Speaking of applying logic, that’s what we typically do through science studies, which consistently show that other animals experience emotion and self-awareness to far higher degrees than previously understood.
asking about one’s character and goals, is likely unique to humans in my view.
I agree that modern man likely has the most articulated language that’s ever existed on earth, which is a big part of that. But would hunter-gatherers have asked themselves about their ‘character and goals’ as part of their regular life? I don’t know that such would be the case especially more than other humans or apes did or do. That said, keeping a nomadic, tool-using tribe going arguably would have required more of that than at any other level of organisation.
Which again suggests to me that a big part of that impetus comes from the level of civilisation I described. I think that’s really what you’re thinking of. Which hardly correlates to our genes at all.
Speaking of applying logic, that’s what we typically do through science studies, which consistently show that other animals experience emotion and self-awareness to far higher degrees than previously understood.
I agree that modern man likely has the most articulated language that’s ever existed on earth, which is a big part of that. But would hunter-gatherers have asked themselves about their ‘character and goals’ as part of their regular life? I don’t know that such would be the case especially more than other humans or apes did or do. That said, keeping a nomadic, tool-using tribe going arguably would have required more of that than at any other level of organisation.
Which again suggests to me that a big part of that impetus comes from the level of civilisation I described. I think that’s really what you’re thinking of. Which hardly correlates to our genes at all.