# Creating 'human level' intelligence in animals (Uplift)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-human-level-intelligence-in-animals-uplift/513061>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [October 8, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-human-level-intelligence-in-animals-uplift/513061 "2009-10-08T16:36:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-human-level-intelligence-in-animals-uplift/513061/21 "2009-10-08T21:26:13Z")

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Humans may have instincts. If so, there is little agreement on what they are. Why would one expect uplifted animals to be better able to explain theirs?

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**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-human-level-intelligence-in-animals-uplift/513061/22 "2009-10-08T21:31:06Z")

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> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Taking the first part of your post as the serious part… If you uplifted their intelligence, you’d probably not preserve their un-uplifted instincts.

I find that pretty hard to believe. It’s not like _we’ve_ cast aside our inner beast, so to say.

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-human-level-intelligence-in-animals-uplift/513061/23 "2009-10-13T20:36:29Z")

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> [@cmyk](#):
>
> If it became feasible to “Uplift” almost any species with a brain and a central nervous system, think about everything we can learn from them. About their instincts, their mating habits, their… their um… oh fuck it, who am I trying to kid? We’d enslave them and have them do our laundry.

[flintstones]

AWK! It’s a living!

[/flintstones]

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-human-level-intelligence-in-animals-uplift/513061/24 "2009-10-13T20:38:30Z")

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> [@Scumpup](#):
>
> Humans may have instincts. If so, there is little agreement on what they are.

What?! Everybody knows what they are: Lust, hunger, fight-or-flight response, and lust.

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