Homo Sapiens, Who Are We?

Homo Sapiens means wise ape.

But are homo sapiens wise? We certainly have the mental capacity that allows us an unprecedented freedom of thought. But wisdom is not the same as being able to think, or even think well. Wisdom is the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. So wisdom is something that can be achieved but is not innate in humans. One must be able to form prescriptive conclusions out of one’s experience and accompanying knowledge.

Wisdom

Wisdom is a by-product of experience had and understood with knowledge. Knowledge is the empirical set of information or facts that help one understand and explain any given experience. Being able to explain one’s experience is a good indication of how well one understands said experience. This applies to subjects of study as well. But studying a subject is not the same as experiencing it directly. In study or research, the experience of a subject is reduced to symbols that represent the experiences of others.

Experience

This means that no matter how much one studies something, their knowledge is limited to a symbolic understanding. Real experience is necessary to have a genuine understanding of the given subject. Without experience knowledge is abstract. Take the Grand Canyon for an example. One can learn facts about the canyon and see pictures that give a mental image. One can study the Grand Canyon for years without ever visiting it. They might have an experts level of factual knowledge about it. But, they will never know how it feels standing at the top of the canyon gazing out at its expanse. The experience of the canyon is beyond words.

Words are symbols that represent experiences.

This includes the experience of objects, sights, feelings, etc. This means that words are always less than accurate representations of the thoughts or experiences that one can have. So when two people are having a conversation using language, there are different conversations happening in their heads. Each consisting of his or her own mental understanding of the symbols being used in the conversation. The symbols in the first person’s mind are placeholders for previous experiences. Since the second person has had a different set of experiences, the same symbols in his/her mind are placeholders for different experiences than the first persons.

So in the heads of our two conversationalists are two sets of mental movies that are being translated into their brains. Each one taking the same symbols but using different past experiences to translate the symbols into thought, resulting in two different series of thoughts. (Conversation is a way to transfer thoughts from one person to another, to share an experience.)

How close are Homo Sapiens related to other apes?

Being able to share experiences is what differentiates humans from other forms of apes. Yes, humans are apes. Humans are more closely related to Bonobos and Chimpanzees then Indian Elephants are to African Elephants. The scientific classification of homo sapiens is as follows;

Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Primates, Suborder: Haplorhini, Infraorder: Simiiformes, Family: Hominidae, Subfamily: Homininae, Tribe: Hominini, Subtribe: Panina, Genus: Homo, Species: Homo Sapiens.

At the level of the subfamily, Homininae, Gorillas branched off. At the level of subtribe, there was a split resulting in the genus Pan and Homo. Pan includes bonobos and chimpanzees. Homo includes sapiens and other extinct humans like Neanderthals and homo erectus. Homo sapiens, therefore, are more closely related to bonobos and chimps than chimps or bonobos to gorillas.

What makes Homo Sapiens different from other apes?

So we know we are apes, and we know we are not necessarily wise. What is it then that sets us apart from the other apes? There are two studies that help us understand the difference.
Social Learning.

The first study published in Science in 2007 compared 106 chimpanzees, 105 infants, and 32 orangutans using a set of learning tests called the Primate Cognition Test Battery. What they found was that the three groups did equally well on “physical learning”. Including figuring out how to use a stick to get something out of reach, locating hidden objects, and knowing the source of a noise. The only place the infants did better than the other groups was in “social learning”. Such as understanding by watching and emulating others, being able to explain how to find something without using words, and understanding others state of mind from their actions. This suggests that homo sapiens are not smarter across the board but only in certain areas.

It’s our social skills that make us smart; make us capable of things we could never do on our own. All human achievement can be attributed to our ability to work together. The quality of our ability to work together is determined by our individual abilities to communicate our experiences with each other. If one learns how to do a novel task it can be shared with the group enhancing the toolset of the entire group.

Genetic freedom.

