Saturday 12th May

Why, of all the animals, of which we are undeniably one, are humans so different.  Why have we, one single species, developed to the extent that we pretend to rule over all the other species.  It may actually be true as some anthropologists claim that there were a few different types of humanoid apes which emerged around the same time, and we, homo-sapiens simply wiped the others out.  Whatever, we were all essentially the same, sentient intelligent and ruthless apes who have developed a sophisticated society and have harnessed natural phenomena like fire and water and metal and electricity to fashion a totally different world for ourselves than any creatures before us.  Was it the larger brain, or the use of a thumb at right angles, giving us such dexterity and hand control, was it the development of language, the articulation of complex thoughts and being able to pass on knowledge to younger members of the species, was it even, as some think, the discovery of cooking, which meant we did not have to spend most of our time looking for food; or was it none or a combination of these things that was the trigger to propel us from just another grunting ape and into being human.

Or was it something else, was it maybe the innate nature of being human that has elevated (or relegated, take your pick) us above the other species.  Was it the development of a consciousness, the fact that we saw ourselves as a species apart, as thinking creatures rather than relying on instinct to get ourselves through life.  Was it our awareness that we could think about the world we saw around us, and to ask questions both of the world and of ourselves that made the difference.  For all of dolphins assumed intelligence there is precious little evidence that they have a view as to the creation of the universe or the meaning of life itself.  Some chimps have been trained to use language to communicate with us, but would they have bothered or even thought about this possibility without the language we have given them.  So it is the nature of being human that is maybe the clue to why we have come so far.  It may also be the reason for our eventual downfall too, so watch this space.