4 - Wednesday, June 26, 1991 - North Shore News A species far more alien than most science-fiction LOS ANGELES — Dolphins, For years, J] have read about them, seen them in the oceans, seen them in pools; I have swum with them, played flutes to them, and seen them die in driftnets. Now I have reached a point where dolphins almost scare me. Not that I would be afraid to go back in the water with them again. Quite to the contrary, [’d love to. I hope J will. But the more I find out about them, from people who have spent a lot of time around them, the weirder and more amazing it gets. We are talking here about a species far more truly alien than any creature from space yet imag- ined by all but a few science-fic- tion writers. Telepathy. An endless sexual trip. Voluntary control over birth and death. X-ray vision. After nearly three decades of persistent study and interaction, these are just some of the capabilities seriously attributed to dolphins. Well...when I say ‘‘seriously,”’ I mean by some people who at least believe themselves to be serious. They tell astonishing stories. And they tell them convincingly. And besides the stories, there are videotapes and tape recordings galore. Like most people, I have had a liking for dolphins since the very first picture I ever saw of one. This is hardly unusua!. Dolphins have captivated our imagination probably since the day the first human reached the sand at the edge of the sea. The Greeks were heavy on dolphin myths and legends. Draw- ings have been found in caves of dolphins who frolicked in the off- shore waves while our ancestors were carving their first spears. Yet, for ail the fascination, it is really hard to kiow about dolphins. The question of dolphin intelligence has not been an- swered. The reason it hasn’t been an- swered might just be because we don’t really know how to pose the question. The scientific method doesn’t jend itself to dealing with phenomenology, which is the at- tempt to comprehend ‘‘be- ing-ness’’ itself. Bob Hunter . ey LY PERSCNAL STRICT If the dolphin is truly a being in even remotely the same sense that we are, we would have to know a fot more about ourselves before we could begin to comprehend another such entity. The study of human conscious- ness has barely begun, never mind the study of non-human con- sciousness. Besides, an alien intelligence might not express itself in ways that we can perceive or measure. It simply might not want to play our game. Everyone knows how easy it is for an adult to fool a child (some- times, anyway). If dolphins were truly ‘“‘superior’’ in some way, they might well want to hide their real intelligence from us for fear of provoking attack. Our species has been known to wipe out evolutionary near-cousins to further its own dominance. Maybe the dolphins have figured this out. It’s a nice thought. But I doubt it very much. What I do suspect is that behind the fixed grin and the heavily-shielded forehead, there lies a consciousness that rivals our own — and probably surpasses it — in certain areas of high brain function. Multiply your money. Ido not think you could teach a dolphin to build a bridge. But you might learn from it that there is more, much more, to be en- joyed in terms of perception and awareness than what we are stuck with as humans. That’s putting it as carefully as I can, One wants to be cautious on this subject of dolphins, because the implications are enormous and the room for error is as wide as it could be. It is all too easy to be swept up in New Age thinking that is heavy on subjective experiences and anecdotes but soft on the hard data side. A reporter approaching the task of doing an hour-long television documentary on dolphins has to keep an open mind, to say the very least. On top of the problem of trying to find some objective truth in the greyest areas there is — awareness itself — you are wandering into a minefield of ethical, philosophical, even spiritual questions. It is so easy to turn the dolphins into a sort of non-human Noble Savage, projecting fantasies about the kind of perfection we can’t at- tain as humans onto a beautiful, nearly angelic creature that needs no wings, only flippers, in order to escape from gravity's pitiless gtip, and, moreover, experiences its world in the equivalent of Dolby sound with a 70 mm screen compared with the constrained lit- tle perceptual peepholes we have to look out through ourselves. Most people involved in efforts to save the dolphins are careful to make no particular claims about dolphin intelligence or conscious- ness or awareness. From an ecological point of view, it doesn’t matter. A species should be worth saving simply because it exists. But others insist we are dealing here with something that is much, much more than a ‘‘mere animal.’”’ To me, it is the most interesting question of our time, rather like a collective Star Trek episode we are going through together. To be continued... Get a 1/2% Transfer-In Cash Bonus. With VanCity More-for-vour-Money accounts, you now get better rates than ever, more user-friendly service charges, and what's more, a 1/2% cash bonus when you transfer in funds from another financial institution.* For al! the details, just pick up the phone. 877-7000. *Minimum depesit $500. Bonus is refundable if funds are withdrawn within 90 days of deposit. Offer may be withdrawn at any time without further notice. {Please note that deposits to VanCity T- Bill Savings Account do not qualify). TeleService 877-7000, TeleBanking VanCity’s 24-hour Touch Tone Banking Service, 877-7001. Telephone Device for the Deaf 876-5822. HEARING PROBLEMS? | WE CAN HELP Neil Walton, MSc.. 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