Erika Lorraine Milam
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691181882
- eISBN:
- 9780691185095
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691181882.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
After World War II, the question of how to define a universal human nature took on new urgency. This book charts the rise and precipitous fall in Cold War America of a theory that attributed man's ...
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After World War II, the question of how to define a universal human nature took on new urgency. This book charts the rise and precipitous fall in Cold War America of a theory that attributed man's evolutionary success to his unique capacity for murder. The book reveals how the scientists who advanced this “killer ape” theory capitalized on an expanding postwar market in intellectual paperbacks and widespread faith in the power of science to solve humanity's problems, even to answer the most fundamental questions of human identity. The killer ape theory spread quickly from colloquial science publications to late-night television, classrooms, political debates, and Hollywood films. Behind the scenes, however, scientists were sharply divided, their disagreements centering squarely on questions of race and gender. Then, in the 1970s, the theory unraveled altogether when primatologists discovered that chimpanzees also kill members of their own species. While the discovery brought an end to definitions of human exceptionalism delineated by violence, the book shows how some evolutionists began to argue for a shared chimpanzee–human history of aggression even as other scientists discredited such theories as sloppy popularizations. A wide-ranging account of a compelling episode in American science, the book argues that the legacy of the killer ape persists today in the conviction that science can resolve the essential dilemmas of human nature.Less
After World War II, the question of how to define a universal human nature took on new urgency. This book charts the rise and precipitous fall in Cold War America of a theory that attributed man's evolutionary success to his unique capacity for murder. The book reveals how the scientists who advanced this “killer ape” theory capitalized on an expanding postwar market in intellectual paperbacks and widespread faith in the power of science to solve humanity's problems, even to answer the most fundamental questions of human identity. The killer ape theory spread quickly from colloquial science publications to late-night television, classrooms, political debates, and Hollywood films. Behind the scenes, however, scientists were sharply divided, their disagreements centering squarely on questions of race and gender. Then, in the 1970s, the theory unraveled altogether when primatologists discovered that chimpanzees also kill members of their own species. While the discovery brought an end to definitions of human exceptionalism delineated by violence, the book shows how some evolutionists began to argue for a shared chimpanzee–human history of aggression even as other scientists discredited such theories as sloppy popularizations. A wide-ranging account of a compelling episode in American science, the book argues that the legacy of the killer ape persists today in the conviction that science can resolve the essential dilemmas of human nature.
THOMA SUDDENDORF and ANDREW WHITEN
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264195
- eISBN:
- 9780191734540
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264195.003.0002
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
The imaginative powers of humans obviously exceed those of other species; however these characteristics and knowledge did not spring from nowhere. Instead they evolved on the shoulders of the ...
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The imaginative powers of humans obviously exceed those of other species; however these characteristics and knowledge did not spring from nowhere. Instead they evolved on the shoulders of the distinctive psychology of man’s pre-human ancestors. This chapter defines the key characteristics of the ancestral foundations of man and describes the evidence in great ape behaviour for two aspects of imagination. The first level of imagination is inventiveness. Inventiveness is the capacity to generate novel and diverse behavioural responses to any given environmental circumstance. In the experimental studies presented in this chapter wherein chimpanzees are tasked to solve particular problems, it was found that great apes such as gorillas, orang-utans, and chimpanzees display imaginative skills compared to other primates. The second aspect of imagination refers to the capacity to operate mentally in a ‘pretend’ world. This second level of imagination is higher than inventiveness as it requires holding mind distinctions between the hypothetical and real world. Although the experimental studies generated intriguing results, these results are limited, and while the pretence in apes should be observable, it is dominated by the manifestation of a more general capacity for secondary representation.Less
The imaginative powers of humans obviously exceed those of other species; however these characteristics and knowledge did not spring from nowhere. Instead they evolved on the shoulders of the distinctive psychology of man’s pre-human ancestors. This chapter defines the key characteristics of the ancestral foundations of man and describes the evidence in great ape behaviour for two aspects of imagination. The first level of imagination is inventiveness. Inventiveness is the capacity to generate novel and diverse behavioural responses to any given environmental circumstance. In the experimental studies presented in this chapter wherein chimpanzees are tasked to solve particular problems, it was found that great apes such as gorillas, orang-utans, and chimpanzees display imaginative skills compared to other primates. The second aspect of imagination refers to the capacity to operate mentally in a ‘pretend’ world. This second level of imagination is higher than inventiveness as it requires holding mind distinctions between the hypothetical and real world. Although the experimental studies generated intriguing results, these results are limited, and while the pretence in apes should be observable, it is dominated by the manifestation of a more general capacity for secondary representation.
