7 Quotes Tagged: primates

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Why are there no nonhuman primates with an existing complex gestural language? One possible answer, it seems to me, is that humans have systematically exterminated those other primates who displayed signs of intelligence.
Carl Sagan, American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934–1996)
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animal-communication animal-intelligence Language primates
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One of the great commandments of science is, 'Mistrust arguments from authority'. (Scientists, being primates, and thus given to dominance hierarchies, of course do not always follow this commandment.)
Carl Sagan, American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934–1996)
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evolution science fallacy argument-from-authority commandments hierarchy primates
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When gorillas smell danger, they run around and call out to the rest of the primates in the jungle to warn them something evil is coming. And when one of their own dies, they mourn for days while beating themselves up in sadness for failing to save that gorilla, even if the cause of death was natural. And when one colony is mourning, their chilling echoes migrate to other colonies — and those neighbors, even if they are territorial rivals, will also grieve with them. When faced with a common danger, rivals turn into allies. And when faced with death, the loss of just one gorilla becomes the loss of the entire jungle.
Suzy Kassem
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echoes loss rivals jungle sympathy mourning compassion death enemies nature unity rival primates neighbors grieve relations people gorillas warning danger colony common-enemy migrate evil
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Our probable ancestors, Homo erectus and Homo habilis -now extinct- are classified as of the same genus (Homo) but of different species, although no one (at least lately) has attempted the appropriate experiments to see if crosses of them with us would produce fertile offspring.
Carl Sagan, American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934–1996)
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Evolution homo-sapiens human-species primates
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Much of human behavior can be explained by watching the wild beasts around us. They are constantly teaching us things about ourselves and the way of the universe, but most people are too blind to watch and listen.
Suzy Kassem
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animal-behavior language education human-behavior religion wild-life zoo wildlife understanding primitive human-nature society listen wilderness animals ignorance wild-and-free nature natural-world behavioral-psychology primates creatures educate blind humans beasts universe teaching wild teach
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"Getting even was the basis of many primate semantic confusions, such as"expropriating the expropriators," "an absolute crime demands an absolute penalty," "they did it to me so I can do it to them," and, in general, the emotional mathematics of "one plus one equals zero" (1 + 1 = 0).

The primates were so dumb they didn't realize that one plus one equals two (1 + 1 = 2) and one murder plus one murder equals two murders, one crime plus one crime equals two crimes, etc."
Robert Anton Wilson, American author, futurist, and agnostic mystic (1932-2007)
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stupidity revenge violence crime primates matemathics vendetta
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