The other study from 2015 published in Science Magazine suggests that “genetics dictate the organization of a chimp’s brain much more rigidly than in humans”. Homo Sapiens, being born prematurely to fit our large head through the birth canal, have a less rigid DNA blueprint for the development of the brain. This allows experiences to shape and mold the brain more in humans than other creatures, giving rise to what we call neuroplasticity.
The social ape.

So we now know that social skills and malleable brains are what make homo sapiens smarter than other apes. Experience plus knowledge equals understanding. Understanding plus good communication skills equal the ability to share thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Using experience, knowledge, understanding, and communication we can come together to fulfill our destiny as wise beings, on an individual and group level. Making the group wiser makes the individual wiser and making the individuals wiser makes the group wise. Remember wisdom is not knowledge or experience or understanding alone. It is being able to take those things and use them to come up with a prescriptive action that has the greatest benefit. It is the ability to turn problems into solutions.

Wisdom is somewhat rare these days.

We have more knowledge than ever without the wisdom to use it beneficially. Homo Sapiens have discarded the wisdom of the past for the knowledge that the information age has brought us. We need to make the next “age” be the age of wisdom. We’ve had the enlightenment and the industrial revolution. The knowledge is plentiful, experiences are more available than ever before. The ability to travel has given us the ability to experience strange places and cultures. Travel helps us gain perspective, which deepens our understanding of reality and life.

Homo Sapiens need to start taking the opportunities that are presented to us and not shy away from unfamiliar experiences. It is more important now than ever before. There has never been a time when humans lived so closely together without sharing the majority of their experiences. This means our ability to use symbols to represent thoughts has been diminished. We are not using the same Rosetta stone anymore. This is causing us to bicker and quarrel more.

The importance of communication.

The reason conflict arises comes from the inability to communicate. The word barbarian came from the Romans inability to understand what foreigners were saying. They named them after the sounds they made to Roman ears; “bar bar bar”. Romans liked to kill barbarians. Today we say “blah blah blah” when we don’t care what someone says. Our lack of respect for language and our lack of desire to understand what other people are saying is the root of our conflicts. It prevents us from learning, growing, and becoming wise. This is why articulation and mastery of language are so important.

Enter Social Media

Social media and online tools of communication are actually making us less capable of communicating in person. As we start living more and more online we are losing community. Communication is more than just the symbols we use. Communication is all the physical things we do while in conversation. Facial movements, inflection, hand gestures, and even less noticeable things like the “vibe” of the speaker are all part of communicating. Writing and reading are like maps to get there, while a conversation is like being there. Social media is reducing communication down to the smallest possible form.

As a tool, this has some advantages. One can relay information very quickly and unobtrusively across any distance instantly with these tools. But these tools are woefully inefficient at communicating deep thoughts, ideas, arguments or philosophy. And these tools are not a substitute for the community we biologically need. Infants die without physical affection. Homo Sapiens need the physical presence of others.

The information age.

The internet is a good source of information. The real world is a good source of experiences. A community is necessary for authentic communication. By utilizing the internet, travel in the real world, and a community of people to love and share physical interaction and experience with, one can do his or her part in fulfilling Homo Sapiens destiny to become wise. What will you do? Will you regress into your online world? Using the information age as an escape? Or will you use the tools of technology to accumulate information, go places you’ve never been, and learn from the past in the pursuit of wisdom?

Homo Sapiens Thinking

The prescription.

My prescription is for scientists, academics and everyone else to focus on learning about our evolutionary necessities from the wisdom of the past. Combine that with new insights into science and technology of the present. Then generate the wisdom of the future, in order become the wisest apes yet, individually and as a group. Purely focusing on technology is a mistake and so is just focusing on the past. We are less healthy than ever, mentally and physically. It is a failure of understanding where we came from, and a failure to understand the effects of the technology we invent. In order to survive and thrive, we need to understand and share as much as possible to make the most discerning choices in life. Let’s live up to our name or we will fail to reach our destiny.