Dwight Read
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264522
- eISBN:
- 9780191734724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264522.003.0010
- Subject:
- Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology
The evolutionary trajectory from non-human to human forms of social organization involves change from experiential- to relational-based systems of social interaction. Social organization derived from ...
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The evolutionary trajectory from non-human to human forms of social organization involves change from experiential- to relational-based systems of social interaction. Social organization derived from biologically and experientially grounded social interaction reached a hiatus with the great apes due to an expansion of individualization of behaviour. The hiatus ended with the introduction of relational-based social interaction, culminating in social organization based on cultural kinship. This evolutionary trajectory links biological origins to cultural outcomes and makes evident the centrality of distributed forms of information for both the boundary and internal structure of human societies as these evolved from prior forms of social organization.Less
The evolutionary trajectory from non-human to human forms of social organization involves change from experiential- to relational-based systems of social interaction. Social organization derived from biologically and experientially grounded social interaction reached a hiatus with the great apes due to an expansion of individualization of behaviour. The hiatus ended with the introduction of relational-based social interaction, culminating in social organization based on cultural kinship. This evolutionary trajectory links biological origins to cultural outcomes and makes evident the centrality of distributed forms of information for both the boundary and internal structure of human societies as these evolved from prior forms of social organization.
David A. Leavens, Timothy P. Racine, and William D. Hopkins
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199545872
- eISBN:
- 9780191720369
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199545872.003.0008
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
This chapter reviews evidence for deixis in great apes. Some of this evidence suggests that great apes easily develop deictic repertoires in the complete absence of any explicit attempt to train ...
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This chapter reviews evidence for deixis in great apes. Some of this evidence suggests that great apes easily develop deictic repertoires in the complete absence of any explicit attempt to train them. It is argued that deixis — in the sense of the ability to direct the attention of another to a specific locus — is a capacity shared by great apes and humans. Assuming that deixis in great apes cannot ultimately derive from bipedalism or other adaptations, our hominin ancestors were pre-adapted for joint attention, which makes deixis a component of the faculty of language in the broad sense of Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch (2002).Less
This chapter reviews evidence for deixis in great apes. Some of this evidence suggests that great apes easily develop deictic repertoires in the complete absence of any explicit attempt to train them. It is argued that deixis — in the sense of the ability to direct the attention of another to a specific locus — is a capacity shared by great apes and humans. Assuming that deixis in great apes cannot ultimately derive from bipedalism or other adaptations, our hominin ancestors were pre-adapted for joint attention, which makes deixis a component of the faculty of language in the broad sense of Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch (2002).
Chris Tyler-Smith
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263112
- eISBN:
- 9780191734885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263112.003.0012
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This chapter outlines the peculiar genetic history and population characteristics of the Y chromosome, including the interaction with the X. The small size of the Y and its sex-limited transmission ...
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This chapter outlines the peculiar genetic history and population characteristics of the Y chromosome, including the interaction with the X. The small size of the Y and its sex-limited transmission make it at first sight an unlikely vehicle for the determining characteristic of the species. Human and ape Y lineages are generally believed to have split about 5–7 million years ago, while extant human Y lineages trace back to a common ancestor that probably lived between 40 and 200 thousand years ago. Between these dates, two substantial segments of DNA on the Y chromosome were duplicated on the Y: the Yq pseudoautosomal region and the Xq/Yp homology region. The former does not contain any good candidate speciation genes but the latter may. The Xq-Yp transposition probably occurred soon after the ape-human split and, at the same time or subsequently, was divided in two by an inversion.Less
This chapter outlines the peculiar genetic history and population characteristics of the Y chromosome, including the interaction with the X. The small size of the Y and its sex-limited transmission make it at first sight an unlikely vehicle for the determining characteristic of the species. Human and ape Y lineages are generally believed to have split about 5–7 million years ago, while extant human Y lineages trace back to a common ancestor that probably lived between 40 and 200 thousand years ago. Between these dates, two substantial segments of DNA on the Y chromosome were duplicated on the Y: the Yq pseudoautosomal region and the Xq/Yp homology region. The former does not contain any good candidate speciation genes but the latter may. The Xq-Yp transposition probably occurred soon after the ape-human split and, at the same time or subsequently, was divided in two by an inversion.
