Cognitive Ethology is the study of animal behavior; a department that seeks to answer what aspects of evolution, development, biological mechanism, and action determine what animals do. This specific yet applicable subset of Cognitive Science was the centerpiece of the last week of classes. When you consider that “animal behavior” does not exclude humans, it becomes especially clear how this course of study is relevant. However, many topics are certainly not exclusive to humans: learning, memory, communication, and attention. The lectures for this week were fun because they included videos and sound clips of exotic creatures demonstrating unique behaviors. Recordings are helpful teaching tools, and the collection of examples was useful when it came time to take our test, but afterwards my friends and I decided we needed the real thing. This weekend we voyaged to the zoo! Budapest Zoo is a lovely oasis of wildlife with an impressive cross section of biomes represented. You can find an aquarium here along with land and air animals from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. It was nice to hang out with the sloth and chill for a while with the polar bear, but I noticed some interesting differences with my zoological experiences from home. For one, patrons are encouraged to feed the animals. “Zoo Titbits” (a brusque version of tidbits) are sold at all the concession stands to toss into enclosures. It is also possible to encounter many of the zoo inhabitants personally: pet the giraffes, feed the gibbons from your own hand, carry a macaw on your shoulder and pirate some DVDs, etc. What I don’t know is if the Budapest Zoo is simply lax, or if all the others zoos I have seen are overprotective of their clientele. Still, we enjoyed the freedoms afforded to us, exercised our new knowledge of animalisms, and all for minimal cost thanks to a double discount (being both students and a party of 10).
Cognitive Ethology provides the opportunity to evaluate the animal behavior you have seen in others, but also in yourself. The timing of this class and its inherent offer of reflection were well timed to coincide with the New Year. Were my triumphs and trials in the year past the result of evolution? Are my decisions the product of animal instinct? These questions mingled with consecration and reflection as I went to observe and celebrate the Holy Day. While far from home, I carried my family with me (I carried them in my heart) when I went to synagogue with my new friend, Eva. The small sanctuary was ornate, each pew marked with the name of the evening’s occupant, necessitating division by gender. My neighbors welcomed me and I found that the traditional Hebrew well wishes provided a universal language we could share. Admittedly, it was strange to follow the service conducted as it was in Hungarian. Melodies and liturgy, though, were all familiar to me – worldly constants and elements onto which I latched to derive meaning and tradition. Luckily, I had a home cooked Rosh Hashana dinner to enjoy that night, even though it would not be from my own home. Eva guided me to the apartment of her in-laws where I found another worldly constant of the holiday: the urging of Jewish mothers to eat beyond one’s appetite! I took my fill (and more) of matzo ball soup, salads, and chicken paprika. Everything was delicious, it’s true, but I do not know how well I relayed my appreciation to the hostess. “Köszönöm, minden finom volt!” Clearing your plate turns out to be another univeral. Celebration continued the next day with a wandering tour of the Jewish district, which was an appropriate choice for the season, but also a foolish one because most businesses were closed. After an afternoon studying in a coffeeshop there, I ended the day with sweet things – challah, fresh autumn apples (Jonathons!), organic honey from the street fair, and Nutella of course. Walking back, I cast my crumbs into the Danube, my taschlich and symbolic cleansing of sins from the year past. Watching the ducks converge, I thought about the coming year. One mallard hung back patiently and allowed a fortuitous braided chunk to float into his waiting beak. Shana Tova Umetukah!
BOTH hither AND thither. Good heavens.
ReplyDeleteHow do they manage? European efficiency at work. With our shoddy infrastructure, school-aged children should be lucky to manage either a hither OR a thither!
Side note: "titbits" is not 'brusque'-- it is merely the British equivalent of the American word. I assume Hungary, like most European countries, uses the UK English lexicon and spelling (when they are using English at all).
Fascinating blog. Pip pip, etc.