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From: rob@amadeus.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.misc
Subject: Re: Unusual characteristics of Humans
Message-ID: <3032@zeus.TEK.COM>
Date: 24 Jan 88 07:50:51 GMT
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Reply-To: rob@amadeus.UUCP (Dan Tilque)
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Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
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Posted: Sun Jan 24 02:50:51 1988


>Peter da Silva writes:
>>
>>There just aren't that many qualitative differences between humans and other
>>species... most of the differences are in degree rather than kind.
>
Richard Harter writes:
>This isn't true.  It is true that humans are mammals and retain many of the
>body plan features of mammals.  However humans are quite unusual.  They have
>unique characteristics and others that are very rare.  Many differences are
>so marked that they constitute a difference of kind rather than merely 
>degree.  Here is a partial list.
>
>(5)	Complex non-instinctual social behaviour.   Again the difference
>is so large as to be a difference in kind rather one of quantity.

It seems to me that some of the traits you have listed will apply to the great
apes too, especially this one.  Perhaps the behavior is not as complex
(although I'd doubt it) but chimps and gorillas have to learn how to do
such necessary functions as mating and raising offspring.  These behaviors
are not instinctive any more than they are for humans.


---
Dan Tilque

This is a borrowed account, so be sure to indicate that replies are for me 
and not for Rob.


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