Yeah but they can tell us a whole lot about being a chimpanzee. That's about all we can rightfully expect of them.
Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
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Re: Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
#12Do we gain insight comparing President Obama to a chimpanzee?
Re: Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
#13> Racism and global climate change are not explained by our shared history with chimpanzees, nor are gender diversity, the #MeToo movement, and the recent rise in nationalism. No. It can all be compared to how most social mammals operate. Racism & nationalism have their roots in tribalism, a very useful tool to keep a tribe cohesive and thus competitive against other tribes. Climate change: Have a look at any invasiv…
I would say that racism is rooted not specifically tribalism but more broadly in inductive reasoning (particular-to-general heuristics) which has been absolutely indispensable to survival and evolution.
It is critical to classify a creature as friend or foe based on what class it belongs to, rather than granting the instance benefit of doubt.
How previously observed members of a group have behaved in the past constitutes rational evidence for estimating the future behavior of a newly observed member of that group.
Re: Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
#14> Racism and global climate change are not explained by our shared history with chimpanzees, nor are gender diversity, the #MeToo movement, and the recent rise in nationalism. No. It can all be compared to how most social mammals operate. Racism & nationalism have their roots in tribalism, a very useful tool to keep a tribe cohesive and thus competitive against other tribes. Climate change: Have a look at any invasiv…
Classic HN. Layman comments to tell us why a trained professional knows less than them.
Re: Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
#15How can this be the leading sentence in a scientific article?? "Do we gain insight by comparing President Trump to a chimpanzee?" Edit: this is in response to this idea being floated in the media and this article is responding to it. Thanks child comment for the context.
I think it shows the hypocracy on the left. On the one hand it may be a fair question to ask, scientifically [comparing people to any non human species], but imagine someone on the right used that sentence for someone on the left, even if honestly seeking scientific inquiry. They’d be lambasted for being insentive at the least.
Re: Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
#16> Racism and global climate change are not explained by our shared history with chimpanzees, nor are gender diversity, the #MeToo movement, and the recent rise in nationalism. No. It can all be compared to how most social mammals operate. Racism & nationalism have their roots in tribalism, a very useful tool to keep a tribe cohesive and thus competitive against other tribes. Climate change: Have a look at any invasiv…
Classic HN. Layman comments to tell us why a trained professional knows less than them.
Classic HN: this is "pop sci, and not a scientific article" in one comment, and "written by a trained professional" in another.
Re: Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
#17How can this be the leading sentence in a scientific article?? "Do we gain insight by comparing President Trump to a chimpanzee?" Edit: this is in response to this idea being floated in the media and this article is responding to it. Thanks child comment for the context.
I think it shows the hypocracy on the left. On the one hand it may be a fair question to ask, scientifically [comparing people to any non human species], but imagine someone on the right used that sentence for someone on the left, even if honestly seeking scientific inquiry. They’d be lambasted for being insentive at the least.
> even if honestly seeking scientific inquiry.
OK, so show us an example. We don't have to "imagine" someone on the right comparing Barack and Michelle Obama to chimps, or apes, or gorillas in a non-scientific inquiry because it was a constant during his presidency.
Re: Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
#18> Racism and global climate change are not explained by our shared history with chimpanzees, nor are gender diversity, the #MeToo movement, and the recent rise in nationalism. No. It can all be compared to how most social mammals operate. Racism & nationalism have their roots in tribalism, a very useful tool to keep a tribe cohesive and thus competitive against other tribes. Climate change: Have a look at any invasiv…
Classic HN. Layman comments to tell us why a trained professional knows less than them.
This isn't fair, the OP broke down his arguments for why the author was wrong, and all you do is appeal to the author's authority as a "trained professional". After a certain amount of life experience you realize that "trained professionals" in some (many?) fields of study often have glaring gaps in their knowledge of are purposely ignorant of some set of facts/ideas that do not corroborate their philosophical leanings.
Either way I feel it would have been more productive to rebut the GP on the merits of his arguments. For the record, I agree with him, though I am also not a "trained professional", just an amateur who has spent a lot of time thinking about this subject.
Re: Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
#19> Racism and global climate change are not explained by our shared history with chimpanzees, nor are gender diversity, the #MeToo movement, and the recent rise in nationalism. No. It can all be compared to how most social mammals operate. Racism & nationalism have their roots in tribalism, a very useful tool to keep a tribe cohesive and thus competitive against other tribes. Climate change: Have a look at any invasiv…
Classic HN. Layman comments to tell us why a trained professional knows less than them.
Cannibals and Kings - Marvin Harris
Warriors and Worriers - Joyce Bennenson
Sex at Dawn - Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá
Re: Most of what chimpanzees and humans do today is not directly comparable
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it shows the hypocracy on the left. On the one hand it may be a fair question to ask, scientifically [comparing people to any non human species], but imagine someone on the right used that sentence for someone on the left, even if honestly seeking scientific inquiry. They’d be lambasted for being insentive at the least.
> even if honestly seeking scientific inquiry. OK, so show us an example. We don't have to "imagine" someone on the right comparing Barack and Michelle Obama to chimps, or apes, or gorillas in a non-scientific inquiry because it was a constant during his presidency.
And we’re saying that that was okay? I don’t think so. So why is it okay in this case? Or are we saying it’s dishonest for a leading expert to engage in this juvenile behavior pretending it’s scientific inquiry?
Imagine a scientist on the right equivocating Hillary with a rat, or something to that effect.
People on the right get compared to Neanderthals as well. My point is no one should honestly be making these comparisons, if they also want to keep the moral high ground.