Patricia, my take on it has always been the same. I do not think snakes are dumb. I think they are perfectly evolved to do exactly what they do and therefore have whatever instincts and "intelligence" (for wont of a better word) that they require to get by in life and to adjust to circumstances to their best advantage. No they don't do higher math, no they won't come running wagging their tail when we walk in the door but to judge a snake by a human or canine standard is silly. Apples to oranges stuff.
I think a lot of people tend to have an emotional response to thinking their snake is smart or dumb when it comes to their intractions with that snake. "oh it's too dumb to learn" "oh my snake loves me" "it bit me so it hates me" For me, I think human emotions can be messy things and it's awfully presumptious to impose them on a snake. They do just fine with whatever Mother Nature gave them as far as intelligence, instincts and emotions. The fact that we can't really understand them is just fine with me. I like a bit of mystery in my life.
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