What Separates us from the Apes

“What Separates us from the Apes”

We have a great power to save the nature and help the world, and the hope is in our hands.

Presented by Jane Goodall

Dame Valerie Jane Morris Goodall was born in april 3 year 1934, she is an British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. She is mostly well known for her 45 year old study of chimpanzee social and family behavior in Gombe Stream National Park,Tanzania, and for founding the Jane Goodall Institute. She was born in London and after her parent’s divorce moved with her mother to a Bournemouth, UK. Her love to animals started from the early childhood and her first monkey- toy that she still has. She have been married twice and has an adorable son. Jane and her younger sister, Judy, both suffer from prosopagnosia, a neurological condition which impairs the recognition of human faces. She is a leader of a global youth program called “Roots and Shoots” with more than 10,000 groups in more than 100 countries in the world. One of her major break- thoughts is a discovery of chimpanzees as toolmakers which made several scientists reconsider their definition of being a human. Unlike other scientists she assigned to each chimp a name, at that time a numbering was used almost all over the world to prevent emotional attachment and objectivity. Goodal remains a one and only human that had been ever accepted to the chimpanzee society. One of her high- ranking female chimp friends convinced the group to take Jane as one of their own. She spent 22 month in their group as a low- ranking female, however was forced to leave after the male chimp that never liked and accepted her took over as alpha male. She is an active environmentalist, animal welfare activist and had been awarded for her work tens of times. She is a strong animal defender and just as any active, famous and fabulous scientists had been criticized.

a. Promiscuous- random.

b. Satellite- companion.

c. Humility- resignedly.

d. Cognition- perception

e. Hunched- bent

I found pages 191-199 pages helpful. On pages 191- 194 there is huge passage about ape tool use and manufacture. Pages 194- 195 are about ape culture. 195-199 are about language capabilities of apes. All those articles as I would name them are innovations, because just a while ago people thought about themselves that they are one and only intelligent species which are capable to communicate with each other widely and have language, the only tool makers and users as well as they are the only one who has culture.

I have not heard before about “Roots and Shoots” community, I would say. It is very interesting to find out that there still are those who care about nature, who want to make it better and less polluted. I did not know a thing about a bush meat and I feel very bad about people doing this, as well as I feel sorry for them. The last tree on an Easter Island was new for me. I did not know how bad the African situation is, it makes me sad.

1. There is no sharp line dividing humans from the rest of the animal kingdom.

2. Once we will understand that we are not the only species in this world with personalities and abilities to feel emotions we will show more respect to the other creatures.

3. The one thing we have that makes us different from the other species is our language

4. The hope is in our hands.

To be a human means to find your own way and to change the world with a power of a word, with a power of colorful language, every person makes a difference.

I found this presentation very interesting. Strong, smart and beautiful words were used to describe things. A lot of epithets were used to straighten the meaning and power of her words. She is a very good orator and I enjoyed listening to her lecture over and over again.