The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own lives and our own ways, because we actually know much better how to do it then when you start interfering."
Jane GoodallRead
Chimps can do all sorts of things we thought that only we could do - like tool-making and abstraction and generalisation. They can learn a language - sign language - and they can use the signs. But when you think of our intellects, even the brightest chimp looks like a very small child.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the cognitive abilities of chimpanzees while emphasizing the vast difference in intellectual capacity between humans and chimps.
Jane Goodall's quote reflects on the remarkable capabilities of chimpanzees, such as tool-making and learning sign language, which challenge the notion of human uniqueness in intelligence. However, she points out that despite these impressive skills, the overall intellectual level of chimps is still significantly lower than that of humans, underscoring the complexities of human cognition and our distinct mental abilities.
Themes
ChimpsIntellectCognitionHumanLanguage
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about animal intelligence in a biology class.
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In what terms should we think of these beings, nonhuman yet possessing so very many human-like characteristics? How should we treat them? Surely we should treat them with the same consideration and kindness as we show to other humans; and as we recognize human rights, so too should we recognize the rights of the great apes? Yes.
Jane GoodallRead
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