It’s very possible for life outside of earth to exist – the incomprehensibly large numbers of planets make this a possibility. But “life” in this context usually incorporates single celled organisms, not necessarily a multicellular being with a consciousness. It’s unlikely for a single celled organisms to have thoughts, just because it’s such a complicated process in the life we’re familiar with. Obviously, the brain is the origin of consciousness for us. But there are many different levels or kinds of consciousness states! For us, we have awake and sleep (among others), but if you compare between species, you have so much more!
Let’s look at bugs! “What do crickets think?” Crickets aren’t really capable of forming thoughts, at least not the way we experience thoughts. Insects primarily live by acting out their reflexes. They are believed to live in the “now” and have limited memory. That’s why a lot of their behaviors are stereotyped and may seem like they aren’t capable of learning. “Playing” or “having fun” is a limited capability across the animal kingdom and indicative of having all sorts of abilities to think – mostly creativity.
“Why is playing indicative of creativity?” Creativity is defined as the ability to develop new ideas. Now what links creativity with play? Because playing requires new movements and ideas! It wouldn’t be play if it was just repetitive motions that is already learned. Play incorporates identifying the unexpected. Imagine a dog playing catch with its owner. Each throw is slightly different and the dog therefore catches the ball slightly differently. Researchers think that play became evolutionarily relevant so that the animals can practice its defense or predatory moves. The ball catching, for example, could relate to catching small animals.
Originally posted on Instagram May 24 & 23, 2018 (2 posts)
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