Re:Orcas are breaking rudders off boats in Europe
by TulliusCicero on Thursday August 25, 2022 @05:21PM
(#32600106)
Dogs understand attacking property -- especially property obviously being used by a human -- and orcas are considerably smarter than dogs. I believe they've been shown to cooperate with humans in hunting before, and that without the sort of socialization dogs get and without the artificial selection for human sociability dogs have undergone.
Sure, they weren't trying to eat anyone, and I don't believe orcas basically ever actually try to kill humans...but the very fact that they don't further underlines how smart they are, so yeah they knew what they were doing.
Re:Orcas are breaking rudders off boats in Europe
by thaumasiotes on Thursday August 25, 2022 @11:37PM
(#32603078)
> Dogs understand attacking property -- especially property obviously being used by a human -- and orcas are considerably smarter than dogs.
The concepts an animal understands are not particularly related to the animal's intelligence. Human property is a major part of the world of dogs, and not at all a part of the world of orcas.
> I believe they've been shown to cooperate with humans in hunting before
Case in point. Orcas in the wild are pack hunters. This is an easy adjustment for them to make.
> When organizations use weasel words and spaghetti logic like this, they signal that they're not interested in arguing in good faith
There are a few relevant questions in a scenario like this:
1. Was the attack intentional?
2. Was causing harm/destruction a goal of the attack?
3. Orcas are predators. Were they attempting to eat anyone?
I would interpret "not in an aggressive way" as drawing a line between questions (1) and (2), and that's certainly an important distinction to draw. It's also possible to draw a line between (2) and (3), which wouldn't match well with the ordinary use of the word "aggressive", but which is still important and is suggested by the context.