Proud To Be a Chimpanzee

JARED DIAMOND, an anthropologist at UCLA, in his seminal monograph "The Third Chimpanzee", demonstrates clearly that we humans are not only closely related to our primate cousins, but in actuality are a subspecies of the same species. Yes, alas, it is true; like it or not, we humans are sophisticated chimpanzees, one of three varieties; regular, pygmy, and human. Within the same species, the differences are of degree, not kind, and the differences are minor. Humans are in fact more closely related, genetically, to chimps than chimps are to gorillas or monkeys. For devout Christians, this revelation doubtless triggers reflexive anger, outrage, and denial, except perhaps among those who possess a sound education in the biological sciences. Everyone knows that a one hundred pound chimp can lift and toss a two hundred pound person across the room. A fight between two adults is a fearsome spectacle, but after tempers have cooled, the combatants renew their friendship by hugging and kissing. Avoiding formation of antagonistic relationships is a key ingredient in the maintenance of healthy communities. If two chimps are given a snack, the one who receives the smaller portion often shares, or refuses to eat her snack until the other has been fully compensated. (We humans could do well to imitate this behavior). Young healthy members of the community bring water, orally, to elderly infirm members. Again, a trait worthy of human emulation. Jared Diamond does not go so far as to postulate that our primate cousins display altruism and morality; he confines his analysis to more demonstrable physical and cognitive manifestations. Other scientists,however, do exactly that. They speculate that not only are differences among various intelligent species a matter of degree rather than of kind, but that all animals, especially primates, possess an innate sense of morality which derives from the structure of the brain, rather than God or philosophy. It would appear that human morality is less a mystery, less a feature of 'enlightenment", than yet another discernible, measurable, survival imperative. Lest we despair, let us bear in mind that it is a great honor to be counted among the many magnificent and miraculous species of animals which inhabit the world.