Christopher Boehm
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195182910
- eISBN:
- 9780199786794
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182910.003.0022
- Subject:
- Psychology, Health Psychology
This chapter explores the deep evolutionary roots of altruism and healing. It discusses medical practices among apes, as well as their medical helping behaviours. It then moves to a focus on the role ...
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This chapter explores the deep evolutionary roots of altruism and healing. It discusses medical practices among apes, as well as their medical helping behaviours. It then moves to a focus on the role of the shaman as an altruistic healer and the salutary aspects of reduced stress in the agent of altruism. It shows that the roots of genetic altruism that affect health are ancient and heavily involved with our evolved human nature. Humans evolved to be altruistic in various ways and ‘our altruism impinges significantly on our own health and that of others’.Less
This chapter explores the deep evolutionary roots of altruism and healing. It discusses medical practices among apes, as well as their medical helping behaviours. It then moves to a focus on the role of the shaman as an altruistic healer and the salutary aspects of reduced stress in the agent of altruism. It shows that the roots of genetic altruism that affect health are ancient and heavily involved with our evolved human nature. Humans evolved to be altruistic in various ways and ‘our altruism impinges significantly on our own health and that of others’.
Anne E. Russon, Carel P. van Schaik, Purwo Kuncoro, Agnes Ferisa, Dwi P. Handayani, and Maria A. van Noordwijk
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213276
- eISBN:
- 9780191707568
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213276.003.0020
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter examines spontaneous innovation in orangutans using prevalence-based methods for identifying potential innovations in free-ranging populations and comparisons between rehabilitant and ...
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This chapter examines spontaneous innovation in orangutans using prevalence-based methods for identifying potential innovations in free-ranging populations and comparisons between rehabilitant and wild orangutans. Aims were to update the list of innovations, validate potential wild innovations, and estimate the innovative processes involved. Findings derive from systematic observations at one wild orangutan site (Tuanan) and four rehabilitant sites plus findings from eight other wild orangutan sites. Wild orangutan evidence identified 56 potential innovations. Validation using rehabilitant data suggests dropping some entries, adding others, and lumping or splitting others. An approximation on what was innovated was made by comparing potential wild innovations with similar species-typical and rehabilitant variants. These comparisons suggest that orangutans innovate by making small extensions to existing skills: combining old skills in new ways, adding a tool, applying old skills to new functions, and changing the items used. All are consistent with findings on great ape intelligence.Less
This chapter examines spontaneous innovation in orangutans using prevalence-based methods for identifying potential innovations in free-ranging populations and comparisons between rehabilitant and wild orangutans. Aims were to update the list of innovations, validate potential wild innovations, and estimate the innovative processes involved. Findings derive from systematic observations at one wild orangutan site (Tuanan) and four rehabilitant sites plus findings from eight other wild orangutan sites. Wild orangutan evidence identified 56 potential innovations. Validation using rehabilitant data suggests dropping some entries, adding others, and lumping or splitting others. An approximation on what was innovated was made by comparing potential wild innovations with similar species-typical and rehabilitant variants. These comparisons suggest that orangutans innovate by making small extensions to existing skills: combining old skills in new ways, adding a tool, applying old skills to new functions, and changing the items used. All are consistent with findings on great ape intelligence.
David F. Armstrong and Sherman E. Wilcox
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195163483
- eISBN:
- 9780199867523
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195163483.003.0003
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter discusses current knowledge about the linguistic or language-like behaviour of modern great apes, especially chimpanzees (including bonobos) and gorillas. Evidence supports the idea that ...
