Knowing Ourselves through the Natural World | Sophie Cohen | TEDxTheMastersSchool

In her talk, Sophie Cohen will speak about wildlife science and psychology. She will intertwine these topics, using funny dog videos and examples of gorillas using sign language, and offer an explanation of how it is better to accept the fact that we don’t know something rather than assuming that we do. She will discuss such topics as anthropomorphism and comparing human and animal cognition, and encourage audience members to reflect on their roles in the workings of the natural world. As a child, Sophie Cohen was infatuated with animals. She had an animal encyclopedia that she read every night before bed. She memorized random facts, such as how large an average octopus was, or how fast a cheetah could run. She also had a book about dogs, which listed all dog breeds and their characteristics. To this day, she’s very confident in her ability to identify any breed of dog she sees. Throughout her adolescence and throughout school, her passions changed, her perspectives widened and narrowed, but her love for animals remained. She was able, through this growth and learning, to look at this love in a different way. She began to look at herself in comparison to animals, and began to question her cognitive functions compared to theirs. In the future, she plans to engage in wildlife studies and marine biology, so she can potentially develop this lasting interest into a career. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx