@LackOfNameLmao I guess you're fairly ignorant when it comes to the gospels. On Palm Sunday, when Jesus enters Jerusalem he says in Luke 19:40 "I tell you, if these [people] were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Cows and sheep talking appears to be something that had been forgotten about since the first season. I do agree on the giraffe part. I always expected her to talk.
There is at least one fanfic where the Giraffe talk. Clementine kept quiet because she was a spy, sent to study the Ponies without revealing there was a nation of Giraffes near Zebrica.
@@Fetch26291I think I know the fanfic you’re referring to. Is it the one where Starlight, Trixie and Thorax find one another earlier, this time instead in the Crystal Empire, thus avoiding the time travel finale. Instead the Mane 6 find them near YakYakistan and then there’s a long journey through the world that follows?
Deer and an interesting case because in the cartoon they are merely animals but in the comics they can talk and have their own civilization. The deer in the comics were introduced before a deer was ever shown in the cartoon, so the comic writer must have been using the hooves equals people rule to determine the deer intelligence level.
Which gets even more interesting because a talking deer episode was originally planned for season one of the show! Look up "Fancy Meeting You Deer" - it's about a village of deer that even have cutie marks.
Spike would be in sentience level 3 because they see him as lesser and even make him a freakin dog in the human world. When we all know he should have been a person too.
Just a brief rebuttal. All animals that are in Level 1 and 2 are capable of complex thought, even if they cannot express them in any way. Recall Gummy's inner monologue from Slice of Life, when he is otherwise at Level 1 sapience. And while Angel is a perfect demonstration of bunnies being in Level 2, they are NOT in a league all their own, as when they can talk comes down to magic. When Fluttershy was put in Angel's body, she couldn't speak. It's just that Angel could in Fluttershy's body. And to add to this, with Discord's magic in Friends Forever #5, animals are perfectly capable of speech regardless of their sapience level. Squirrels, birds, cats, bunnies, it doesn't matter. Oh, and one last thing. Level 0 actually belongs to Boulder, a rock that can somehow eat things.
There's also the book club in "Hooffields and the McColts", which could still be possibly false in never seeing how the animals interpret the book, but the ability to recognize a flower either by appearance or name in "Sounds of Silence" feels like the stronger case for complex thought, not to mention understanding Ponish when only Autumn could speak for a while
SAPIENCE. It's supposed to be "sapience" as in "Homo Sapiens". But I know that every movie, show and game says "sentient" to refer to creatures with human-level intelligence, even though "sentient" technically just means "capable of sensing things".
THANK YOU this drives me up a wall, the distinction is also linguisticaly convenient when discussing intelligence! It's almost like we have words for the distinction!
Considering how the alicorns are referred to in the same manner as gods, it’s possible that it’s them who decides which animal is on which level of sapience.
If the eye design is another indication of level of sapience, what of the baby ponies? "They are not there yet." And what about Snips? "Still hasn't reach it." good point 😂
A friend linked me and I'm not sure when you joined the fandom but: It's the hooves. According to Lauren Faust it was: if it is an odd-toed hooved creature then it can talk. If it's a mythological creature, more than likely it can also talk. A major exception is even-toed ungulates. They're all over the place. Cows, yaks and buffalo can talk. Deer cannot (in an early episode concept, they probably could). More than likely, even-toed can talk. Whether they've formed society is questionable. It might be more rudimentary (cows, goats) or it might just be different (buffalo, yaks). Ponies have a tendency to keep the ones that aren't society-builders on farms. (they can perform basic work for protection and food. We've seen Daisy Jo can come and go as she pleases.) ALL the animals have at least cartoon animal-levels of intelligence. They can attempt to communicate or get your attention for something.They can understand things like grudges and play. They're all like crow-levels of intelligence. A bat can play music by running its wings over water glasses. Racoons can be waiters, etc. Angel might be an exceptionally sapient bunny. Hence his reliance on Fluttershy.
The just got me thinking if all odd toed ungulates can talk does that mean somewhere in the mlp universe there’s civilizations of talking rhinos and taipirs or is the civilization level we see in the show unique to equines. And what about extinct odd toed ungulates are there ancient ruins built be chalicathers, brontotheres, and paracatheres
We also have to consider that the cows on the apple family farm are employed in the same way that the goats are, but simply choose to live on the farm. It seems to be a pretty cushy gig, considering the ponies do not eat meat and thus only take milk. A lot of the practices on dairy farms in the human world are based on the fact that cows will not just. do things if you ask them verbally. The Apple Family does not have this problem, and can just ask the cows for milk when necessary. The Apples are honorable ponies, I highly doubt Daisy Jo has anything to worry about if she doesn't feel up to it one day.
@@twideslauriers7875 that’s definitely true there’s also the fact living in civilization means there safe from predators which if I had to guests would be why they started living with ponies in the first place
Pretty sure we got separate sapient deer in a later season. In the MLP mobile game there’s an in-game ad for a deer pet you can assign to your ponies where the text says “not the sapient kind- don’t worry, those guys roam as free as they’d like!” I have a screenshot of it
Giraffes have such ridiculously long necks, the adults are essentially always silent because any attempt at making any sound in that throat is way too energy costly for any good. They can grunt and hiss though, in low frequency and rarely.
I also find it quite strange that phoenixs, manticores, and what ever that chicken thing was being MYTHICAL CREATURES are the only ones in that category who are in level 1 of sentience
Phoenixs seem more on level 2 than level 1 Philomena for example could coordinate a prank with Rainbow in her debut episode- alongside all the chase scene antics, but that could be chalked to pure cartoon logic. They just don't usually appear in the show in a situation that'd make them display their intelligence.
I love the research and inductive thought processes. Some psychologists have insinuated that certain species aren't sentient for extraneous qualifications they don't meet. But they forget that every species is unique, and has a different set of capabilities, and if you think about it, it's silly to assume a creature lacks self-awareness simply because it doesn't act like a human. What if aliens who can shoot lasers from their eyes came to earth and assumed we aren't sentient because we don't do that? In the case of Angel bunny, giving him Fluttershy's body is like giving a human the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes, to prove sentience to the exemplary aliens. Angel has all sorts of thoughts. His bunny brain simply doesn't have enough neurons to establish or recall detailed motor and verbal construction patterns that would enable him to express his thoughts in words. Since he can't express his thoughts in words, he probably doesn't bother using words to think either. So you could say that his, and other bunnies' thought processes are less complex "by choice", but they're just making the best use of the neurological structures of their brains. This is getting a bit into the spiritual/personal opinion territory, but I don't believe souls exist, and I really believe life is 100% micromechanical and electrical. I believe that a person is literally equal to that person's memories and experiences. The episode "She Talks to Angel" is supposed to be about soul swapping, but Angel and Fluttershy also swap physical positions, which means that what really happened is their bodies morphed into one another. Fluttershy's brain structure altered into that of Angel's, and vice-versa. To compensate for differences in brain volume, I guess the resolution of each memory was compressed/expanded, akin to varying resolutions of a digital image, each with different levels of clarity. Fluttershy would remember her previous life as a pony when she morphed into Angel, but probably more how she felt about it and less about the specific details. Angel might have felt like his memory of his past life became suddenly sharper and clearer inside a pony body, depending on how the spell works. Neurodensity is another factor. Parrots have smaller memory cells, so they can pack lots of smarts in those tiny skulls.
Talking also has the do with one's vocal cords, jaw/mouths shape and tongue type. Interesting theory, while I can't fully agree where it counts, thank you for sharing~
wouldn't the goats just be speaking another language, it seems iron will can understand them just fine, they seem to have rights, for they are assigned jobs... They aren't treated as animals, could it just be that they have different means to communication?
@@alphagiga4878 Technically Gorgar is an ibex, so it's the whole, domesticated cow vs wild buffalo or yak thing all over again. I do think they are level 4 personally though, they have jobs and are talked to like real people... by iron will at least.
Giraffe's can't make any noise in real life because their necks are too long. My headcanon is if they have the capacity to talk or form societies like yaks but physically they can't talk. So they end up being treated like animals.
BBC science focus site: Although not the most talkative of animals, giraffes are known to snort or hiss when threatened, and female giraffes bellow to their young. But we recently discovered that they make other noises, too. In 2015, researchers analysed recordings of giraffes from zoos in Berlin, Copenhagen and Vienna, and found that they make low-frequency humming noises at night. It’s thought that these otherworldly sounds are a form of ‘contact call’ between individuals who have been separated from their herd, helping them to find each other in the dark. Rather charmingly, another theory suggests that the humming is actually giraffes snoring or sleep-talking!
im so glad you brought up the giraffe, she has been on my mind for YEARS because i also have thought for a long time that it was the eyes, though i also kind of assumed that the most sentient species were the hooved ones, though clementine is still stange if you think about it that way as well lol
For Sentience Lvl 4, there is also (but not limited to): Deer (there are non-sentient deer as well, surprised he didn't mention them in the confusion), Reindeer, Griphons, Dragons (a couple notable exceptions), Kirin, Hippogriffs, Changelings, Sphinx, Sirens, Winged felines, etc. Grogar is also an exception to the goats being in lvl 2. There are also more from Pony Life. For lvl 1 (possibly 2, given their powers) there are several monster species, but the main one to come to mind is Windigos.
