> At 04:41 PM 4/30/98 -0700, Jones, Spike <spike.jones@lmco.com> wrote:
> >I dont know what whales are saying, but i imagine
> >the cetacian extropians are saying something like:
> >
> >"everyone listen up! we are going no where as a
> >species until we evolve hands...."
>
> I've heard this "handocentrism" before. But imagine a world where there
> were cetaceans with intelligence just like humans, yet retaining the
> cetacean body. Wouldn't there still be lots that one could improve sans
> hands? First off, they could trade ideas and things with other cetaceans.
> They could could make simple shelters. Look how well birds do without
> hands.
>
The most successful building birds use their claws like hands. Cetaceans have
no claws, except for sea otters...