Human evolution; we hear pitch better than monkeys (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, July 15, 2019, 10:12 (1956 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: I really don’t know why the search has to be eternal! I think most of us recognize that we are very different from other primates, just as whales are different from elephants, and shark are different from goldfish. Many would say that the major difference in us is mental rather than physical, but on the other hand many of those people would also say that the mental difference is caused by a physical difference - namely the brain.

DAVID: There are major physical changes that humans have not related to the brain when compared to other primates: hand dexterity, different shoulder uses, different pelvis allowing upright posture, vocal apparatus marked changes, etc. There is a large list of anatomic differences, not related to the brain development.

Agreed. My point was twofold: what sets us apart from ALL other species is our mental capacity (see below), but at the same time I wanted to draw attention to the fact that some people believe this is actually caused by a physical difference (the complexities of the brain).

dhw: […] For those of us who believe in common descent, it should be crystal clear that no matter how different species are, much of what makes us “human” has actually been inherited from our non-human ancestors.

DAVID: You always try to diminish the differences humans have from all other creatures to support your views about how evolution works without god.

I have never ever denied the enormous gulf between our mental capacities and those of our fellow animals. But that does not invalidate my statement, the purpose of which was to support The Times in its plea that we should respect our fellow animals, with whom we have so much in common. Nothing whatsoever to do with “evolution works without God”, and you know perfectly well that the hypothesis relating to cellular intelligence allows for God as the inventor.