rElearn

Theories of idealized learning (as opposed to institutional learning) often focus on neurology and biology. Big cortexes are big thinkers was one such theory. Because the avian brain so different to the mammalian one, particularly the development of the cortex, it was assumed that this accounted for the (alleged) superiority of mammal intelligence. Crows however have challenged everything about this theory.

Last year (2008) the magpie joined human children (above a certain age), four types of ape, dolphins and asian elephants in passing the mirror self-recognition (MSR) test - which is thought to indicate self-awareness.

In the test a subject must recognize itself in the mirror by trying to reach for something on its body that is only visible in the mirror (i.e. out of their line of vision otherwise). This test has been performed on hundreds of animals for decades since its inception and magpies have just been found to pass. Dogs for instance cannot do this.

What this really tells us is that we know much less than we think we do. We may assume that we can make inferences from the research to date and hence develop a theory. However there is often vast amounts of silent evidence. Vast numbers of factors that have not yet been tested. There is always a black swan looming