Summary

We want to believe that we are generally superior (as individuals, as nations, even as a species) and we latch onto ideas that support that view.  It is not surprising, then, that when Darwinian thinking suggested that we were apes with unusual thumbs (rather than God’s chosen creatures) there was a lot of resistance.  As shown below, though, when you look at all of the traits that could be championed as the clear demarcation between man and animals, the line is always blurred rather than distinct.

Examples

These are aspects of human nature that seem distinctively us, but are actually found in animals too.

Tool use: Many animals use tools such as woodpecker finches using cactus spines to get insects out of holes

Superstition: Pigeons show superstitious behavior

Heroism: Macaque monkeys will go hungry to prevent another getting electrically shocked

Art: Bower birds create art to attract a mate.

Fairness: Capuchin monkeys voluntarily share food with a deserving companion

Deception: Chacma baboons use deception to steal food.

Agriculture: Ants farm fungus and herd aphids (eating the honeydew that they produce)

Slavery: Ant queens use slaves from another colony to bring up her offspring

Wars: Ants organize large scale attacks to gain territory

Medicine: Apes eat certain unpleasant leaves for their health benefits

Self-awareness: Some primates and other animals recognize their own reflection

Process

Underlying axioms and provisional beliefs:

• Skepticism
  • We should start with the simplest view (that we are not that different from animals) and only change that view if there is strong evidence to do so
• Natural Selection
  • Evolution  is a gradual process with no step changes between animals and humans
• Evolutionary Psychology
  • Evolutionary psychology underpins the concept of primal beliefs