They were pioneers, and they died within a few weeks of each other. Like all pioneers, they pointed the way to new discoveries and new ways of thinking. And like all pioneers, they bore the brunt of skepticism from the naysayers, the folks who do not want our vision of the world to change.
They did not ask to be pioneers. That job was thrust on them by others. But during their lives, they showed the world a different view, a different perspective, a different reality from the comfortable one that has lasted for thousands of years.
They were Washoe the chimpanzee and Alex the parrot.
Washoe showed that a chimpanzee can learn a number of signs in American Sign Language and use those signs to communicate with people. Not only that, but she showed that she could teach these signs to other chimps, and could communicate with other chimps, using the signs.
Alex showed that he could tell the differences between shapes and colors, and could use perfectly-enunciated words to communicate these differences to the people around him.
Washoe and Alex were both taught by careful scientists who went to great lengths to remove subjectivity from their analyses. But neither Washoe nor Alex was merely a “lab subject,” taken out just for experiments but otherwise ignored. The people around them cared deeply about their welfare.
As pioneers, both Washoe and Alex showed that animals have the cognitive capacity to use language in meaningful ways. Because the scientists were very careful with their studies, it is difficult for the skeptics and naysayers to discount the results, although it appears to be the nature of skeptics and naysayers to keep trying.
And as pioneers, Washoe and Alex pointed the way to a different world. A world where we humans acknowledge that animals could have sentience and cognitive capacities that could include language. A world where we see animals as intelligent beings, rather than as objects that exist merely for our convenience. A world where animals are no longer considered as things to be used, but fellow creatures to be respected.
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