For your level three, I think it's more about drive and creativity, sheep and cows can talk clearly, along with lengthy conversations and probably should be governed by the same laws as ponies, but they don't really feel the need that ponies, minotaur's, or Griffins, for creature comforts like a home or bed and most don't don't really have the spark to want to stand out or to develop skills and are content at just living in pony society and use their services. Buffalos and Yaks clearly have a stronger degree of drive and creativity with building shelters, make art, craftsmanship and have their own societies and cultures that stands apart from the ponies, despite being bovine like the cows. On the other hand unlike other nations we have seen Equestria seems accept donkeys, griffins(skittishly), minotaur's goats to participate into Equestrian society like Gaston Le Grand and Mulia Mild to participate in baking contests and even was willing to sent a city/state/fiefdom to represent like that tiger griffin from Princess Spike. The dragons seems to easily match ponies but don't feel the need to for shelter or comfort, despite holding hordes of treasures which they could easily trade with the ponies to buy, but they don't.
I think you were describing the idea so well :o Do you think one's like cows, sheep, and goats(though we didn't surely see them speak too..think they prob have a different language) are on a similar levels to like, dragons in their needs/wants compared the ponies? Like it'd go, Them, Dragons,Ponies/Zebra for quick example? Not saying those like Dragons are dumb/lesser, just that they obviously had different motives, naturally, compared the ponies or whoever & they might compare easier with others on some things instead, in list form... Maybe it's just that ponies do/did have more similar drives to sheep or even the dragons but, they have lived for so long procuring what society we saw They've had, that they see themselves as not having drives like them anymore? And a similar (or some contrasting) things for other characters..? 🤔 May be just as simple as different culturet irl 😂 tho, but it does feel far away-fantasy enough that it might not be just that.. we don't have species of people, but there're so many different acting animals here...
@@unripetheberrby6283 Thanks dude, I think the analogy is closer to a number of native tribes in South America and Africa would actively prefer to continue living like their ancestors or traditions, even if they can easily have access to more modern conveniences, those communities just refuse to use them or are selective in what they allow to use, and the occasional odd one out that chose to leave and live different lives, You could also take the Romani(gypsies) and other cultures where there are a number of nomadic communities that roam around their territories. I think maybe a number of those other hoof/herd creatures are nomadic and roam around Equestria doing live in specific locations. It would also be that a number of herds travel between nations too and Equestria seems to let their borders open for them and allow them to travel through with almost no blow back from the crown or local settlements. I could imagine that a number of those her/communities struck a deal with pony farmers to trade their wool or dairy to be allowed to graze in their lands along with having access to some amenities and then move on to other pastures if they think they can get a better deal elsewhere or feel they need to travel again, Ponies don't have the time or interest to make milk or grow their fur out, with magic, so it's a fair deal between both parties for the most part. This could fit the cows to a relation similar to the buffalos and the ponies of Appaloosa where they do have a more tense relations with the pony settlers who encroached in Buffalo lands and were about to be kicked out until they had a last minutes truce to negotiate a treaty of some kind that allowed ponies to settle there as long as they pay tribute to the buffalo. through, I think maybe it was closer for Equestria to peacefully annex the buffalo lands into their territory, with the Buffaloes becoming Equestrian subjects, but the buffalo have a special status over the lands maybe but I doubt it was really to their advantage, and opens up more tension later down the road but this is more Geopolitics. Back to the cows, they could have been around ponies so much that they are practically assimilated into pony culture for the most part and still travel in herds or stick around farms for easy lands to graze on. Ponies just accept them around and really don’t expect them to act like them so they never felt the need to force them to live in their ways. For the goats it could be that their communities are much closer, or in the Minotaur lands, and just chose to speak in their own language to keep it private, or the writers felt they didn't need to talk, and Iron will bring them along for his seminars. They probably had their own great civilization at one point if Groagar started out one of them, and those days are long since passed. We have also seen Goats at Fluttershy’s cottage, so many many creatures actually chose to go feral and live in the wild and can easily live off the land with no trouble, like pigs escaping captivity, where the transition from livestock to feral is just a formality for them. Ponies probably could do the same if they chose to, I guess So in the end there are probably way more analogies we could make with humans and the show that isn't so farfetched which could work. It could also be that the higher tech races have more organized society because they have more magic within them, which gives them their drive for more intonation with the ponies having the most magic of all, so that could be a determinant factor. I had my pet theory that ponies are actually artificially created, or modified with magic, that made them stand out from the the other races and were a client age of Grogar or some older beings.
its funny that you put beavers in level 1, while using a screencap from a scene of them intelligently bartering with Trixie to be allowed outside of her dome, all the while harboring a secret secondary motive to help fluttershy. That's pretty sapient if you ask me.
This is just straight up true, yeah. We see that they can develop into level 4 animals - as the Abyssians (like Capper) are exactly that. Upright-walking, talking animals like cats, pigs, etc.. The Storm King seems to be a goat. The pirates seem to be bird-Abyssians rather than Griffons, since they walk on two legs.
I thought that giraffe acktually spoke. And then I remembered that this is most likely a washed down memory of a comic where she confessed she pretends not to be sapient to avoid taxes and get free food and healthcare. What a shocker.
6:06 Honestly I think she’s pretending to be an Animal to get free health care and not needing to pay any bits for it. 7:27 FunFact! In the MLP Mobile Game Sludge didn't have the greatest upbringing, nor did he surround himself with god friends. He wandered Equestria looking for a better place to Live and found himself in Ponyville, but he did not stay for long. This greedy dragon took advantage of Spike and Lied about being his father just o he could live in Twilights castle After leaving in shame, he spent years alone, consumed by greed, until he went into rage mode and attacked Nordo Dracos. It was only through the generosity of an older Spike that he was brought back down to size and humbled. Sludge has now befriended him and promises to make ammends for all he's done.
Im relieved that this is ACTUALLY an theory video that tells you the theory and points proving this theory amd such. The visuals, graphics and design is easy to understand. But ive had this question for a while as well, so this helped a lot.
I think hyppogriphs and changelings would also belong there even if changelings have more instinct running through their blood or hemolymph to be correct.
Cows, Sheep and Buffalo are all so season 1 exclusive, retconned and just... straight up dumb that I honestly think we should just all forget about it, just like the show did
Everything is in this world, much like Pokémon. Makes you wonder what the preds eat. Someone;s getting eaten when there are obligate carnivores like raptor birds and cats no matter what.
I like to think that the cows and sheep offer their services (milk and wool) willingly in exchange for food, water, and shelter. They likely have freedom as well, since we actually see one of the cows roaming around Ponyville.
This is without involving the whole can of worms that is the mlp movie too KEKW. The amount the animals that you would never have guessed could talk just start breaking all the rules.😂
Put buffalo’s in level 3. Level 3 is the racism tier. The pony’s take slaves, the buffalo’s are just free. But that giraffe is mute and treated like an animal coz of it. The ponies are evil
Yes how the Apple losa Residents treated the Buffalos Was F-up i guse IT was before season5 and before the Regions Cool with each other were still F-up
if its an odd toed ungulate its sentient. thats all horse species, aswell as rhinos and tapiers (at least im assuming, we dont see them in the show so)
I think the answer you are looking for is somewhere different... *Being an Ungulate* . (being a hoofed animal) The categories of sentience can be further refined by "are these animals hooved or not", as having hooves seems to give a hint that they are more sentient then animals without hooves. *Level 4 are obviously in the Equine family* . This includes ponies as well as zebras and donkeys. While we have exceptions like deer, yaks, and bison (maybe even buffalos), it's more of a bleed over from Level 3. *Levels 3 includes hooved animals that are not equines* . Some may be intelligent enough for speech, but they can still be "tamed and domesticated" by the "superior species" like ponies. That's why ponies treat cows and sheep the same way as Level 2 animals. Some may warrant that, as seen by a giraffe that could be as smart as a cow, but needed to be cared for like an animal. (It's also why ponies would treat many Level 4 beings like yaks and bison like level 3 beings) *Level 2 are intelligent or trainable animals* . These would include dogs, raccoons, and owls. I may argue that it also includes animals that we haven't seen like monkeys. These animals are smart enough to understand commands of ponies, but not smart enough to do much else. *Every other animal without hooves are seen (and proven) to be non sentient and wild beasts* (Level 1). This includes underwater ungulates like whales since they do not have hooves like ponies. This also includes "un-pony like" animals like pigs, boars, hippos, and tapirs. There are always going to be exceptions, even amongst their own species. Angel the bunny and Owlicious the Owl are the only ones of their species that shown smarter than their own species. In fact, they seem to only be smart because of the ponies that cared for them; which may reinforce why Ponies are the dominate species. A pony with a specific special talent can magically influence a "dumb animal" to the point of intelligence (Angel is only smart because Fluttershy's special talent bringing his intelligence out). Also, it's mainly(if not only) Ponies that can use magic. The only other species that could use magic are "magical monsters" (dragons for example).
