[ExI] "Animal-monitoring modules"?

[hkhenson]

At 09:51 AM 9/28/2007, Jef wrote:
>On 9/28/07, hkhenson <hkhenson at rogers.com> wrote:
> > At 06:07 AM 9/28/2007, Jef wrote:
>
> > >I haven't read this item, but I would expect it's not so much an
> > >"animal module" but rather an evolved sensitivity for perception of
> > >intention and therefore intentional agents including animals, humans,
> > >spirits, etc.
> >
> > I would bet you *long* odds that if you redid this work with the
> > people under function MRI you would see that there really is a
> > module, that is to say a part of the brain that specialized in this task.
>
>Keith, of course with fMRI we would expect to see localized activity
>associated with the task, but on what basis do you dispute my point
>that it's more about sensitivity to intentional agents than
>sensitivity to animals in particular?

I would bet animals.  I would also bet on there being a different 
(though possibly overlapping) area for humans.

Now I *agree* that it would be better to be sensitive to intentional 
agents, rather than animals because one of these days we might well 
have vehicles that drive themselves with intention.  But they just 
didn't exist in the EEA.

Keith