Cooperation Is What Makes Us Human (2013)

nautil.us

33 pointsjestinjoy14 comments

hmmm....I think it's more than that. Ants, bees and other insects cooperate. The defining characteristic may be an awareness of mortality, which is probably what prompted the rescue.

When it seems like there's an obvious dismissal of serious work, the odds are low that the researchers don't know about it, so it's best to check. In this case, if you search for "ants" in the article, the first hit is:

Many species, from ants to orcas to our primate cousins, cooperate in the wild. But Tomasello has identified [...]

I'll leave it to the reader to learn what Tomasello has identified.

In which case a better title would be "Shared Intentionality is What Makes Us Human", as plenty of species cooperate, whether deliberately or otherwise. It's an interest idea, nonetheless, if true.

One thing which distinguishes us from other animals, and is shared by all human cultures, is our ability to control and use fire.

> In which case a better title

It's almost as if you don't want to actually read the article or something.

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