6:20 "There are no words for how jumbled my neurons are at this very moment." This dude doesn't always have jumbled neurons. 🙄 Get with the picture Banquo, you can't be a brony with a brain that actually works on occasion. No thoughts, head empty. Embrace true freedom.
The entire video I was waiting for snips and snails to show up on the scale. The moment you said level zero, I thought you were going to place them there lol.
I really like the way you presented the levels, that's a great way to put to words the general thoughts behind the weird inconsistencies. You also killed it in the presentation and humor on this one, especially the ending lmao. This is one of your best yet!
One issue with this list, we see MANY times throughout the show that the regular animals you've deemed "Tier 1" are NOT the same level of intelligence as real life animals, and they _can_ accomplish smarter tasks. Fluttershy regularly uses her ability to talk to animals to get help doing chores. In the "Magical Mystery Cure" episode, they even try to cook Rainbow Dash in a stew because she hadn't been feeding them properly. They tied her up and put her in a literal cooking pot. That sounds like a task that would require higher intelligence than your regular animal. The fact that she can talk to them at all and they are able to understand what she means implies they are intelligent... Fluttershy can't just magically control them, they actively show they possess human-like understanding of things. Angel in particular is just a bunny, but is shown with many personality traits and higher thinking (in the episode where they switch bodies, Angel is easily able to walk and talk using Fluttershy's body without issue, and remembers everything from when he was a bunny).
I think they personally meant comparitively closer, plush anything in fluttershy's care, she specifically says she gives lessons too, so they are going to be a lot higher inteligence then say a wild bear vs the bear that lives with her. Personally I think the lowest tier would actually go to all the mytical animals that show no higher learning, ursa minor, cockatrice, Cerberus ect.
I prefer the idea that all of them have a sentience, and the ones that are most beastly simply cannot speak basic Equestrian tongue, rather than them being completely incapable of speaking at all Angel Bunny, for example, seems quite adept at speech when he's in Fluttershy's body, and is obviously experienced in charades. We also see multiple animals in Fluttershy's sanctuary playing cards, and in one episode, they even read books. Somehow. I don't think sentience depends on their ability to speak, especially when they can clearly comprehend what the ponies and other races say. Maybe their vocal cords or tongues inhibits their ability to properly speak equestrian. I also do not think it's entirely fair to base sentience off the way their eyes look. I mean, look at Discord and his eyes. Or Tirek. Or even the Changelings, minus Chrysalis. So, I propose this. What if it isn't an issue of sentience or lack thereof, but instead, an issue of class? What if in Equestria, Equestrians are first-class citizens, and animals are second-class citizens. They're equally intelligent, as sentient, but due to their lack of magic, or perhaps their lack of… Vocalization, they are not given the same rights as ponies would. Also, we already have an easy, simple answer to this question… It's just magic, don't think about it, lol. Side note, I may be wrong, but wouldn't the correct term to use here be sapience, and not sentience?
Angel is level 2, rest of the rabbits are level 1 I'd say. Angel is capable of complex thoughts and I guess an animal with complex thoughts is able to perform more human tasks. At the same time, he always seemed more "advanced" than the rest of the animals under Flutter's care About the giraffe... Maybe she's non-verbal autistic? Or maybe the appearance of the eyes doesn't really matter in this theory~
I feel like bunnies should go in 1, and racoons even. Angel Bunny spends so much time around fluttershy that hes probably learned customs and language. Fluttershy being able to talk to animals probably trains them in a way humans cant. Thats just my take tho.
I dont think its fair to measure sentience based on whether ponies can understand the animals or not. Its like saying that someone has lower intelligence/sentience than you simply because they dont speak english and YOU cant understand them. Those animals sinply have a different way of communication, or perhaps a different language. Alot of those animals can clearly understand everything the ponies are saying, and what other species says too, meaning they not only have their own communication but can also understand other types of communication/language. I would say that goats have the same levl of intelligence as ponies, they simply doesn't speak the same language. I would say the same for Angel, he is literally proven to have the same level of sentience as a pony when he swapped bodies with Fluttershy. In that ep, Fluttershy was unable to speak due to bunnies physically being unable to do so, while Angel was able to speak while in a pony body. Both of them maintaned their personalities, thoughts and behaviour. Also the level 3 animals have the same level of intelligence as ponies, they are simply in a opressive system. Just bc ponies treats them as lesser beings doesnt mean they are. It's shown multiple times during the series that ponies are SUPER racist towards non-ponies. And you put Buffaloos at level 4, even tho we see ponies treating buffaloos the same way as the level 3 animals. (Which is incredible weird when considering the narive american allegory....)
My take is: Lvl 1: Animals, can be taught tricks and commands, or not, doesn't really matter (I have no idea what's going on with Clemantine, and I'm dropping the eye's theory). lvl 2: Smart Animal, almost or complete sentient, but don't have complex verbal means naturally (bunnies fall in this category because when given the means to speak, they will). lvl 3: Verbal, sapient and social species, but not enough to make civilizations and so are used by civilizational species. lvl 4: Verbal, sapient, social and civilizational species (civilizations here means both big and small societies, ranging from highly interconnected empires to hunter-gatherers societies).
Sentience is the quality of being conscious, or having an internal experience of stimulus. All animals with brains are sentient irl. Plants, sea sponges, and inanimate objects are not. You mean "sapience." Also, sentience and sapience are arguably not too deeply related, as it is logically possible to have a sapient but not sentient thing, just as it is possible to have sentient but not sapient being.
There is another term called sophonce which sort of and add on to sentience or sapience that described as self-awareness, including self-reflection and the ability to think about one's thinking.
Angel may be overevolved because of his connection with Fluttershy - as a pegasus, she is using magic constantly without even knowing (unlike unicorns, who need to focus for that). Hard to say if all rabbits have this potential, but Angel seem special. Giraffe may be disabled and misunderstood because of that. But we need to see more of them to verify...
When watching the show I always assumed that if anything was horse adjacent or connected to magic it was capable of talking. Also EVERY creature has consciousness, like in "amending fences" the forest animals help resolve the problem by reminding the hoofields and mccolts the origin of their fued. Meaning the animals observed, processed, and understood a pony conflict and passed the information down through generations for so long even the ponies forgot about it. This interpretation still has exceptions and flaws tho, but as long as it makes it easier to understand it's fine for me.
When ponies look at giraffes they feel how humans do when they look at apes. Look at this thing, so similar to me, intelligent in it's own right... but it is not as I am.
With cows I always assumed that them living in barns owned by ponies was a sort of lodging system. The cows are permitted shelter and a home in the barns ( for the sake of this, I'd assume the inside of a barn for these cows would be a lot more homey with regular appliances than real life, since we never saw the inside of the one barn we've seen corralated with housing cows in the show ) and they pay rent by letting the ponies milk them and use the milk themselves. Other than this, they're allowed to do as they please, the cows we've seen just particularly are content with grazing and hanging out in their barnyards. Maybe cows pursueing careers or wanting to live lives more glamorous is a rare occurrence but not unheard of and there's some very positive movements for their rights going on in Equestria right now, who knows. I also headcanon that cows in Equestria are magical, and the maguc concealed in their beings make it so they always have a milk supply no matter if they're a mother or not, maybe milking them activates their magic so they don't have to be carrying milk all the time, or maybe they rely on someone to milk them so they don't feel weighted down by their supply, and that's why they're able to "pay rent" even if they don't currently have a calf. Sheep.... well maybe they need someone to sheer them... but from that scene with Applejack it seems that their situation is much worse then the cows.... so idk, we only heard them talk once and then never again. I'm pretty sure they were referenced as pets along with the other animals needing adopting shown in Filly Vanili, so with them I'm just going to believe that their sapience has been retconned and they're just normal animals. Also, just because we haven't seen any "level one" animals preform complex tasks like racoons, doesn't mean they can't or are unable to think like them. Racoons can also stand on their hind legs and have little hands so of course some of the other animals can't do what they do without that freedom of movement.
