

How Are Humans Unique? - robg
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/magazine/25wwln-essay-t.html?partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

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dcurtis
To suggest that the only major difference betweeen humans and chimps is social
seems kind of stupid to me. The human brain is obviously more advanced and
capabile of more complex resoning beyond that of simple social interactions.

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jpeterson
I think a better way to state it is that the major differences you're
picturing between humans and chimps might actually be social in origin.

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dcurtis
I'm sure that is the basis of this guy's argument, but the biggest differences
are the physical ones in the brain. Did those physical changes occur due to
social pressures? I don't know and neither does the author. It is a weak
argument.

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jpeterson
What differences are there in the brain besides physical ones? And the point
is not that the changes happened because of social pressures, but because more
complicated forms of social interaction aided our ability to work in groups to
survive.

For example, I don't think it's a major stretch to imagine that rudimentary
mathematics might've arisen so that we could communicate to each other hunting
distances, necessary food rations, etc...

By the way, I think your point is valid, and I'm not sure why you're being
downmodded. It seems that downmod here is becoming more like the reddit
disagreement downmod than indicating whether the content of the post is valid,
as it should be.

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xlnt
Humans share more DNA with Ayn Rand than apes do.

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martythemaniak
And yet, most would rather share more with apes than Ayn Rand.

