Good post Arthur.
Hmmmmm .... A minor difference. I don't know that I would go so far as to say all creatures, or attribute memory to microbes, fruit flys or maggots.
My experience is that these critters have such a short lifespan that an investment in the expensive resource of memory would be counter productive.
I think they just respond to surrounding stimuli.
No amount of getting its wings burnt prevents a moth from flying into the light. No memory = no experience gained. This is a successful evolutionary strategy for short term life spans ... a few days or weeks.
All creatures experience, but some have no memory of that experience. Creatures with short term lifespans usually breed in hundreds or thousands per mating. They can afford for some, or even many, to perish thru no memory.
Creatures with long gestation periods and few or one offspring have placed a HUGE investment in a single roll of the dice. Therefore memory, though an expensive resource, is worthwhile having. As they will live a long time they will come across many dangerous situations where memory will pay off.
But I do agree that we have no claim to superiority over any other creature.
cool bananas ... greg