the moment I saw Daisy Joe and the others I was alert, "wait a minute what's happening-" and then hearing her talk?????? fucking absurd, the writers did NOT give it any thought like, this should be the same case as Cranky Doodle and Matilda but they never touched upon it
Interesting video, such nostalgia. But now hear me out ok: there’s seems to be a pattern that your classification has missed, because you ranked every species mostly by intelligence, not physical characteristics. It all makes sense once you add a lev. 5 to use to make a distinction between high civilization (metropolis, schools, science) and low civilization (tents, no electricity, nomadism). To figure out in which category goes which you just have to look at their limbs, the number of hooves (or lack there of) always predicts how advanced an animal is, with odd-toed beings being on top, let’s run through: Kirins: odd-toed, they’re Asian ponies, they have houses and opera and magic Hippogriffs: odd-toed rear legs, so they have palaces and magic artifacts and games Zecora (zebras): odd-toed, she’s an African pony, she has knowledge in apothecary, poetry, meditation, has a house Mules: odd-toed, ponies’s cousins, of course they’re civilized just like ponies Breezies: odd-toed, they’re like pigmy ponies, they have houses, their own language, clothes Discord: he has one pony hoof, no culture because he has no people, but he’s capable of deep thinking, he assimilates into pony culture Changelings: odd-toed, they have seminars, monarchy, art and daycares Griffins&Dragons&Diamond Dogs: no hooves, no complex housing or society because they’re driven by selfishness and run low on solidarity, they migrate, griffins are a fallen civilization because they’re not as cooperative as ponies. Cows&sheep: even-toed, they build no houses, offer products in exchange of shelter to ponies Giraffes: even-toed, an animal like the goat, no culture and no speech Minotaur: even-toed, selfish, nomadic Bisons&Yaks: tribal societies, with festivals and morals, but no advanced technology Tirek&Grogar: even-toed, they’re evil gods with no family ties or tradition, they move around just to steal and destroy
Not fully disagreeing but Grogar defense squad here, technically everything he did in the original show is ... mostly cannon to the new show (Just like gen 4 is mostly cannon to gen 5 as history. They just switched out the orginal main characters for hayhoof to connect to fim continuity more) So he built a castle, had a kingdom and he wanted to expand his realm... by force. Yeah still a tyrant. Also Don't Griffons have Griffonstone. A giant town that has bakeries, post offices and homes. They are just like New Yorkers honestly haha
@@Parasolhyena Griffins = New Yorkers I’m dead lol, all they need is coffee to go and skyscrapers from what I remember, Griffonstone has lore, of which the griffins are very proud, but they let it fade over time along with everything else once the object of said pride was lost forever, throughout the whole series griffins made no attempt to restore their former glory and only improved the interactions among each other because of Pinkie’s intervention (which wasn’t even welcomed lmao 😂). Griffins in MLP are kinda the ‘ancient civilization now in ruins’ archetype, not an ‘Atlantis’, that’s the hippogriffs, they’re like the indigenous people in South America that once had gargantuan empires of which now only fragments and legends remains. The griffins went through the golden age every great civilization experiences, and like all civilizations it eventually went into decadence. I’m here analyzing a kid’s show like a historian 🤣 but as there really is stuff to dig up and that’s a sign of competent writing\world building
@@Parasolhyena i didn’t know much about Grogar in previous adaptations of MLP because I only thoroughly watched G4, though I knew he was not a new villain. I guess he is the exception then, but since there’s only one of him, he is not a race and thus cannot have civilization, like Discord. Don’t know anything about Gusty the Great either as she is just mentioned in G4.
All I’ve seen is just hooves=sentient (past level 1) and mythical creatures = sentient and the giraffe could just be “we’ve never seen this species and it can’t talk so it’s just a zoo animal!” (Maybe other giraffes could talk and that ones mute) like zecoras a level 4 intelligence and is a safari animal with hooves so-
@@KidPrarchord95 that is very true, good point! However, you likely wouldn't call a Veterinarian an -erinarian, you'd call them a vet. You call Bratwursts 'Brats.' You call Mathematics 'math.' Furthermore, if you look up the word 'soda' in the dictionary, it's probably what you're looking for as first result. If you look up 'pop' in the dictionary there's other words unrelated to the fizzy carbonated beverage you're looking for.
Tier 1: Animal
Tier 2: Smart Animal
*Slavery*
Tier 4: Dominant species
Oh no😅😅
That would make politicians the dominant species of our world.
@@litigioussociety4249 a cow cant mate with a horse
@@zpydd_Not with that attitude.
Tier 0:S L U D G E T H E D R A G O N
I heard about a theory that rocks in MLP are actually sentient, and Maud is one of the few ponies to actually understand them
Jesus suggests the same could be true in our world.
@LackOfNameLmao I guess you're fairly ignorant when it comes to the gospels. On Palm Sunday, when Jesus enters Jerusalem he says in Luke 19:40 "I tell you, if these [people] were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
@@litigioussociety4249ok….
@@litigioussociety4249this gives the pet rock new meaning
@@litigioussociety4249 The concept of "metaphors" are usually taught in the third grade, just to let you know.
Cows and sheep talking appears to be something that had been forgotten about since the first season. I do agree on the giraffe part. I always expected her to talk.
The giraffe makes no sense lmao
There is at least one fanfic where the Giraffe talk. Clementine kept quiet because she was a spy, sent to study the Ponies without revealing there was a nation of Giraffes near Zebrica.
@@Fetch26291I think I know the fanfic you’re referring to. Is it the one where Starlight, Trixie and Thorax find one another earlier, this time instead in the Crystal Empire, thus avoiding the time travel finale. Instead the Mane 6 find them near YakYakistan and then there’s a long journey through the world that follows?
@@Beyondthe5thPanel That sounds familiar. Apologies, I have been traveling the Multiverse for decades, so details are hazy.
definitely retconned post-faust era. I'll just accept the talking cows as a mass hallucination
Deer and an interesting case because in the cartoon they are merely animals but in the comics they can talk and have their own civilization. The deer in the comics were introduced before a deer was ever shown in the cartoon, so the comic writer must have been using the hooves equals people rule to determine the deer intelligence level.
Which gets even more interesting because a talking deer episode was originally planned for season one of the show! Look up "Fancy Meeting You Deer" - it's about a village of deer that even have cutie marks.
hooves=people just makes sense y'know :'( tho gryphons & dragons don't have them
@@zoro4661WasTaken That could've been awesome- noooo 😭
@@zoro4661WasTakenI hope a fan remakes that episode
this reminds me of that one hearts warming episode with the reindeer and they were even using magic iirc
Spike would be in sentience level 3 because they see him as lesser and even make him a freakin dog in the human world. When we all know he should have been a person too.
Huge L from the studio
omg why did i never realised that he is indeed seen as less of them even if he is family. So weird
I was wondering where dragons would go! And queen(?) chrysalis’s people
@@clouddd8053 from all evidences they should be at the same teir as ponies, but both of them seem to have more "tribal" coltures
Making Spike a dog pissed me off so friggin much
Just a brief rebuttal. All animals that are in Level 1 and 2 are capable of complex thought, even if they cannot express them in any way. Recall Gummy's inner monologue from Slice of Life, when he is otherwise at Level 1 sapience. And while Angel is a perfect demonstration of bunnies being in Level 2, they are NOT in a league all their own, as when they can talk comes down to magic. When Fluttershy was put in Angel's body, she couldn't speak. It's just that Angel could in Fluttershy's body. And to add to this, with Discord's magic in Friends Forever #5, animals are perfectly capable of speech regardless of their sapience level. Squirrels, birds, cats, bunnies, it doesn't matter.
Oh, and one last thing. Level 0 actually belongs to Boulder, a rock that can somehow eat things.
There's also the book club in "Hooffields and the McColts", which could still be possibly false in never seeing how the animals interpret the book, but the ability to recognize a flower either by appearance or name in "Sounds of Silence" feels like the stronger case for complex thought, not to mention understanding Ponish when only Autumn could speak for a while
that's what I was thinking as well..
Totally thought Lv 0 would be rocks!!- Sludge is funny tho
I love how you put boulder in level 0 thats perfect, i forgot when he ate something but that sounds so funny lmao
Moral quandry as Fluttershy is seen feeding fish to her animals.
@@ASDFUIL Not all animals can go vegan, you know. Some animals are carnivores, and they can't change that because of how their bodies process food.
SAPIENCE. It's supposed to be "sapience" as in "Homo Sapiens". But I know that every movie, show and game says "sentient" to refer to creatures with human-level intelligence, even though "sentient" technically just means "capable of sensing things".
