Humans and Primates

Humans are primates. However, non-human primates possess an array of close similarities to humans, though many are unable to accept this scientific fact, "There is a willingness of many people to deny our close behavioral, cognitive and language links with other primates. But we're not different in kind, only degree, from monkeys and apes. They are part of our evolutionary history" (Olson 2). It was a concept such as this that made Darwin one of the most controversial figures at the turn of the century. However, our ability to communicate through language is one of the few unique differences between human and non-human primates. With respect to what we can learn about humans from other primates, there are two main fields of human interest greatly focused on non-human primates, sociology and bio-medicine. There are many species and sizes of primates, and humans share many characteristics similar to the primate group known as the anthropoids:

The 183 species of primates range from two-ounce mouse lemurs to 350-pound gorillas; from solitary orangutans to group-living macaques; from sap-eating marmosets to fruit-eating gibbons. The primate order includes species of tarsiers, lemurs, and lorises, which make up the pre-monkeys or prosimians, and species of monkeys and apes, which are called anthropoids. Humans are also anthropoids. Most primates (especially anthropoids) share characteristics such as grasping hands and feet, i

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non-human primates are incapable of communicating through human forms of language because of their physical inability to form human speech sounds. However, there are humans who have lost vocal capabilities but still master the human spoken language, so it is erroneous to think physical limitations by themselves represent an insurmountable obstacle. Those in favor of non-human primates being able to learn a human-like language argue there are many reasons why they support such a perspective, "It is not out of the realm of possibility that other animals might further evolve to become physically able to speak. There is much we do not known about the ways humans use words to mean things, yet we are presume to know without a doubt that other animals could not possibly be so advanced as we are. How can we know for sure that non-human primates don't already have a rich and varied vocabulary, vocal and gestural, that little resembles our language but is just as functional. Until we can communicate with non-human primates in their language, we will not be fully qualified to claim that they cannot learn ours" (Nonhuman 1). There are also modern social issues which affect humans that studying non-human primates help us more fully unde

Category: Philosophy - H