lol. Perhaps you can post the knowledge better, Warrior, if so I'll be happy to read it and discuss it further. If you saw the last thread and my responses to ThaDon then don't worry about the same responses from me, I only gave him a hard time so that I could keep my promise. A man is only as good as his word and I like to keep mine so I did.
The Hundredth Monkey
by Ken Keyes, jr.
The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.
In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.
An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.
This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists.
Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable.
Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.
Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known.
Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes.
Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.
THEN IT HAPPENED!
By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them.
The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!
But notice.
A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea --
Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes.
Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.
Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.
But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!
(from the book "The Hundredth Monkey" by Ken Keyes, jr. The book is not copyrighted and the material may be reproduced in whole or in part.
That is very interesting. Sounds similar to the use of sticks by Orangutans. They use sticks both for defense and as a tool to collect ants from an ant farm. If I remember correctly, some have also used sticks to knock down fruits from the higher branches that would not support their weight and I know they have also used sticks as well as leaves to build nests. Although some of it may be instinct(namely the nest-building) the use of a stick as a tool is unlike anything seen in any other animal with the exception of the Human. And this is a trait that is shown by Orangutans practically everywhere, including the ones in captivity that would not have been open to the wild Orangutans although the ones bred in captivity may not show it as much due to a lack of need. Since they don't need to defend themselves or harvest their own food they don't bother to use the stick to do so, but they have done so when given the opportunity.
On a side note this makes much more sense then thousands of monkeys on two small islands throwing pumpkins in the Sea.
Ragnorok, please read "The Life of Pi", a novel by Yann Martel.
There is something I want to get across to you that cannot be spoken in words (well it can, but nothing beats experience).
I looked it up and read it on Wikipedia. Although Wiki is well known for not being a trustworthy site, was this the point you wanted me to get:
"Here begins the third part of the story. After Pi is rescued and taken to a hospital, two men representing the Japanese Ministry of Transport interrogate and quiz him to find out why the ship sank. Pi offers his story. That does not satisfy the Japanese, and they dismiss it as a fantasy. Pi then offers an alternative explanation. He said he was on board the lifeboat with three other people: his mother, the ship's French chef, and a wounded sailor. The chef first killed and ate the sailor, then brutally killed Pi's mother. After that, Pi killed and ate the chef. Pi asks the men from the shipping company which story they prefer, who respond that they liked the first tale more."?
If so then there are several reasons why I prefer the second story.
1) It makes more sense and is written without so many typos and misspelled words.
2) The story line in the second form of which the story was posted in holds more logic and explains how/why people know of what happened, it also uses an item that monkeys would be more likely to eat thereby seeming to me as more likely to be true, although I still can't say for certain whether or not it is or if it is still simply an example used for a point.
3) This version explains how the process of cleaning their food spread as well as why, whereas the first version suggested that it happened simply because it did which was not very explanatory to me.
On a side note, this version doesn't have someone saying "I'm the God of Humanity, I created you mortal fools" with very poor grammar and spelling at the end.
Lol Ragnorok.
In the Life of Pi, there is a story of similarity, where the first story is told in detail with an Indian boy going on a cargo liner to America (forgot which state), the cargo liner has some sort of problem and sinks.. Pi's family worked as a Zoo's owner, and thus the father was a zookeeper. The cargo liner crew chucked Pi overboard into a large lifeboat, along with a hyena, a Benigal tiger, a giraffe that has a broken leg, and a gorilla.
After this incident, the insurance people find Pi and ask him for his story. He gives the animal story, they go "what the bullcrap is this!?" then Pi gives a story with people instead of the animals.
That's the interpretation of a reader who read the book.
But your post pretty much summed it up.
Now, understand ThaDon's first language is not English, thus.. the typos.
And being a non-english background speaker..
Your point number 1 is explained, point number 2 & 3 explained through Warrior's post. But point 2 and 3, I believe it's a little story so that we can relate it to something familiar, i.e. our own habits =] .
Anyone who wishes to have the 100 monkey concept, I have obtained for you here. http://www.wowzone.com/monkey.htm
'On a side note, this version doesn't have someone saying "I'm the God of Humanity, I created you mortal fools" with very poor grammar and spelling at the end.'
He didn't say "I created you mortal fools" though =]
I didn't know they'd use sweet potatoes, in fact I was certain they'd be using bananas, but oh well. It was inevitable in the end. Soon we shall live through the Planet of the Apes movies.
In my last post I meant to say that I read a summary of the book on Wikipedia, I didn't mean for it to sound like the book was thoroughly written out on Wikipedia. It's just a brief summary.
I didn't see your post when I posted my last post, Confucius.
Actually, although he didn't say that in the thread, he did say that in private messages while threatening to smite me and send my Soul into the Abyss. I don't know about you, Confucius, but I have a bit of trouble taking people who say such things seriously.
I understand he was from a different country, but that doesn't make all the typos any easier to read through. We could use accent as an example here, we could say that his accent was strong enough that I had trouble understanding his English through it. Just because he's from another country does not make the communication flaws any easier to ignore. At least not for me. I did refrain from giving him to hard of a time after I found out why his spelling was so bad, but honestly I don't think language should be a problem for any real "God".