Thank you! It's one of my biggest pet peeves when people mix them up or think they're interhcngeable.
I KNOW!!!!! AGHAGHAHGAGHAHGA WHY DOES NOBODY EVER GET IT???
I didn’t know this, thank you!
THANK YOU this drives me up a wall, the distinction is also linguisticaly convenient when discussing intelligence! It's almost like we have words for the distinction!
Vegan Optimus Prime confirmed.
I love making a categorical tier list that immediately collapses in on itself. This is really cool, love the taxonomy and the Sludge hate.
Sludge probably caused the g5 social collapse
Gummy gator ?
AGREED.
Considering how the alicorns are referred to in the same manner as gods, it’s possible that it’s them who decides which animal is on which level of sapience.
If the eye design is another indication of level of sapience, what of the baby ponies?
"They are not there yet."
And what about Snips?
"Still hasn't reach it."
good point 😂
Snips definitely hasn't reached it - but Snails has clearly transcended it. He is obviously on level 5 together with Gummy and Derpy.
LMAO
I mean, have you ever taken care of little kids ? I swear some of them are just empty husks with the intelligence of a slitghly under average puppy
A friend linked me and I'm not sure when you joined the fandom but: It's the hooves.
According to Lauren Faust it was: if it is an odd-toed hooved creature then it can talk. If it's a mythological creature, more than likely it can also talk.
A major exception is even-toed ungulates. They're all over the place. Cows, yaks and buffalo can talk. Deer cannot (in an early episode concept, they probably could). More than likely, even-toed can talk. Whether they've formed society is questionable. It might be more rudimentary (cows, goats) or it might just be different (buffalo, yaks). Ponies have a tendency to keep the ones that aren't society-builders on farms. (they can perform basic work for protection and food. We've seen Daisy Jo can come and go as she pleases.)
ALL the animals have at least cartoon animal-levels of intelligence. They can attempt to communicate or get your attention for something.They can understand things like grudges and play. They're all like crow-levels of intelligence. A bat can play music by running its wings over water glasses. Racoons can be waiters, etc.
Angel might be an exceptionally sapient bunny. Hence his reliance on Fluttershy.
The just got me thinking if all odd toed ungulates can talk does that mean somewhere in the mlp universe there’s civilizations of talking rhinos and taipirs or is the civilization level we see in the show unique to equines.
And what about extinct odd toed ungulates are there ancient ruins built be chalicathers, brontotheres, and paracatheres
Huh interesting!
We also have to consider that the cows on the apple family farm are employed in the same way that the goats are, but simply choose to live on the farm. It seems to be a pretty cushy gig, considering the ponies do not eat meat and thus only take milk. A lot of the practices on dairy farms in the human world are based on the fact that cows will not just. do things if you ask them verbally. The Apple Family does not have this problem, and can just ask the cows for milk when necessary. The Apples are honorable ponies, I highly doubt Daisy Jo has anything to worry about if she doesn't feel up to it one day.
@@twideslauriers7875 that’s definitely true there’s also the fact living in civilization means there safe from predators which if I had to guests would be why they started living with ponies in the first place
Pretty sure we got separate sapient deer in a later season. In the MLP mobile game there’s an in-game ad for a deer pet you can assign to your ponies where the text says “not the sapient kind- don’t worry, those guys roam as free as they’d like!” I have a screenshot of it
Headcanons:
1. If Clementine is in level 3-4. She's just mute :3
2. Rabbits/bunnies are in level 2 according to this list
Giraffes have such ridiculously long necks, the adults are essentially always silent because any attempt at making any sound in that throat is way too energy costly for any good. They can grunt and hiss though, in low frequency and rarely.
Woah
I didn't know that
That actually can make a pretty good theory!
But why would she be treated like a regular animal?
@@lucilucid if dolphins and orcas could talk
The cake twins?
So that's why people where making comics about the giraffe being able to talk...
I also find it quite strange that phoenixs, manticores, and what ever that chicken thing was being MYTHICAL CREATURES are the only ones in that category who are in level 1 of sentience
Phoenixs seem more on level 2 than level 1
Philomena for example could coordinate a prank with Rainbow in her debut episode- alongside all the chase scene antics, but that could be chalked to pure cartoon logic. They just don't usually appear in the show in a situation that'd make them display their intelligence.
@@ChiropteraNightfall literally everything about this topic is chalked down to cartoon logic, HAHAHA
I love the research and inductive thought processes. Some psychologists have insinuated that certain species aren't sentient for extraneous qualifications they don't meet. But they forget that every species is unique, and has a different set of capabilities, and if you think about it, it's silly to assume a creature lacks self-awareness simply because it doesn't act like a human. What if aliens who can shoot lasers from their eyes came to earth and assumed we aren't sentient because we don't do that?
In the case of Angel bunny, giving him Fluttershy's body is like giving a human the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes, to prove sentience to the exemplary aliens.
Angel has all sorts of thoughts. His bunny brain simply doesn't have enough neurons to establish or recall detailed motor and verbal construction patterns that would enable him to express his thoughts in words. Since he can't express his thoughts in words, he probably doesn't bother using words to think either. So you could say that his, and other bunnies' thought processes are less complex "by choice", but they're just making the best use of the neurological structures of their brains.
This is getting a bit into the spiritual/personal opinion territory, but I don't believe souls exist, and I really believe life is 100% micromechanical and electrical. I believe that a person is literally equal to that person's memories and experiences. The episode "She Talks to Angel" is supposed to be about soul swapping, but Angel and Fluttershy also swap physical positions, which means that what really happened is their bodies morphed into one another. Fluttershy's brain structure altered into that of Angel's, and vice-versa.
To compensate for differences in brain volume, I guess the resolution of each memory was compressed/expanded, akin to varying resolutions of a digital image, each with different levels of clarity. Fluttershy would remember her previous life as a pony when she morphed into Angel, but probably more how she felt about it and less about the specific details. Angel might have felt like his memory of his past life became suddenly sharper and clearer inside a pony body, depending on how the spell works.
Neurodensity is another factor. Parrots have smaller memory cells, so they can pack lots of smarts in those tiny skulls.
Agree completly. And nice theory.
Talking also has the do with one's vocal cords, jaw/mouths shape and tongue type.
Interesting theory, while I can't fully agree where it counts, thank you for sharing~
wouldn't the goats just be speaking another language, it seems iron will can understand them just fine, they seem to have rights, for they are assigned jobs... They aren't treated as animals, could it just be that they have different means to communication?
I’d call them level 3.
Yeah I think that too!
Also he forgot that grogar is from the same race as it were and he can speak perfect English
@@alphagiga4878 Technically Gorgar is an ibex, so it's the whole, domesticated cow vs wild buffalo or yak thing all over again. I do think they are level 4 personally though, they have jobs and are talked to like real people... by iron will at least.
@@alphagiga4878 Plus Gorgar might not even speak modern pony, because that was just discord pretending the whole time.
Giraffe's can't make any noise in real life because their necks are too long. My headcanon is if they have the capacity to talk or form societies like yaks but physically they can't talk. So they end up being treated like animals.
That's sad
BBC science focus site:
Although not the most talkative of animals, giraffes are known to snort or hiss when threatened, and female giraffes bellow to their young. But we recently discovered that they make other noises, too.
In 2015, researchers analysed recordings of giraffes from zoos in Berlin, Copenhagen and Vienna, and found that they make low-frequency humming noises at night. It’s thought that these otherworldly sounds are a form of ‘contact call’ between individuals who have been separated from their herd, helping them to find each other in the dark. Rather charmingly, another theory suggests that the humming is actually giraffes snoring or sleep-talking!
@@kaulcv Ooooh. Thank you for proving me wrong! I've been misinformed. Thsi is much more interesting.
>yaks
>thinking
"YAKS BEST AT THINKING!" - Yaks, probably
shut. shut up.
Baconhair pony 0:10
Well, with characters like Opalescence and Capper, I don't think this was ever going to make sense.
Opal is like some kind of monkey, and Capper is a human. Close species, but different intelligence
im so glad you brought up the giraffe, she has been on my mind for YEARS because i also have thought for a long time that it was the eyes, though i also kind of assumed that the most sentient species were the hooved ones, though clementine is still stange if you think about it that way as well lol
Yeah the cow one is especially weird. They obviously have human level intelligence so why where they treated like normal animals in our world
just s1 still finding its footing tbh. they ignored it ever since
@@colorbar.s Until the comics after the show and then they are right back to talking and robbing banks haha
I wouldn’t sweat it too much about Angel. He had Fluttershy’s physical gray matter, so that may have given him cognitive abilities beyond his own.