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This chapter discusses current knowledge about the linguistic or language-like behaviour of modern great apes, especially chimpanzees (including bonobos) and gorillas. Evidence supports the idea that gesture-based language might have preceded speech in human phylogeny: (1) paleontological evidence for human anatomical evolution; (2) primatological evidence concerning the behaviour of the closest living relatives of human beings; and (3) neurological evidence concerning the organization of the substrates for linguistic behaviour in the brain.Less
This chapter discusses current knowledge about the linguistic or language-like behaviour of modern great apes, especially chimpanzees (including bonobos) and gorillas. Evidence supports the idea that gesture-based language might have preceded speech in human phylogeny: (1) paleontological evidence for human anatomical evolution; (2) primatological evidence concerning the behaviour of the closest living relatives of human beings; and (3) neurological evidence concerning the organization of the substrates for linguistic behaviour in the brain.
Andrea B. Taylor
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213276
- eISBN:
- 9780191707568
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213276.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
African apes and orangutans experience temporal and spatial fluctuations in fruit availability with similar behavioral consequences. Relying on the African apes as a comparative ecogeographic model, ...
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African apes and orangutans experience temporal and spatial fluctuations in fruit availability with similar behavioral consequences. Relying on the African apes as a comparative ecogeographic model, this chapter examines jaw form among Pongo pygmaeus morio, P.p. wurmbii, and P. abelii to determine if these populations differ predictably in ways that reflect their ecological profiles. Pongo p. morio is characterized by the longest lean fruiting periods and relies to the greatest extent on resistant and hard foods. These orangutans are found to exhibit the relatively most robust mandible, and thus display the relatively greatest capacity to counter large and repetitive jaw loads. Pongo abelii, which maintains a fruit-dominated diet even in times of fruit scarcity, displays the relatively least robust mandible. Orangutans are further shown to display a relationship between variance in energy intake, feeding efficacy, and relative brain size, suggesting a link among morphological divergence, behavioral ecology, and life history.Less
African apes and orangutans experience temporal and spatial fluctuations in fruit availability with similar behavioral consequences. Relying on the African apes as a comparative ecogeographic model, this chapter examines jaw form among Pongo pygmaeus morio, P.p. wurmbii, and P. abelii to determine if these populations differ predictably in ways that reflect their ecological profiles. Pongo p. morio is characterized by the longest lean fruiting periods and relies to the greatest extent on resistant and hard foods. These orangutans are found to exhibit the relatively most robust mandible, and thus display the relatively greatest capacity to counter large and repetitive jaw loads. Pongo abelii, which maintains a fruit-dominated diet even in times of fruit scarcity, displays the relatively least robust mandible. Orangutans are further shown to display a relationship between variance in energy intake, feeding efficacy, and relative brain size, suggesting a link among morphological divergence, behavioral ecology, and life history.
Serge A. Wich, Han de Vries, Marc Ancrenaz, Lori Perkins, Robert W. Shumaker, Akira Suzuki, and Carel P. van Schaik
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213276
- eISBN:
- 9780191707568
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213276.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
Great ape life-history data are especially relevant for tests of the predictions of life-history theory and to establish firmly the derived features of human life history and therefore the changes ...
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Great ape life-history data are especially relevant for tests of the predictions of life-history theory and to establish firmly the derived features of human life history and therefore the changes that took place during hominin evolution. This chapter compares what is known about life history data on Sumatran and Bornean orangutans. The results indicate that interbirth intervals are longer for Sumatran than Bornean orangutans. In addition, interbirth intervals on Borneo appear to decrease with a west–east gradient. The chapter proposes that these differences might be related to fruit availability differences between and within the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. As mortality data are at present not available from Borneo we compared mortality rates of captive Sumatran and Bornean orangutans. No differences for captive Sumatran and Bornean orangutans were found, however. Interbirth intervals between Sumatran and Bornean orangutans were also not found, but overall interbirth intervals were significantly shorter in captivity. We discuss these results in comparison with other hominoids.Less
Great ape life-history data are especially relevant for tests of the predictions of life-history theory and to establish firmly the derived features of human life history and therefore the changes that took place during hominin evolution. This chapter compares what is known about life history data on Sumatran and Bornean orangutans. The results indicate that interbirth intervals are longer for Sumatran than Bornean orangutans. In addition, interbirth intervals on Borneo appear to decrease with a west–east gradient. The chapter proposes that these differences might be related to fruit availability differences between and within the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. As mortality data are at present not available from Borneo we compared mortality rates of captive Sumatran and Bornean orangutans. No differences for captive Sumatran and Bornean orangutans were found, however. Interbirth intervals between Sumatran and Bornean orangutans were also not found, but overall interbirth intervals were significantly shorter in captivity. We discuss these results in comparison with other hominoids.
