Are Dragons Sentient?

[EmeraldTiger]

What is your opinion?

What is the Evolution of Dragons?

[Cel]

I don't believe in evolution, but as to being sentient, I don't think they are.
I imagine them as very smart and tricky but not actually self aware, fighting side by side with their master, maybe even having a small amount of emotions, like parrots, but not human level or anything.
This is all my random opinion. 

[Tiko]

I wanted to write a medium-long text here about dragons and their mythologies, but found something to quote:

"In many Asian cultures dragons were, and in some cultures still are, revered as representative of the primal forces of nature, religion and the universe. They are associated with wisdom—often said to be wiser than humans—and longevity. They are commonly said to possess some form of magic or other supernatural power, and are often associated with wells, rain, and rivers. In some cultures, they are also said to be capable of human speech. In some traditions dragons are said to have taught humans to talk."

[OldTrees]

I don't believe in evolution, but as to being sentient, I don't think they are.
I imagine them as very smart and tricky but not actually self aware, fighting side by side with their master, maybe even having a small amount of emotions, like parrots, but not human level or anything.
This is all my random opinion. 

Sentient = Ability to recognize yourself from a visually identical copy.
Sapient = Human

You think they are sentient but not sapient.

[Jangoo]

In general: Of course they are!

The communicative and reflective abilities of dragons in western mythology range from speech,
over being a lie detector to having an overly developed sense of pride ... they have to be sentient.
Don't really know about eastern dragons, but given their major importance it would be somewhat
weird if they weren't a sentient being either.


In Elements: No!

My dragons are but savage beasts that march where they are commanded ...

---

The Evolution of dragons is cleary:  Dinosaur -> early human imagination -> later human mythology -> modern phantasy

In some parts of the world, large Dinosaur-skeletons have been exposed over time without having to be excavated.
I picture early humans imagination go wild at the sight of those relics ...
There is actually a nice show on discovery channel, where a "scientist" is trying to reconstruct dragons from all kinds of dinosaur body-parts. 

[Flayne]

dunno, but they ain`t mythology anymore http://www.weirdasianews.com/2007/06/29/real-dragon-fossils-on-display-in-china/

[Neopergoss]

That's a movie prop. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Dragon_%282004_TV_series%29)

[Flayne]

hmm, maybe, but i remember hearing such news, cant remember where, bleh.

[Cel]

I don't believe in evolution, but as to being sentient, I don't think they are.
I imagine them as very smart and tricky but not actually self aware, fighting side by side with their master, maybe even having a small amount of emotions, like parrots, but not human level or anything.
This is all my random opinion. 

Sentient = Ability to recognize yourself from a visually identical copy.
Sapient = Human

You think they are sentient but not sapient.

Perhaps you misunderstood? I said I don't think their sentient. And this isn't my opinion for all dragons by the way, its my interpretation of the elements dragons.

[nerd1]

I would have to say the dragons would be sentient, and as for their evolution, i would say that they started out as the royal guard of the masters of each elements, but after the masters of the elements left the world of elements, dragons created their own cities and gradually became the tamer versions we know today.

[hammythepig]

I think they are.
Like that nightmare dragon in How-To-Train your dragon, it has emotions.

[OldTrees]

I don't believe in evolution, but as to being sentient, I don't think they are.
I imagine them as very smart and tricky but not actually self aware, fighting side by side with their master, maybe even having a small amount of emotions, like parrots, but not human level or anything.
This is all my random opinion. 

Sentient = Ability to recognize yourself from a visually identical copy.
Sapient = Human

You think they are sentient but not sapient.

Perhaps you misunderstood? I said I don't think their sentient. And this isn't my opinion for all dragons by the way, its my interpretation of the elements dragons.

Very smart and tricky but unable to identify themselves in a mirror? That is not how consciousness works. If you would characterize them a similar to a cat or a dog in intellect then the correct term is sentient. You might be mistaking sentient for sapient. (Or you might think a non sentient could be "smart" or "tricky" in which case please explain.)