For Sentience Lvl 4, there is also (but not limited to): Deer (there are non-sentient deer as well, surprised he didn't mention them in the confusion), Reindeer, Griphons, Dragons (a couple notable exceptions), Kirin, Hippogriffs, Changelings, Sphinx, Sirens, Winged felines, etc. Grogar is also an exception to the goats being in lvl 2.
There are also more from Pony Life.
For lvl 1 (possibly 2, given their powers) there are several monster species, but the main one to come to mind is Windigos.
There's also those anthropomorphic cats from the movie. (So sad they weren't seen in the series. Would have loved that.)
@@quillmorningstar8713 OH YEAH HOW COULD I FORGET
Oh god, Level 3 is blowing my mind. THANK YOU for categorizing these.
For your level three, I think it's more about drive and creativity, sheep and cows can talk clearly, along with lengthy conversations and probably should be governed by the same laws as ponies, but they don't really feel the need that ponies, minotaur's, or Griffins, for creature comforts like a home or bed and most don't don't really have the spark to want to stand out or to develop skills and are content at just living in pony society and use their services. Buffalos and Yaks clearly have a stronger degree of drive and creativity with building shelters, make art, craftsmanship and have their own societies and cultures that stands apart from the ponies, despite being bovine like the cows. On the other hand unlike other nations we have seen Equestria seems accept donkeys, griffins(skittishly), minotaur's goats to participate into Equestrian society like Gaston Le Grand and Mulia Mild to participate in baking contests and even was willing to sent a city/state/fiefdom to represent like that tiger griffin from Princess Spike. The dragons seems to easily match ponies but don't feel the need to for shelter or comfort, despite holding hordes of treasures which they could easily trade with the ponies to buy, but they don't.
I think you were describing the idea so well :o
Do you think one's like cows, sheep, and goats(though we didn't surely see them speak too..think they prob have a different language) are on a similar levels to like, dragons in their needs/wants compared the ponies? Like it'd go, Them, Dragons,Ponies/Zebra for quick example? Not saying those like Dragons are dumb/lesser, just that they obviously had different motives, naturally, compared the ponies or whoever & they might compare easier with others on some things instead, in list form...
Maybe it's just that ponies do/did have more similar drives to sheep or even the dragons but, they have lived for so long procuring what society we saw They've had, that they see themselves as not having drives like them anymore? And a similar (or some contrasting) things for other characters..? 🤔
May be just as simple as different culturet irl 😂 tho, but it does feel far away-fantasy enough that it might not be just that.. we don't have species of people, but there're so many different acting animals here...
@@unripetheberrby6283
Thanks dude, I think the analogy is closer to a number of native tribes in South America and Africa would actively prefer to continue living like their ancestors or traditions, even if they can easily have access to more modern conveniences, those communities just refuse to use them or are selective in what they allow to use, and the occasional odd one out that chose to leave and live different lives, You could also take the Romani(gypsies) and other cultures where there are a number of nomadic communities that roam around their territories. I think maybe a number of those other hoof/herd creatures are nomadic and roam around Equestria doing live in specific locations. It would also be that a number of herds travel between nations too and Equestria seems to let their borders open for them and allow them to travel through with almost no blow back from the crown or local settlements.
I could imagine that a number of those her/communities struck a deal with pony farmers to trade their wool or dairy to be allowed to graze in their lands along with having access to some amenities and then move on to other pastures if they think they can get a better deal elsewhere or feel they need to travel again, Ponies don't have the time or interest to make milk or grow their fur out, with magic, so it's a fair deal between both parties for the most part. This could fit the cows to a relation similar to the buffalos and the ponies of Appaloosa where they do have a more tense relations with the pony settlers who encroached in Buffalo lands and were about to be kicked out until they had a last minutes truce to negotiate a treaty of some kind that allowed ponies to settle there as long as they pay tribute to the buffalo. through, I think maybe it was closer for Equestria to peacefully annex the buffalo lands into their territory, with the Buffaloes becoming Equestrian subjects, but the buffalo have a special status over the lands maybe but I doubt it was really to their advantage, and opens up more tension later down the road but this is more Geopolitics.
Back to the cows, they could have been around ponies so much that they are practically assimilated into pony culture for the most part and still travel in herds or stick around farms for easy lands to graze on. Ponies just accept them around and really don’t expect them to act like them so they never felt the need to force them to live in their ways.
For the goats it could be that their communities are much closer, or in the Minotaur lands, and just chose to speak in their own language to keep it private, or the writers felt they didn't need to talk, and Iron will bring them along for his seminars. They probably had their own great civilization at one point if Groagar started out one of them, and those days are long since passed. We have also seen Goats at Fluttershy’s cottage, so many many creatures actually chose to go feral and live in the wild and can easily live off the land with no trouble, like pigs escaping captivity, where the transition from livestock to feral is just a formality for them. Ponies probably could do the same if they chose to, I guess
So in the end there are probably way more analogies we could make with humans and the show that isn't so farfetched which could work.
It could also be that the higher tech races have more organized society because they have more magic within them, which gives them their drive for more intonation with the ponies having the most magic of all, so that could be a determinant factor. I had my pet theory that ponies are actually artificially created, or modified with magic, that made them stand out from the the other races and were a client age of Grogar or some older beings.
Equestrians *tolerate* donkeys and mules.
its funny that you put beavers in level 1, while using a screencap from a scene of them intelligently bartering with Trixie to be allowed outside of her dome, all the while harboring a secret secondary motive to help fluttershy. That's pretty sapient if you ask me.
When you were talking about level 0 I was totally expecting Gummy the Alligator...
You killed it with this video!!! I haven't seen any of your other videos yet- but this was a great introduction to your channel!
You forget levels 5 and 6
5 being taken up by Pinkie and Discord
and 6 being taken up by Derpy
Add Gummi to level 6 too
I'd like to think all species have the capacity for sapience. It's just most common/universal in ponies but shows up in other species regularly.
This is just straight up true, yeah. We see that they can develop into level 4 animals - as the Abyssians (like Capper) are exactly that. Upright-walking, talking animals like cats, pigs, etc.. The Storm King seems to be a goat. The pirates seem to be bird-Abyssians rather than Griffons, since they walk on two legs.
same
The impliCATIONS!
I thought that giraffe acktually spoke. And then I remembered that this is most likely a washed down memory of a comic where she confessed she pretends not to be sapient to avoid taxes and get free food and healthcare. What a shocker.
Never did I think that in the year 2024 I would find a NEW pony youtuber that I would actually enjoy. Godspeed, we're not done yet
Oh, pony keeps chugging along. Have you seen the new wave of Chinese bronies? Its huge over there, and they absolutely rock it
Bro made this entire video just to dunk on Sludge
I like to think that the giraffe is just non verbal. She can speak if she wants to but is mute.
6:06
Honestly I think she’s pretending to be an Animal to get free health care and not needing to pay any bits for it.
7:27
FunFact!
In the MLP Mobile Game
Sludge didn't have the greatest upbringing, nor did he surround himself with god friends.
He wandered Equestria looking for a better place to Live and found himself in Ponyville, but he did not stay for long.
This greedy dragon took advantage of Spike and Lied about being his father just o he could live in Twilights castle After leaving in shame, he spent years alone, consumed by greed, until he went into rage mode and attacked Nordo Dracos.
It was only through the generosity of an older Spike that he was brought back down to size and
humbled. Sludge has now befriended him and promises to make ammends for all he's done.
Im relieved that this is ACTUALLY an theory video that tells you the theory and points proving this theory amd such. The visuals, graphics and design is easy to understand. But ive had this question for a while as well, so this helped a lot.
3:43 I thought that was the bfdi mouth for a sec ToT
6:19
Might be because she has the same relatives face size as the ponies so it would be weird if she had Dot Eyes
I presume most ""lower"" animals just dont WANT to form civilization, they just wanna chill and cant be bothered.
You forgot Griffons in level 4!
I think hyppogriphs and changelings would also belong there even if changelings have more instinct running through their blood or hemolymph to be correct.
Cows, Sheep and Buffalo are all so season 1 exclusive, retconned and just... straight up dumb that I honestly think we should just all forget about it, just like the show did
Everything is in this world, much like Pokémon.
Makes you wonder what the preds eat. Someone;s getting eaten when there are obligate carnivores like raptor birds and cats no matter what.
pretty sure bears eat fish and honey? from what we saw
Tier 3 is litteraly "the ability to speak does not make you inteligent" lmao.
(also, i'd put Angel either in Tier 2 or between 2 and 3)
You forgot to put Diamondogs in the same cathegory as cows :3
I like to think that the cows and sheep offer their services (milk and wool) willingly in exchange for food, water, and shelter. They likely have freedom as well, since we actually see one of the cows roaming around Ponyville.
