A Philosophical Question

DimLord Urza · Mar 19, 2015

Today at my lunch table someone asked an intriguing philosophical question.

When a crab at the bottom of the ocean sees a fish go by above its head, does the crab believe the fish is flying?

...Or does the crab believe the fish is swimming?

To a crab, I believe a fish going above its head will be perceived as the fish flying because crabs are not very smart. What do you think?

Hotaruko · Mar 23, 2015

i dont think the crab has such knowledge of the notion "flying".
We have created that term, mostly referring to something that is in motion in the "air". Being the humans that we are, and knowing that there are creatures that can lift themselves and be mid-air, and also knowing there are creatures that move in a liquid that we call "water" we were able to define what's "flying" and what's "swimming".

but a crab, i have no idea what lifestyle they live and if some of them ever get out of water. but I assume they see fish as a different species that is able to move with its own physical structure in their shared world, the sea. just like how we walk on the ground of this earth and birds fly among us sharing the same air, in think it should be about the same thing for a fish and a crab.