My Question If time were to move 30% faster, we would age faster than we would at the current speed of time. This means that for every hour that passes in our life experience, only about 46 minutes would pass in standard time. As a result, we would be older in a shorter clock time. So, if time were to accelerate by that percentage, we would age more quickly than the usual time flow Faster, would we be older or younger?
If you throw a ball for your dog, chances are the dog will chase it; dogs love chasing balls. When you throw the ball regularly, your dog quickly learns to anticipate its flight path and is often quick enough to leap into the air to catch it mid-flight. While dogs may not understand mathematics or study the laws of physics, they instinctively calculate the velocity of the thrown ball and the effects of gravity. In mere milliseconds, they develop a precise understanding of where the ball will land so they can be there waiting for it.
A dog will never read a book that explains these concepts. For millions of years, living creatures have inherently understood natural laws. Some bright individuals can match the skills demonstrated by this simple example. They can write down numbers and equations on paper to plot the trajectory of an object based on its velocity, size, and weight. This ability arises because humans have historically asked “why.” People have unveiled mathematics and used it because it exists; numbers need to be discovered. It wasn’t a particularly surprising revelation, merely something that was blatantly apparent but required some serious contemplation.
Mathematics is only sometimes something you can physically point out; you can’t walk into your garden and see a logarithm hanging from a tree or a mathematical table glittering in the sunset. Yet, some people can.
This brings us to the question: What else is blatantly obvious but remains unseen simply because we haven’t given it enough thoughtful consideration? The dog is instinctively predestined to chase the ball. All initial actions are similar to this. The dog may quickly abandon the chase if it realises the ball is just a rolled-up sock. Alternatively, the dog might decide to continue chasing the sock if it seems entertaining.
A dog’s intelligence has not evolved to make independent decisions. Such a method would be too slow to ensure survival. Instead, intelligence is designed to support or cancel actions that are already underway. For instance, “Oops, the ball is heading over a cliff. STOP!” All the experiences a dog accumulates, and all its knowledge come into play only after it has initiated an instinctual or emotional response. A dog may well abort an action but never initiates a pathway based on calculated thought; all pathway initiations are instinctive or emotionally triggered. The purpose of intelligence is to help steer actions toward satisfactory outcomes.
“Hmmm, I’m hungry” comes first; the dog’s intelligence then works out how to facilitate the “feed me” action. No dog ever lays down at night and decides, “Tomorrow, I shall choose to be hungry.” Dogs do not decide to eat. They may choose between looking in the dog bowl or digging up an old bone; this is the function of their intelligence.
So, the next time you throw a ball for your dog, remember that the decision to chase it has already been predetermined unless the dog’s knowledge and experience provide a reason to abort the action. In most cases, it will chase it. Dogs are similar to us in many respects—they give the impression of being intelligent creatures. However, they are primarily emotional and instinctual beings, much like people. In essence, they are not truly intelligent.