I believe some of the 'confusing' species are at tier 3 or 4 but just mutually agreed to pretend to be stupid so they don't have to pay taxes
This is without involving the whole can of worms that is the mlp movie too KEKW. The amount the animals that you would never have guessed could talk just start breaking all the rules.😂
perhaps more concerning than the giraffe with full sentience eyes is the existence of snips and snails, ponies without those eyes
Yeah, but Snips and Snails are dumb as hell.
Discord is Obviously level 5.
just because, would Gummy be 3 after one episode of Gummy thinking of being unable to talk?
Put buffalo’s in level 3. Level 3 is the racism tier. The pony’s take slaves, the buffalo’s are just free. But that giraffe is mute and treated like an animal coz of it. The ponies are evil
Yes how the Apple losa Residents treated the Buffalos
Was F-up i guse IT was before season5 and before the Regions Cool with each other were still F-up
if its an odd toed ungulate its sentient. thats all horse species, aswell as rhinos and tapiers (at least im assuming, we dont see them in the show so)
I think the answer you are looking for is somewhere different...
*Being an Ungulate* . (being a hoofed animal)
The categories of sentience can be further refined by "are these animals hooved or not", as having hooves seems to give a hint that they are more sentient then animals without hooves.
*Level 4 are obviously in the Equine family* . This includes ponies as well as zebras and donkeys. While we have exceptions like deer, yaks, and bison (maybe even buffalos), it's more of a bleed over from Level 3.
*Levels 3 includes hooved animals that are not equines* . Some may be intelligent enough for speech, but they can still be "tamed and domesticated" by the "superior species" like ponies. That's why ponies treat cows and sheep the same way as Level 2 animals. Some may warrant that, as seen by a giraffe that could be as smart as a cow, but needed to be cared for like an animal. (It's also why ponies would treat many Level 4 beings like yaks and bison like level 3 beings)
*Level 2 are intelligent or trainable animals* . These would include dogs, raccoons, and owls. I may argue that it also includes animals that we haven't seen like monkeys. These animals are smart enough to understand commands of ponies, but not smart enough to do much else.
*Every other animal without hooves are seen (and proven) to be non sentient and wild beasts* (Level 1). This includes underwater ungulates like whales since they do not have hooves like ponies. This also includes "un-pony like" animals like pigs, boars, hippos, and tapirs.
There are always going to be exceptions, even amongst their own species. Angel the bunny and Owlicious the Owl are the only ones of their species that shown smarter than their own species. In fact, they seem to only be smart because of the ponies that cared for them; which may reinforce why Ponies are the dominate species.
A pony with a specific special talent can magically influence a "dumb animal" to the point of intelligence (Angel is only smart because Fluttershy's special talent bringing his intelligence out). Also, it's mainly(if not only) Ponies that can use magic. The only other species that could use magic are "magical monsters" (dragons for example).
TL,DR: th-cam.com/video/02pzE2Ssmww/w-d-xo.html&lc=Ugx8AxHMIBAz5b6GjQZ4AaABAg
Lv5 would be beings like Eris, Cosmos, and Pinkie. Then lv6 would be Discord
I agree with that
6:20 "There are no words for how jumbled my neurons are at this very moment."
This dude doesn't always have jumbled neurons. 🙄 Get with the picture Banquo, you can't be a brony with a brain that actually works on occasion.
No thoughts, head empty. Embrace true freedom.
HELP UR MAKING IT SO DEEP ITS RLLY FUNNY (no hate it rlly is a rabbit hole 😭)
The entire video I was waiting for snips and snails to show up on the scale. The moment you said level zero, I thought you were going to place them there lol.
I really like the way you presented the levels, that's a great way to put to words the general thoughts behind the weird inconsistencies. You also killed it in the presentation and humor on this one, especially the ending lmao. This is one of your best yet!
One issue with this list, we see MANY times throughout the show that the regular animals you've deemed "Tier 1" are NOT the same level of intelligence as real life animals, and they _can_ accomplish smarter tasks. Fluttershy regularly uses her ability to talk to animals to get help doing chores. In the "Magical Mystery Cure" episode, they even try to cook Rainbow Dash in a stew because she hadn't been feeding them properly. They tied her up and put her in a literal cooking pot. That sounds like a task that would require higher intelligence than your regular animal.
The fact that she can talk to them at all and they are able to understand what she means implies they are intelligent... Fluttershy can't just magically control them, they actively show they possess human-like understanding of things. Angel in particular is just a bunny, but is shown with many personality traits and higher thinking (in the episode where they switch bodies, Angel is easily able to walk and talk using Fluttershy's body without issue, and remembers everything from when he was a bunny).
I think they personally meant comparitively closer, plush anything in fluttershy's care, she specifically says she gives lessons too, so they are going to be a lot higher inteligence then say a wild bear vs the bear that lives with her.
Personally I think the lowest tier would actually go to all the mytical animals that show no higher learning, ursa minor, cockatrice, Cerberus ect.
I like this video a lot! You analyzed and explained the system well
I prefer the idea that all of them have a sentience, and the ones that are most beastly simply cannot speak basic Equestrian tongue, rather than them being completely incapable of speaking at all Angel Bunny, for example, seems quite adept at speech when he's in Fluttershy's body, and is obviously experienced in charades. We also see multiple animals in Fluttershy's sanctuary playing cards, and in one episode, they even read books. Somehow.
I don't think sentience depends on their ability to speak, especially when they can clearly comprehend what the ponies and other races say. Maybe their vocal cords or tongues inhibits their ability to properly speak equestrian. I also do not think it's entirely fair to base sentience off the way their eyes look. I mean, look at Discord and his eyes. Or Tirek. Or even the Changelings, minus Chrysalis.
So, I propose this. What if it isn't an issue of sentience or lack thereof, but instead, an issue of class? What if in Equestria, Equestrians are first-class citizens, and animals are second-class citizens. They're equally intelligent, as sentient, but due to their lack of magic, or perhaps their lack of… Vocalization, they are not given the same rights as ponies would.
Also, we already have an easy, simple answer to this question… It's just magic, don't think about it, lol.
Side note, I may be wrong, but wouldn't the correct term to use here be sapience, and not sentience?
I'm guessing dragons, hipogriphs and Griffin are level 4?
Angel is level 2, rest of the rabbits are level 1 I'd say. Angel is capable of complex thoughts and I guess an animal with complex thoughts is able to perform more human tasks. At the same time, he always seemed more "advanced" than the rest of the animals under Flutter's care
About the giraffe... Maybe she's non-verbal autistic? Or maybe the appearance of the eyes doesn't really matter in this theory~
At the time of writing, this video came out a month ago. I think at this point we can consider Gen 4 immortal.
It's ponies. I ain't gotta explain shit.
Angel is not a bunny. He is the unholy spawn of Grogar. There. Problem solved
The cows are just freaky
I feel like bunnies should go in 1, and racoons even. Angel Bunny spends so much time around fluttershy that hes probably learned customs and language. Fluttershy being able to talk to animals probably trains them in a way humans cant. Thats just my take tho.
Wait the other ones I had settled with not questioning, but the GIRAFFE??? WHY DO HER EYES LOOK LIKE THAT???
because:
artstyle
and, let her be be cute😔
I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking about this
categorically "sentient for the bit"
I'd call Level 4 "Sophonts".
I dont think its fair to measure sentience based on whether ponies can understand the animals or not. Its like saying that someone has lower intelligence/sentience than you simply because they dont speak english and YOU cant understand them. Those animals sinply have a different way of communication, or perhaps a different language.
Alot of those animals can clearly understand everything the ponies are saying, and what other species says too, meaning they not only have their own communication but can also understand other types of communication/language.
I would say that goats have the same levl of intelligence as ponies, they simply doesn't speak the same language. I would say the same for Angel, he is literally proven to have the same level of sentience as a pony when he swapped bodies with Fluttershy. In that ep, Fluttershy was unable to speak due to bunnies physically being unable to do so, while Angel was able to speak while in a pony body. Both of them maintaned their personalities, thoughts and behaviour.
Also the level 3 animals have the same level of intelligence as ponies, they are simply in a opressive system. Just bc ponies treats them as lesser beings doesnt mean they are. It's shown multiple times during the series that ponies are SUPER racist towards non-ponies. And you put Buffaloos at level 4, even tho we see ponies treating buffaloos the same way as the level 3 animals. (Which is incredible weird when considering the narive american allegory....)
I don’t think the eyes matter really.
You also forgot about pound and pumpkin cake. They don't have the "special" eyes when they were babies unlike flurry heart.
