有趣的调查 动物的数字能力和我们对算术的兴趣
哲学家伯特兰·罗素（Bertrand Russell）曾经观察到，意识到一对苹果和两天的流逝都可以用 概念 我们称之为“两个”是有史以来最惊人的发现之一。那么，我们如何看待动物似乎具有天生的数学能力这一令人难以置信的事实呢？正如认知心理学家布莱恩·巴特沃斯在《罐头鱼》中向我们展示的那样 计数许多“简单”的动物，比如蜜蜂，它们会数树和篱笆柱，孔雀鱼，它们可以测量群体的大小，它们有数字感。与人类不同的是，他们不需要被教育。
在讲述动物故事的过程中，巴特沃斯为我们最古老的问题之一带来了新的启发：数字究竟从何而来？他揭示了从研究动物中获得的见解如何帮助我们更好地理解自己的能力。充满发现和喜悦的鱼会数数吗？这是一次穿越动物王国和人类心灵的惊人之旅。
Can Fish Count?: What Animals Reveal About Our Uniquely Mathematical Minds
An entertaining investigation of the numerical abilities of animals and our own appetite for arithmetic
The philosopher Bertrand Russell once observed that realizing that a pair of apples and the passage of two days could somehow both be represented by the concept we call “two” was one of the most astonishing discoveries anyone had ever made. So what do we make of the incredible fact that animals seem to have inherent mathematical abilities? As cognitive psychologist Brian Butterworth shows us in Can Fish Count?, many “simple” animals—such as bees, which count trees and fence posts, and guppies, which can size up groups—have a sense of numbers. And unlike humans, they don’t need to be taught.
In telling animals’ stories, Butterworth shines new light on one of our most ancient questions: Just where, exactly, do numbers come from? He reveals how insights gleaned from studying animals can help us make better sense of our own abilities. Full of discovery and delight, Can Fish Count? is an astonishing journey through the animal kingdom and the human mind.
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