Anne E. Russon, Serge A. Wich, Marc Ancrenaz, Tomoko Kanamori, Cheryl D. Knott, Noko Kuze, Helen C. Morrogh-Bernard, Peter Pratje, Hatta Ramlee, Peter Rodman, Azrie Sawang, Kade Sidiyasa, Ian Singleton, and Carel P. van Schaik
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213276
- eISBN:
- 9780191707568
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213276.003.0009
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter explores variation in orangutan diets across their range, based on food lists. The authors of the chapter consolidated orangutan food lists from all available long-term field sites (N = ...
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This chapter explores variation in orangutan diets across their range, based on food lists. The authors of the chapter consolidated orangutan food lists from all available long-term field sites (N = 15). They represent both islands, multiple habitat types, varied degrees of degradation, and wild and rehabilitant populations. The chapter assesses the effects of habitat productivity (island, habitat type, habitat degradation) and rehabilitant–wild status on food lists. Findings suggest inverse relationships between habitat productivity and total plant taxa eaten at a site, the intensity at which individual food taxa are used, and the proportion of plant food species from which important food types are eaten. Analyses also explore food lists to suggest medical plant use, cultural influences on food knowledge, and the relationship between orangutan and other great ape diets. Discussion concerns conceptual implications of findings, methodological limitations to using food lists in the study of diet, and conservation applications.Less
This chapter explores variation in orangutan diets across their range, based on food lists. The authors of the chapter consolidated orangutan food lists from all available long-term field sites (N = 15). They represent both islands, multiple habitat types, varied degrees of degradation, and wild and rehabilitant populations. The chapter assesses the effects of habitat productivity (island, habitat type, habitat degradation) and rehabilitant–wild status on food lists. Findings suggest inverse relationships between habitat productivity and total plant taxa eaten at a site, the intensity at which individual food taxa are used, and the proportion of plant food species from which important food types are eaten. Analyses also explore food lists to suggest medical plant use, cultural influences on food knowledge, and the relationship between orangutan and other great ape diets. Discussion concerns conceptual implications of findings, methodological limitations to using food lists in the study of diet, and conservation applications.
Richard Passingham
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199230136
- eISBN:
- 9780191696428
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230136.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
It is plausible that evolution could have created the human skeleton, but it is hard to believe that it created the human mind. Yet, in six or seven million years, evolution came up with Homo ...
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It is plausible that evolution could have created the human skeleton, but it is hard to believe that it created the human mind. Yet, in six or seven million years, evolution came up with Homo sapiens, a creature unlike anything the world had ever known. The mental gap between man and ape is immense, and yet evolution bridged that gap in so short a space of time. Since the brain is the organ of the mind, it is natural to assume that during the evolution of our hominid ancestors there were changes in the brain that can account for this gap. This book is a search for those changes. It is not enough to understand the universe, the world, or the animal kingdom: we need to understand ourselves. Humans are unlike any other animal in dominating the earth and adapting to any environment. This book searches for specializations in the human brain that make this possible. As well as considering the anatomical differences, it examines the contribution of different areas of the brain — reviewing studies in which functional brain imaging has been used to study the brain mechanisms that are involved in perception, manual skill, language, planning, reasoning, and social cognition. It considers a range of skills unique to us — for example our ability to learn a language and pass on cultural traditions in this way, and become aware of our own thoughts through inner speech. The book constitutes a quest to understand those things that make humans unique.Less
It is plausible that evolution could have created the human skeleton, but it is hard to believe that it created the human mind. Yet, in six or seven million years, evolution came up with Homo sapiens, a creature unlike anything the world had ever known. The mental gap between man and ape is immense, and yet evolution bridged that gap in so short a space of time. Since the brain is the organ of the mind, it is natural to assume that during the evolution of our hominid ancestors there were changes in the brain that can account for this gap. This book is a search for those changes. It is not enough to understand the universe, the world, or the animal kingdom: we need to understand ourselves. Humans are unlike any other animal in dominating the earth and adapting to any environment. This book searches for specializations in the human brain that make this possible. As well as considering the anatomical differences, it examines the contribution of different areas of the brain — reviewing studies in which functional brain imaging has been used to study the brain mechanisms that are involved in perception, manual skill, language, planning, reasoning, and social cognition. It considers a range of skills unique to us — for example our ability to learn a language and pass on cultural traditions in this way, and become aware of our own thoughts through inner speech. The book constitutes a quest to understand those things that make humans unique.
