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Abstract
Humans are primates. We have evolved from common ancestors and the evolution of the human body is becoming increasingly clear as the archeological record expands. But for most people the gap between humans and animals lies in the mind, not in the body. And minds do not fossilise. To reconstruct the evolution of mind, scholars have thus increasingly looked to our closest relatives for clues. Here I discuss four ways in which the study of primates may inform such reconstruction: fact-finding, phylogenetic reconstruction, analogy, and regression models. Knowledge about primates can help us bridge the gap. Extinction of our closest relatives, on the other hand, would not only deplete that source of information but also increase the apparent differences between animal and human minds. It is likely that we have a long history of displacing closely related species, including the other hominids, leading us to appear ever more unique.
Acknowledgement
Work on this manuscript was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (DP0208300).
Notes
This article is based on an address given in the Distinguished Lecture Series of the Psychology Chapter of the LaTrobe University Alumni Association, Melbourne, Australia on 22 May, 2003.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Thomas Suddendorf
This article is based on an address given in the Distinguished Lecture Series of the Psychology Chapter of the LaTrobe University Alumni Association, Melbourne, Australia on 22 May, 2003.