Science in equestria be all over the place
Ain't no fuckin way you just did my boy Sludge dirty like that 💀💀💀
sludge was a lying asshole and you know it
My take is:
Lvl 1: Animals, can be taught tricks and commands, or not, doesn't really matter (I have no idea what's going on with Clemantine, and I'm dropping the eye's theory).
lvl 2: Smart Animal, almost or complete sentient, but don't have complex verbal means naturally (bunnies fall in this category because when given the means to speak, they will).
lvl 3: Verbal, sapient and social species, but not enough to make civilizations and so are used by civilizational species.
lvl 4: Verbal, sapient, social and civilizational species (civilizations here means both big and small societies, ranging from highly interconnected empires to hunter-gatherers societies).
Sentience is the quality of being conscious, or having an internal experience of stimulus. All animals with brains are sentient irl. Plants, sea sponges, and inanimate objects are not. You mean "sapience." Also, sentience and sapience are arguably not too deeply related, as it is logically possible to have a sapient but not sentient thing, just as it is possible to have sentient but not sapient being.
There is another term called sophonce which sort of and add on to sentience or sapience that described as self-awareness, including self-reflection and the ability to think about one's thinking.
Angel may be overevolved because of his connection with Fluttershy - as a pegasus, she is using magic constantly without even knowing (unlike unicorns, who need to focus for that). Hard to say if all rabbits have this potential, but Angel seem special. Giraffe may be disabled and misunderstood because of that. But we need to see more of them to verify...
1:36 Amethyst Star Featured RAAAAAA
I just assumed it was like the Narina series, there’s sentient/intelligent animals (Talking Beasts) & the regular animals (Dumb Beasts)
2:45 Nice but(t)
What about the breezies
"If people can talk, why can't gorillas talk? HOW does sentience work on earth? So confusing!"
This is very interesting!
The insanity of this show is why FedEx smartpost facility had so many casualties
When watching the show I always assumed that if anything was horse adjacent or connected to magic it was capable of talking.
Also EVERY creature has consciousness, like in "amending fences" the forest animals help resolve the problem by reminding the hoofields and mccolts the origin of their fued. Meaning the animals observed, processed, and understood a pony conflict and passed the information down through generations for so long even the ponies forgot about it.
This interpretation still has exceptions and flaws tho, but as long as it makes it easier to understand it's fine for me.
I feel like this channel would've fit right in with all the other analysts 12 years ago.
I think Angel Bunny should've been anomoly of inteligence. An outliar compared to the bunny population as a whole.
Ponies wanted to pay taxes and be racist and the other sentiments just said "fuck that!"
When ponies look at giraffes they feel how humans do when they look at apes. Look at this thing, so similar to me, intelligent in it's own right... but it is not as I am.
With cows I always assumed that them living in barns owned by ponies was a sort of lodging system. The cows are permitted shelter and a home in the barns ( for the sake of this, I'd assume the inside of a barn for these cows would be a lot more homey with regular appliances than real life, since we never saw the inside of the one barn we've seen corralated with housing cows in the show ) and they pay rent by letting the ponies milk them and use the milk themselves. Other than this, they're allowed to do as they please, the cows we've seen just particularly are content with grazing and hanging out in their barnyards. Maybe cows pursueing careers or wanting to live lives more glamorous is a rare occurrence but not unheard of and there's some very positive movements for their rights going on in Equestria right now, who knows. I also headcanon that cows in Equestria are magical, and the maguc concealed in their beings make it so they always have a milk supply no matter if they're a mother or not, maybe milking them activates their magic so they don't have to be carrying milk all the time, or maybe they rely on someone to milk them so they don't feel weighted down by their supply, and that's why they're able to "pay rent" even if they don't currently have a calf.
Sheep.... well maybe they need someone to sheer them... but from that scene with Applejack it seems that their situation is much worse then the cows.... so idk, we only heard them talk once and then never again. I'm pretty sure they were referenced as pets along with the other animals needing adopting shown in Filly Vanili, so with them I'm just going to believe that their sapience has been retconned and they're just normal animals.
Also, just because we haven't seen any "level one" animals preform complex tasks like racoons, doesn't mean they can't or are unable to think like them. Racoons can also stand on their hind legs and have little hands so of course some of the other animals can't do what they do without that freedom of movement.
And no, Level 0 is still for Sludge.
Level -Rock is for rocks like Boulder.
the moment I saw Daisy Joe and the others I was alert, "wait a minute what's happening-" and then hearing her talk?????? fucking absurd, the writers did NOT give it any thought
like, this should be the same case as Cranky Doodle and Matilda but they never touched upon it
Interesting video, such nostalgia. But now hear me out ok: there’s seems to be a pattern that your classification has missed, because you ranked every species mostly by intelligence, not physical characteristics. It all makes sense once you add a lev. 5 to use to make a distinction between high civilization (metropolis, schools, science) and low civilization (tents, no electricity, nomadism). To figure out in which category goes which you just have to look at their limbs, the number of hooves (or lack there of) always predicts how advanced an animal is, with odd-toed beings being on top, let’s run through:
Kirins: odd-toed, they’re Asian ponies, they have houses and opera and magic
Hippogriffs: odd-toed rear legs, so they have palaces and magic artifacts and games
Zecora (zebras): odd-toed, she’s an African pony, she has knowledge in apothecary, poetry, meditation, has a house
Mules: odd-toed, ponies’s cousins, of course they’re civilized just like ponies
Breezies: odd-toed, they’re like pigmy ponies, they have houses, their own language, clothes
Discord: he has one pony hoof, no culture because he has no people, but he’s capable of deep thinking, he assimilates into pony culture
Changelings: odd-toed, they have seminars, monarchy, art and daycares
Griffins&Dragons&Diamond Dogs: no hooves, no complex housing or society because they’re driven by selfishness and run low on solidarity, they migrate, griffins are a fallen civilization because they’re not as cooperative as ponies.
Cows&sheep: even-toed, they build no houses, offer products in exchange of shelter to ponies
Giraffes: even-toed, an animal like the goat, no culture and no speech
Minotaur: even-toed, selfish, nomadic
Bisons&Yaks: tribal societies, with festivals and morals, but no advanced technology
Tirek&Grogar: even-toed, they’re evil gods with no family ties or tradition, they move around just to steal and destroy
Not fully disagreeing but Grogar defense squad here, technically everything he did in the original show is ... mostly cannon to the new show (Just like gen 4 is mostly cannon to gen 5 as history. They just switched out the orginal main characters for hayhoof to connect to fim continuity more) So he built a castle, had a kingdom and he wanted to expand his realm... by force. Yeah still a tyrant.
Also Don't Griffons have Griffonstone. A giant town that has bakeries, post offices and homes. They are just like New Yorkers honestly haha
@@Parasolhyena
Griffins = New Yorkers
I’m dead lol, all they need is coffee to go and skyscrapers
from what I remember, Griffonstone has lore, of which the griffins are very proud, but they let it fade over time along with everything else once the object of said pride was lost forever, throughout the whole series griffins made no attempt to restore their former glory and only improved the interactions among each other because of Pinkie’s intervention (which wasn’t even welcomed lmao 😂). Griffins in MLP are kinda the ‘ancient civilization now in ruins’ archetype, not an ‘Atlantis’, that’s the hippogriffs, they’re like the indigenous people in South America that once had gargantuan empires of which now only fragments and legends remains. The griffins went through the golden age every great civilization experiences, and like all civilizations it eventually went into decadence.
I’m here analyzing a kid’s show like a historian 🤣 but as there really is stuff to dig up and that’s a sign of competent writing\world building
@@Parasolhyena i didn’t know much about Grogar in previous adaptations of MLP because I only thoroughly watched G4, though I knew he was not a new villain. I guess he is the exception then, but since there’s only one of him, he is not a race and thus cannot have civilization, like Discord. Don’t know anything about Gusty the Great either as she is just mentioned in G4.
This is great to think about
Yeah the cows do seem pretty smart…
Im worried about the sheep now lol
All I’ve seen is just hooves=sentient (past level 1) and mythical creatures = sentient and the giraffe could just be “we’ve never seen this species and it can’t talk so it’s just a zoo animal!” (Maybe other giraffes could talk and that ones mute) like zecoras a level 4 intelligence and is a safari animal with hooves so-
I also feel like angels just special while other rabbits are level 1 but yknow I haven’t watched mlp in awhile
Another banger video from the funny blue horse
You don't call a hamburger a ham. You don't call a hotdog a hot. You dont call a sodapop a soda.
@@KidPrarchord95 that is very true, good point! However, you likely wouldn't call a Veterinarian an -erinarian, you'd call them a vet. You call Bratwursts 'Brats.' You call Mathematics 'math.' Furthermore, if you look up the word 'soda' in the dictionary, it's probably what you're looking for as first result. If you look up 'pop' in the dictionary there's other words unrelated to the fizzy carbonated beverage you're looking for.