what makes humans different from other species?. particularly chimpanzees, or gorillas, our closest...
TRANSCRIPT
So that being said, what gives us the capacity for language, art, dance, music, emotion, family – basically, culture?
Some well respected anthropologists suspect what separates us most from other species is our encephalized brains (we
have the largest brain/body size proportion of any animal)..
Others suspect that our separation from the rest of the animal kingdom lies in our bipedal abilities, which
no other primates have to the extent that we do.
Being bipedal gave us the ability to have completely face-to-face interactions, as well as opened up the hands to be used more freely, leading to more advanced tool use (compared to that of other apes), which then required instruction and social
interaction in order to pass the skill on to other humans.
Still others suspect that because of our larger and lower voice boxes (they are further down along the larynx than other apes, we were able to speak and
form language we were able to better communicate, a characteristic that no other animal has to the extent
that humans do.
This ability to speak, write, and interact intellectually is an incredible ability for any species, imagine how particular the
evolution must have been to have us end up being able to create and use hundreds
of different languages, not all verbal, in order to interact. Just the wiring in the
brain necessary for that ability is incredible to think about!
Others, such as one of the people that I interviewed regarding this project, believe that what makes
human’s special is their ability to explain the unexplainable, create organized religions that is
recognized across large portions of the population, and the need to help others. My mother for example is a doctor, and always willing to help those in need. This drive to assist those who need assisting is not as
prominent in other species, its every animal for himself out there for the most part!
Personally, I think it’s a combination of all of these things. I suspect that because of our body, our bipedalism, and our brains, we were able to communicate, allowing us to use tools. Because
we could use tools we were able to hunt and acquire nutrient-rich foods such as meat, allowing our brains to have more nutrients and to grow even larger. As our brains grew, so did our capacity
for culture. Brain growth and language allowed us to interact and further use our brains to build things like languages, invent things
like basic infrastructure, be creative enough to give us art and music and dance. These cultural capabilities are what make us all
so special, so human. I still do not know why we of all species were blessed with such abilities, or if maybe we just got very
evolutionarily lucky, but I do know that without them we would not be so special, we would not be such a dominant species.
Bibliography
Alda, Allan. "Human Spark." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 20 July 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/humanspark/>.
Fisher, Simon E., and Matt Riddley. "Culture, Genes, and the Human Revolution." Science Mag. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2013.
Lemonick, Michael D., and Andrea Dorfman. "What Makes Us Different?" Time. Time, n.d. Web. 20 July 2013.
"Top 10 Things That Make Humans Special." LiveScience.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2013. "We Are Big Idea Hunters…." Big Think. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2013.
"What Makes Humans Special?" Interview by Katherine Ashley, Jacob Telford, Michelle Boyle, Meagan Boyle, David Ashley, and Karen Blackmer. 18 July 2013.