the door. But when You're visiting a friend, you knock and listen First. I must be on my guard. But how? I can't insist that I'm a Jew; but to Deny that I'm a Jew would be still worse. Then he could simply ask, "If not a Jew, Why not a Muslim?" That's it! That can save me! It's not just children who can be fobbed off With fairy tales. He's coming. Let him come! Scene 7 Saladin and Nathan SALADIN (And so the coast is clear) - I hope I've given You enough time for reflection. Have You finished ordering your thoughts? Speak! Not a soul can hear us. NATHAN I don't mind If the whole world were to hear us. SALADIN Nathan Is so certain of his case? That's what I call A wise man! One who never hides the truth. A man who, for its sake, will gamble everything His blood and land, life and limb. NATHAN Yes, if it's needed and of use. SALADIN I hope I may in future earn the right to bear One of my titles; "The Reformer of the World And of the Law." NATHAN A truly splendid title! But before I tell you all my thoughts, Sultan, would you allow me to relate A little tale? SALADIN Why not? I've always loved To listen to a story, if it is Well told. NATHAN I must confess I'm not the man To tell it very well. SALADIN A' Your pride and modesty Again! Go on, just tell the story, now. NATHAN Once long ago, a man lived in the East Who had a ring of priceless worth, a gift 81 From someone dear to him. The stone was opal, Shot through with a hundred lovely colours. The ring had secret power to gain favour In the sight of God and humankind For anyone who wore it and who trusted In its power. No wonder that the man Would never take it from his finger; and He made provision that the ring should stay Forever in his dynasty. And so He left it to the dearest of his sons, With firm instructions that he, in his turn, Should leave it to the son he loved the most. In this way, by the power of the ring, Without respect of birth, the dearest son Should always be the master of the house. You understand me, Sultan? SALADIN Yes, go on! NATHAN And so the ring passed down from son to son, Until it reached a father of three sons. All three alike were dutiful to him. And he was therefore bound to love all three Sons equally. And yet, from time to time, When each in turn was with him on his own, And did not have to share his overflowing heart With his two brothers, then the one who stood Before him seemed most worthy of the ring. And thus by loving weakness he was led To promise it to each of them in turn. So matters rested for a while, until The father's death drew near; and then the worthy Man was in a quandary. He could Not bear to hurt two of his sons, who'd trusted In his word. So what was he to do? He sent in secret for a craftsman who Was ordered to devise two further rings, Exactly on the pattern of his own, Whatever cost or effort was required, To make each ring precisely like the first. The craftsman did well. When he brought the rings 82 The father was unable to distinguish The original. With joyful heart He called his sons, but each one on his own. To each he gave his blessing and his ring. And then he died. - You hear me, Sultan? SALADIN (turns away disconcerted) Yes, I hear! - Just finish off your fairy tale. I hope you're near the end. NATHAN That is the end. It's obvious what follows. Scarcely had The father died, than each comes with his ring, And each one claims to be the master of The house. There are enquiries, arguments, Complaints. In vain. There was no way to prove Which ring was true. (After a pause in which he waits for the Sultan s answer) Almost as hard as now ! For us to prove the one true faith. 1 SALADIN Is this 1 To be the answer to my question? NATHAN I Apologize - I cannot trust myself To tell the difference between the rings, Because the father had them made precisely So that no one could distinguish them. SALADIN The rings! - Don't play with me! I should have thought That the religions which I named to you Were easy to distinguish. Even by Their clothing; even down to food and drink. NATHAN But not the grounds on which they rest. For are they not all based on history, Handed down or written? History We take on trust, on faith. Is that not true? In whose good faith can we most put our trust? Our people's, those whose blood we share, and who, From childhood on have proved their love for us, Who never have deceived us, save, perhaps, When it was good for us to be deceived? Can I believe less in my ancestors Than you believe in yours? Or vice versa, Can I demand of you that you accuse Your own forebear of lies, just so that I Don't contradict my own? - or vice versa. The same is true of Christians, isn't it? 83 SALADIN (Upon my lifel the man is right. I must be silent:) NATHAN Let us now come back To our three rings. I said before: the sons Accused each other, each swore to the judge He had received his ring directly from His father's hand - and it was true. - And he'd Been promised by his father long ago That one day he would have the privileges Of the ring - and that was also true. The father, each declared, could not have been So false to him; and rather than allow Suspicion of deceit to fall on his Beloved, father; he preferred to charge His brothers with deceit, although he would In general believe only the best Of them; and vowed that he would find a way To expose the traitors and to take revenge. SALADIN And what about the judge? I want to hear What you will make him say to this. Go on! NATHAN The judge pronounced: Unless you bring your father Here to me at once, I shall dismiss you From my court. Do you think that I am here For solving riddles? Or do you expect For the one true ring to speak up for itself? But wait! You tell me that the true ring has The magic power to make beloved; to Gain favour in the sight of God and humankind. That must decide it! For the false rings cannot Have this power. Which brother do two Of you love most? Come on, speak up! You're silent? Do the rings work only inwards and Not outwards? So that each one only loves Himself the best? All three of you are then Deceived deceivers; none of your Three rings is genuine. The one true ring Has probably been lost. To hide the loss, As substitute, your father had three rings Made to replace the one. SALADIN Splendid! Splendid! NATHAN And so the judge went on, if you do not Want my advice instead of judgement, go! But my advice is this: accept the case Precisely as it stands. As each of you 84 Received his own ring from his father's hand, Let each believe for certain that his ring Is the original. Perhaps the father Did not want to suffer any more The tyranny of one ring in his house. Certainly he loved all three of you, And loved you equally. He could not injure Two of you and favour only one. Well then! Let each one strive to emulate His love, unbiased and unprejudiced. Let each one of you vie with the other two To bring to light the power of the stone In his own ring. And may this power be helped By gentleness, sincere good nature, Charity and deepest of devotion to God. And when in time, the power of the stone Shall find expression in your children's children's Children, I invite you in a thousand, Thousand years to come again before This court. A wiser man than I will then Sit in this chair and speak. Now go! - so said The modest judge. SALADIN God! God! NATHAN Saladin, If you should feel yourself to be this promised, Wiser man ... SALADIN (who rushes to him and seizes his hand and does not let go again until the end) I who am no more than dust? Than nothing? God! NATHAN What is it Saladin? SALADIN Nathan, my dear Nathan! The thousand, Thousands years of your wise judge have not - Yet passed. His judgement seat is not the one On which I sit. Go! - Go! - But be my friend. NATHAN And is there nothing more that Saladin Would say to me? SALADIN Nothing. NATHAN Nothing? SALADIN Nothing
DOES GOD PLAY DICE THE NEW MATHEMATICS OF CHAOS Ian Stewart 1989 Page 1 PROLOGUE CLOCKWORK OR CHAOS? "YOU BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO PLAYS DICE, AND I IN COMPLETE LAW AND ORDER." Albert Einstein, Letter to Max Born
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