Do elephants exist?

[TheVat]

Well?

Discuss.

[zetreque]

I always check people's closets for elephant skeletons when I visit their house.

[Serpent]

Four of them existed in 1987, which was the last time I visited a zoo.
If the documentary film industry hasn't become entirely fake - which I have no way to verify, there were at least a hundred as recently as 2016.
If you believe WWF, there are nearly a million elephants in the world today.
As of 2050 - no, they don't.

[zetreque]

Watched this recently and fear for China's growing market for exotic animal parts that don't have magical powers. It doesn't bode well for elephants or anything other of these creatures.

[Reg_Prescott]

Well?

Discuss.

Now he's just taunting me.

[mitchellmckain]

Well...... I haven't seen an elephant lately.

I am reminded of that scene in "Dark City" (my favorite movie for a long time), where the main character asks a policemen to say when he has last seen the sun and NOT some long distant memory. This was a prelude to making the claim, "I don't think the sun even exists in this place."

[TheVat]

I love that movie.

Serpent - how do you know they were elephants? I find your naive empiricism unconvincing. Someone could have shaved some cats, hung fake trunks on their faces, and then had them stand quite close to you with some sort of skewed perspective trick.

As for film footage....pfft. Anything can be faked.

[Reg_Prescott]

Well?

Discuss.

Now he's just taunting me.

Just in case I wasn't clear enough...

Er, how do I post a photo? (duh)

[Reg_Prescott]

Hmm, let's see if this works.....



https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2& ... &zw&atsh=1

[TheVat]

Your link seems to be a link that requires logging in to a gmail account. Not sure if that's what you wanted, bro.

This is a fun thread, no? Bit of comic relief? Even epistemologists have to have fun now and then. Of course, how do they know that they are having fun, really?

[Reg_Prescott]

LOL!

Well, how do I post a pic?

Help, I need somebody

[zetreque]

Help, I need somebody

Do other's exist?

[Serpent]

Do other's exist?

A dyed-in-the-cotton empiricist, I judge the existence - nay, even the validity - of other life-forms in the same way I decide whether something is appropriate for food:
Does it give me an argument?
If so, then it a) exists
and b.) is inedible
I never get any lip from a zucchini....

PS ... Anybody need some zucchini? Anybody?

[Reg_Prescott]

FFS!!!! How much more proof do you fools need?????!!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a-m3pH9Dr8

[Reg_Prescott]

Eppur si muove

*pouts*

[TheVat]

Mancini has provided a fairly compelling case for baby elephants, which are chiefly distinguishable by their smallness....

https://youtu.be/b1z4JfxFb6c

It seems likely however that Mancini had simply been taken in by fraudulent research, similar to the thoroughly debunked "Nellie" legend. Never underestimate the credulity of scientists, who are easily fooled by prosthetics, perspective tricks, and promises of more grant money. And cartoons.

A zucchini? I don't think we're really listening to our garden vegetables.

[Reg_Prescott]

You 盲人 continue 摸ing your 象s

Now you're supposed to say "Gosh, that was clever Reg. Can we have sex now?"


Sigh

[TheVat]

Gosh that was clever Reg. I don't read Chinese though. It appears, to my western eye, to say "You bookcase wishbone continue thin robot fat robot ing your hunchback robots. "

[Reg_Prescott]

Gosh that was clever Reg. I don't read Chinese though. It appears, to my western eye, to say "You bookcase wishbone continue thin robot fat robot ing your hunchback robots. "

That's amore.


What it really means is, if you get enough blind men on a Tokyo subway, groping different parts, you can be fairly sure elephants exist.

And hey, we haven't done this for a while.... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x65-nLCBouE

And dunno what the hell kinda unit you're running here.

[doogles]

According to the Terms of Reference of the Reality thread, only those 1) who've had an elephant accidently trip and fall on top of them or 2) have a severe case of the DTs, can testify to the Inquiry initiated here by the Opening Post.

[Reg_Prescott]

According to the Terms of Reference of the Reality thread, only those 1) who've had an elephant accidently trip and fall on top of them or 2) have a severe case of the DTs, can testify to the Inquiry initiated here by the Opening Post.

It's a good point. There are also some who say a piano falling on your head from a great height is a sign of bad luck.

[Serpent]

It's a good point. There are also some who say a piano falling on your head from a great height is a sign of bad luck.

Yeah, but they're Chinese and have far too much luck or every kind and probably more elephants than pianos - both missing a lot of the white keys.

[Reg_Prescott]

Paganini, so the legend goes, was imprisoned and all the strings of his violin but one broke.

So he learned to play with one string.

And Serpent, speaking of Chinese talent...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy4_KzSd28o

FFS!!!!!!!!!! This is kinda hard to do (understatement of the year)

[dandelion]

Reminds me a bit of this, is it true there is no pachyderm in the same room as you?
https://jamesrayneau.wordpress.com/2014 ... logicomix/

(^ I enjoyed the music very much)

[Reg_Prescott]

@ Dandelion: a little off topic (sorry to the OP), but oh dear Lord -- especially 1:50 - 2:50

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPd7wMYVYYo

[Reg_Prescott]

OMG!!! Listen to the final minute and a half! Is this Paganini (never heard this bit before) or is he making up it?

Either way, bravo, young sir!!!

Now, do elephants exist or not?

Can't be good at everything, eh, chaps?

[TheVat]

My antique piano (ca. 1912) says elephants did once exist. A slang American phrase for playing the piano ("tickling the ivories") derives from the use of elephant tusks to make the keys. Will hear the Paganini later... am sitting next to a sleeping person atm.

[Serpent]

My antique piano (ca. 1912) says elephants did once exist. A slang American phrase for playing the piano ("tickling the ivories") derives from the use of elephant tusks to make the keys. Will hear the Paganini later... am sitting next to a sleeping person atm.

How do you know it's not walrus tusk?
I still think the Paganini is better on violin than guitar.
She's my favourite:

[TheVat]

My antique piano (ca. 1912) says elephants did once exist. A slang American phrase for playing the piano ("tickling the ivories") derives from the use of elephant tusks to make the keys. Will hear the Paganini later... am sitting next to a sleeping person atm.

How do you know it's not walrus tusk?

We had it restored by an expert. It was made in Boston, by Ivers & Pond, which was a rival of Steinway in those days, in its quality. In the course of restoration, we learned a lot, and one thing we learned was that the ivory came from elephant tusk. The reason this ivory was used was because its surface is especially good at absorbing and then evaporating sweat, so that the fingertips do not stick to the keys (a big problem with post-1930 plastic keys). Species extinction was not a big concern, back in 1912. After 1930, ivory was no longer used in pianos or billiard balls. A very early step on the road of animal rights. Unfortunately, in some parts of the world, premium prices are paid for black market ivory. This has led, in some preserves, to detusking of elephants in order to protect them from slaughter. Haven't looked into it, but I'm sure that has its problems, too.

[Serpent]

I imagine it would inhibit their social life. More to the point, how will detusked elephants dig for roots in scarcity and for water in the dry season? It would only be a viable solution is well-supplied game preserves.
Apparently, it doesn't stop the elephants knocking down fences, which gets a lot of them shot by farmers.
Territory is still one of the biggest conflicts between humans and elephants. There just is no end in of human encroachment on natural lands, of harassment and threats; the elephants are going insane under the stress.