Paul Waldau
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195145717
- eISBN:
- 9780199834792
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195145712.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Three groups of socially and cognitively complex nonhuman animals are discussed: elephants, cetaceans (whales and dolphins), and nonhuman great apes (gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, and chimpanzees). ...
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Three groups of socially and cognitively complex nonhuman animals are discussed: elephants, cetaceans (whales and dolphins), and nonhuman great apes (gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, and chimpanzees). These are assessed in terms of a constellation of general characteristics that lead to rich social relationships among complex individuals, which in turn leads to ethical importance or considerability. The limits of epistemology and sociology of knowledge regarding factual realities are analyzed. The central place of language in ethical debates is assessed.Less
Three groups of socially and cognitively complex nonhuman animals are discussed: elephants, cetaceans (whales and dolphins), and nonhuman great apes (gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, and chimpanzees). These are assessed in terms of a constellation of general characteristics that lead to rich social relationships among complex individuals, which in turn leads to ethical importance or considerability. The limits of epistemology and sociology of knowledge regarding factual realities are analyzed. The central place of language in ethical debates is assessed.
William D. Hopkins
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195326598
- eISBN:
- 9780199864904
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326598.003.0029
- Subject:
- Psychology, Neuropsychology, Evolutionary Psychology
This chapter reviews behavioral and neurobiological data on tool use in primates. It shows that great apes, in particular chimpanzees, excel at tool use—especially generalizing principles to new ...
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This chapter reviews behavioral and neurobiological data on tool use in primates. It shows that great apes, in particular chimpanzees, excel at tool use—especially generalizing principles to new tool-using tasks and contexts. However, there is limited evidence that monkeys, even highly manual species such as capuchins, do so as readily. It is argued that this behavior is strongly associated with neuroanatomical changes that include the expansion of the cerebellum and interhemispheric connectivity.Less
This chapter reviews behavioral and neurobiological data on tool use in primates. It shows that great apes, in particular chimpanzees, excel at tool use—especially generalizing principles to new tool-using tasks and contexts. However, there is limited evidence that monkeys, even highly manual species such as capuchins, do so as readily. It is argued that this behavior is strongly associated with neuroanatomical changes that include the expansion of the cerebellum and interhemispheric connectivity.
Larry A. Witham
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195150452
- eISBN:
- 9780199834860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195150457.003.0015
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Questions of human origins and human nature stir emotional debates over Darwin and the Bible. This chapter looks at evolutionist and creationist views of morality. It asks whether human nature is ...
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Questions of human origins and human nature stir emotional debates over Darwin and the Bible. This chapter looks at evolutionist and creationist views of morality. It asks whether human nature is explained best by (1) top–down or bottom–up forces, (2) mind–body dualism or biological monism, and (3) sociability or selfishness. It covers sociobiology, evolutionary “emergence” of morals, apes as ancestors, the social role of religion, and the “soul.”Less
Questions of human origins and human nature stir emotional debates over Darwin and the Bible. This chapter looks at evolutionist and creationist views of morality. It asks whether human nature is explained best by (1) top–down or bottom–up forces, (2) mind–body dualism or biological monism, and (3) sociability or selfishness. It covers sociobiology, evolutionary “emergence” of morals, apes as ancestors, the social role of religion, and the “soul.”
