why have humans evolved on a much greater scale mentally while other animals have not ?

Answer 1

So we are better mentally wise then are we..Omg ure sooo wrong.You dont see animals droppin bombs killin kids..Fu**ing each other over for money etc..

Answer 2

The simple answer is that there has never been a need to evolve mentaly for most animals to the extent humans have needed to. evolution is not constitantly getting better but about changing in a way that maximises your reproductive success.
as brains get bigger and more complex they require more energy ie there is a cost to becoming smarter as well as a benefit. If this benefit is not great enough to increase your reproductive success then this better brain becomes a disadvantage. in other words we evolve the optimum amount of intelligence to maximise our reproductiive success.
eg imagine mice living in afield. by following a few simple rules they can find food, a mate, avoid predators etc. the stupid ones get eaten fairly quickly and so the population of mice becomes more intelligent. There comes a point where it is no longer a benefit to be any more intelligent and your bigger brain simply uses more energy than its worth.
As humans we have been under constant pressure to evolve mentally and still are today.

Answer 3

We have complexity of brain matched with the right physical characteristics.

Dolphins could very well be great thinkers, but living in the water means that they don't really have a way to save anything permanently. On dry land, we can paint on a wall, or mix ashes with water and plants and use it for ink on an animal skin, and save our thoughts and knowledge.

To that end, we have dexterous hands that can do a variety of activities, many with extremely fine detail. We have eyes with a balance of distance and close up vision.

All these add up to a human being that can learn without doing, and build on the stuff that the generation before learned. Animals can only repeat the knowledge of the generation before, not increase it.

Answer 4

There have been several peaks for different animal groups. An octopus is a mollusk and represents the highest evolutionary development in that group. Whales are demonstrably highly intelligent and have a refined language. Since they developed in water, however, they did not need to develop manual skills. We and other apes developed the op-possible thumb which means we can grip. This gives us a huge manipulative advantage. Unlike other apes we developed a refined vocal system which allowed for a greater range of noises than gorillas or chimpansees. These, our close cousins, are , however, hihly intelligent. The problem is devising ways of measuring it since any system is specis biased.

Answer 5

The naked ape has been fortunate to find itself in the right place at the right time, where chance meets opportunity. However, we may be more advanced in our evolution with regards to certain aspects of life but we are sadly lacking when it comes to forethought. Who is to say that creatures such as cockroaches are not much higer evolved in other senses. They have been around for much longer and will probably out last humans as a species by millennia. Perhaps the animals we have as companions whose only purpose in life appears to be pampered by humans have some forethought too.
You must also take in to account that not all human beings are equally developed. Evolution can occur within our own lives but the majority of people choose to remain in a primitive state. It's why, as a species, we should not be so conceited as to believe ourselves superior!

Answer 6

Evolution is based on survival of the fittest, right? There was something in our ancestors, such as this mentality that allowed humans to manipulate and become self aware, perhaps by accident. Those with this trait were successful, they reproduced and this trait was passed on and became greater and we began studying it more. We understand more and more everyday. There just isn't something in other creatures that allows them to have this mentality. They could have, they still might evolve to have it in the future. But remember, they have things that we don't have. They evolved greatly too, as did their minds. Hm, good question. I'm going to think about this more.

Answer 7

Well, not all humans have evolved much more than animals, think of fanatics and extremists.. and some are so far back they're not even on the level of animals like mothers who beat their kids almost to death, animals don't do that, some do kill, but only kill if the offspring has a birth problem and it won't survive

Answer 8

God created things with an order.
He gave humans dominion over animals, and the ability to reason, speak, have intimate relationships (such as marriage), etc.
Animals do not have that capacity, and cannot develop it.
It disproves the theory of Macro-evolution, doesn't it?
If you struggle with the idea of a Creator - consider how our bodies work, that we have the food we need around us, that we are just the right distance from the sun (not to burn-up or freeze), we have a thin (20 mile) protective layer that sustains life in the middle of space, that rain gives noursishing water to life in all areas, and on....
Scientists have calculated that the odds of this happening by chance are over 1,000,000,000 to one. You would not take that bet! We were created in the order that we know by God.
You ask a very good and legitimate question. God made this order in his creative ability and wisdom.

Answer 9

I've always wondered that too. If humans evolved from monkeys, how come all the monkeys didn't evolve? Were they asked one day if they wanted to become humans and some said no, they'd rather sit in trees eating bananas? If our closest relative is the chimp, then why are there any chimps in the world, why didn't they all evolve?!

Answer 10

Good question.
I strongly believe we are in a state of devolution. We are evolving in a technological sense but have mentally reached our peak. Too many people, especially in the future will rely on machines to do everything for them. As a small example, look at mental arithmetic in schools, before and after the advent of the calculator. Pretty soon we won't know how to wipe our own @rses because a machine will do it for us.
You've just led me to think of a question I'd like to post on here. Please feel free to answer it. Keep your eye on the board.

Answer 11

First we have to prove that other animals have not evolved mentally to a degree such as ours, and I do not think we can do that. Whose to say that a mouse today is not 400 times smarter than a mouse a milion years ago.
Second, I assume you believe evolution, so it theorizes that we evolved from the primordial muck we crawled out of up to where we are today. Essentially, we evolved from apes so the ape, an animal, did evove as much as us, because he/she is us.who's to say what x animal evolved from and y animal evolved from? See? we can't say whop did and didn't evolve to a higher degree because we can't trace it back that far yet. Maybe a mouse evolved to a monkey, to an ape to a human....then we can thearize that all the animals mentioned herein did evolve as much as us, becasue they are us.