Humanity has devoted a considerable amount of time and energy to the task of contemplating being human, yet, as far as we know, most other animals don’t ponder the question, “To be, or not to be,” with the possible exception of one: the octopus.
Olivia Goldhill at Quartz examines the work of philosophy professor Peter Godfrey-Smith, who argues that, if aliens are defined as sentient beings distinct from humans, the octopus is the closes thing we have to aliens on Earth.
Given the distant common ancestry between octopuses and humans, conscious octopuses would mean that consciousness has evolved on earth twice. Godfrey-Smith believes it’s plausible that there are more than two branches of evolution where consciousness independently developed.
As if that’s not strange enough, TopTenz created this video that will never have you looking at these creatures in quite the same way.
Watch the video here:
What do you think about this. Let us know in the comments.
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