R. I. M. DUNBAR
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264355
- eISBN:
- 9780191734052
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264355.003.0015
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This lecture presents the text of the speech about humans and apes delivered by the author at the 2007 Joint British Academy/British Psychological Society Annual Lecture held at the British Academy. ...
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This lecture presents the text of the speech about humans and apes delivered by the author at the 2007 Joint British Academy/British Psychological Society Annual Lecture held at the British Academy. It comments on the claim that an evolutionary perspective is not a competing paradigm for conventional explanations in the social sciences, and explains the why humans are so different from other apes and monkeys, despite the fact that we share so much of our evolutionary history with them.Less
This lecture presents the text of the speech about humans and apes delivered by the author at the 2007 Joint British Academy/British Psychological Society Annual Lecture held at the British Academy. It comments on the claim that an evolutionary perspective is not a competing paradigm for conventional explanations in the social sciences, and explains the why humans are so different from other apes and monkeys, despite the fact that we share so much of our evolutionary history with them.
Erika Lorraine Milam
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691181882
- eISBN:
- 9780691185095
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691181882.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter traces the popularization of the “killer ape” theory through the work of Robert Ardrey. It shows how Ardrey did not confine his use of “mankind” to Homo sapiens or to men. Preferring to ...
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This chapter traces the popularization of the “killer ape” theory through the work of Robert Ardrey. It shows how Ardrey did not confine his use of “mankind” to Homo sapiens or to men. Preferring to recognize the long evolutionary lineage resulting in modern humans, he used “man” to include all of our hominid ancestors, from the moment our evolutionary lineage diverged from the lineages of other apes. Second, the chapter reveals that, throughout his writings, but especially in African Genesis, Ardrey evoked stereotypes of Africa as a timeless, wild, and primitive continent in which our ancient past had been preserved for the few Westerners (like himself) who were brave enough to confront it. In doing so, Ardrey promoted images of Africans that cultural anthropologists, civil rights leaders, and the designers of Man: A Course of Study (MACOS) were desperately trying to combat but that a reading white public eagerly consumed.Less
This chapter traces the popularization of the “killer ape” theory through the work of Robert Ardrey. It shows how Ardrey did not confine his use of “mankind” to Homo sapiens or to men. Preferring to recognize the long evolutionary lineage resulting in modern humans, he used “man” to include all of our hominid ancestors, from the moment our evolutionary lineage diverged from the lineages of other apes. Second, the chapter reveals that, throughout his writings, but especially in African Genesis, Ardrey evoked stereotypes of Africa as a timeless, wild, and primitive continent in which our ancient past had been preserved for the few Westerners (like himself) who were brave enough to confront it. In doing so, Ardrey promoted images of Africans that cultural anthropologists, civil rights leaders, and the designers of Man: A Course of Study (MACOS) were desperately trying to combat but that a reading white public eagerly consumed.
Erika Lorraine Milam
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691181882
- eISBN:
- 9780691185095
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691181882.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter looks into the work of Desmond Morris, particularly his book, The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's View of the Human Animal (1967). Morris took a more light-hearted approach to human nature than ...
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This chapter looks into the work of Desmond Morris, particularly his book, The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's View of the Human Animal (1967). Morris took a more light-hearted approach to human nature than had either Ardrey or Lorenz, choosing to emphasize the pleasure-seeking aspect of human nature and the resulting sexual dilemmas of modern man. According to Morris, “the naked ape is the sexiest primate alive.” More than in any other species, he suggested, human social bonding resulted from sexual attraction and interactions. In The Naked Ape, Morris provocatively suggested that humans lost the fur covering the bodies of most other mammals because it facilitated sexual caresses and made possible the development of other, now accessible, sexual signals.Less
This chapter looks into the work of Desmond Morris, particularly his book, The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's View of the Human Animal (1967). Morris took a more light-hearted approach to human nature than had either Ardrey or Lorenz, choosing to emphasize the pleasure-seeking aspect of human nature and the resulting sexual dilemmas of modern man. According to Morris, “the naked ape is the sexiest primate alive.” More than in any other species, he suggested, human social bonding resulted from sexual attraction and interactions. In The Naked Ape, Morris provocatively suggested that humans lost the fur covering the bodies of most other mammals because it facilitated sexual caresses and made possible the development of other, now accessible, sexual signals.
