Jeremy Narber is an Anthropologist. So, strictly speaking, he is not a scientist. What he has done in this book, however, is travel the globe to meet with scientists, who work with mold, plants and animals and focus on "smartness" in non-human organisms.There are, for examples, non-human organisms (ie. plants) that walk; very slowly, mind you, but they can be seen to move across a space, placing its "feet" in places more conducive to obtaining nutrients, while the back "leg" withers - an example of a "smart" adaptation.
Mammals, because their young take a comparatively long time to mature (compared to, say, a fruit fly) and therefore require maternal/parental care during that period. Primates are very social animals and have been seen to display empathy, despite social hierarchies.
Narber makes a strong case for empathy and "smartness" in slime mold, plants (ie. stuff without brains), animals (birds, primates) and for the natural cause of human intelligence.
What does this mean for humans? In part, we have to re-evaluate some of the stereotypes we use to excuse our own behaviour. For instance, to act "like a wolf" doesn't necessarily mean vicious, or being "bird-brained" doesn't mean being dumb. Narber uses the example of a Jaguar. It is powerful and at the top of the food chain in the jungle, and yet it is stealthy, keeping a low profile. Narber suggests we recognize our own power and instead of using that recognition as an excuse to wreak havoc on every ecosystem on the planet, we keep a low profile. Powerful, but in balance with the world around us.
I didn't finish the notes after the main text, but Narber states that the notes read like a story. From what I did read, he mentioned the divide between orthodoxy and going rogue - meaning: the orthodox approach is to remain in a disciplinary silo, perform research according to funding guidelines and to not extrapolate too much meaning from conclusions as can be too widely applied to humans. Too much anthropomorphism is a no-no; to believe that non-human beings have intelligence (as opposed to "smartness") is, in short, un-scientific.
But things can change. Like many indigenous peoples have attested to, plants, animals and nature have much to teach us, if we would but listen!
CW