Erika Lorraine Milam
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691181882
- eISBN:
- 9780691185095
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691181882.003.0016
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter looks at the scientific revelations produced by Jane Goodall's studies on great apes and the effects these studies had on the contentious field of sociobiology. When Jane Goodall and ...
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This chapter looks at the scientific revelations produced by Jane Goodall's studies on great apes and the effects these studies had on the contentious field of sociobiology. When Jane Goodall and David Hamburg argued for the biological similarities shared by humans and chimpanzees, they also articulated a vision of human nature. They based this vision on biological relatedness rather than on ecological sympathy and implicitly questioned the gendered roles and social hierarchies that characterized baboon behavior as the most appropriate primate model for reconstructing the social and behavioral norms that might have characterized early human life on the savannah. Goodall's early discoveries that chimpanzees manufactured tools, sticks with which to eat termites and masticated leaves with which to sponge up water, fit well with hypotheses that the origins of tool use lay in manufacturing aids for “gathering and processing food” rather than as weapons. But one of Hamburg's graduate students later recalled him warning her not to go overboard with sociobiology.Less
This chapter looks at the scientific revelations produced by Jane Goodall's studies on great apes and the effects these studies had on the contentious field of sociobiology. When Jane Goodall and David Hamburg argued for the biological similarities shared by humans and chimpanzees, they also articulated a vision of human nature. They based this vision on biological relatedness rather than on ecological sympathy and implicitly questioned the gendered roles and social hierarchies that characterized baboon behavior as the most appropriate primate model for reconstructing the social and behavioral norms that might have characterized early human life on the savannah. Goodall's early discoveries that chimpanzees manufactured tools, sticks with which to eat termites and masticated leaves with which to sponge up water, fit well with hypotheses that the origins of tool use lay in manufacturing aids for “gathering and processing food” rather than as weapons. But one of Hamburg's graduate students later recalled him warning her not to go overboard with sociobiology.
Sean Latham
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195379990
- eISBN:
- 9780199869053
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195379990.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century Literature and Modernism
This chapter explores the way James Joyce and Wyndham Lewis negotiated the legal consequences of their narrative experiments with libel and defamation in key romans à clef like Ulysses and The Apes ...
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This chapter explores the way James Joyce and Wyndham Lewis negotiated the legal consequences of their narrative experiments with libel and defamation in key romans à clef like Ulysses and The Apes of God. Both drew heavily on their own lives—as well as those of nearly everyone they knew—to launch a deliberate critique of the moral, aesthetic, and legal divide between fact and fiction. This forms, in fact, a fundamental aspect of their high modernist aesthetics. The interpenetration of world and text in their major works, however, also led both men into often grave legal trouble, putting their books in limbo and, in Lewis’s case, leading to a seemingly endless string of crippling lawsuits. Far from purely extraliterary events, these legal entanglements are instead an organizing component of the works themselves: the core element of a largely forgotten modernism structured around social, aesthetic, and legal contests between fiction and reality. Forged and circulated in this complex field of force, this chapter examines the ways these experimental texts not only exploit the ambiguities of libel law but are themselves inevitably constrained by its potent ability to adjudicate fact and thereby define the limits of fiction.Less
This chapter explores the way James Joyce and Wyndham Lewis negotiated the legal consequences of their narrative experiments with libel and defamation in key romans à clef like Ulysses and The Apes of God. Both drew heavily on their own lives—as well as those of nearly everyone they knew—to launch a deliberate critique of the moral, aesthetic, and legal divide between fact and fiction. This forms, in fact, a fundamental aspect of their high modernist aesthetics. The interpenetration of world and text in their major works, however, also led both men into often grave legal trouble, putting their books in limbo and, in Lewis’s case, leading to a seemingly endless string of crippling lawsuits. Far from purely extraliterary events, these legal entanglements are instead an organizing component of the works themselves: the core element of a largely forgotten modernism structured around social, aesthetic, and legal contests between fiction and reality. Forged and circulated in this complex field of force, this chapter examines the ways these experimental texts not only exploit the ambiguities of libel law but are themselves inevitably constrained by its potent ability to adjudicate fact and thereby define the limits of fiction.
