A question for evolutionists?

Question

Why do you think that only one species evolved in a thinking being, like man? Why not two or three different ones? Perhaps whales or dolphins? If one could evolve couldn't have more, and we would have different types of humans today/

Just curious as to your thoughts.

Answer 1

Some chimps are killing bushbabies with sticks now, so they're going to tell you act II is coming up! :)

EDIT: I see that most responders are cutting the question off at "thinking being," and omitting the "like man," part. Nothing else writes books, makes movies, designs airplanes, runs hot dog stands, etc.

Answer 2

And a question in return for creationists. Why can't snakes and donkeys talk anymore? Is this some sort of de-evolution?

But seriously, on the evolutionary scale, human beings have only been on this planet for a fraction of an instant. The oldest mammal fossil is 260 million years old. Maybe if we can survive another million years or so without destroying ourselves, we could see a situation like Planet of the Apes where our close relatives develop the capabilities necessary for a spoken and written language. That is the key to advanced social evolution which is what has been happening to humans for the past several thousand years.

Answer 3

I don't think that. There are different levels of awareness that different species have - cats and dogs have memories, and that implies some level of thinking. Usually the distinction between (rational) thinking humans and nonthinking animals is made by philosophers and theologians. To those who understand evolution - and I hope you all make the effort to understand what you accept or reject - humans are just one species of many, with a unique set of traits selected for by the circumstances in which the species has lived. That may sound confusing, but if you read up on evolutionary theory you will get what I am saying.
Just this past week I heard a story on NPR news about some researchers in Africa observed chimpanzees making spears out of sticks for hunting. How's that for a group of thinking beings?

Answer 4

We did have different types of 'humans'. They are called Neanderthals. They went extinct because homo sapiens were smarter. There was also homo habilus, homo erectus, etc. Evolution is not a straght line. It's a tree with many branches, most of which have stopped growing. Chimps, monkeys, apes, etc are branches that are still growing, and may one day evolve into 'thoughtful' creatures like us. If it takes them another million years to develope language, build things, worship gods, etc, that would be considered almost parallel to our own evolution, when you consider the billions of years it has taken both species to get where they are today. They really aren't that far behind us.

All higher order species 'think' in abstractions. Lions don't eat because they just happen to find an antelope; they know that antelopes go certain places at certain times and go there. It's not instinct; they've been taught from one generation to the next where to find food, how to kill it, how to eat it, and how to protect it. That requires memory, which is an abstract association of related thoughts.

What separates us from other animals is self-awareness and empathy. We can put ouselves in other's shoes and look at things from perspectives outside of ourselves. Chimps are the only other animals that can do that. They know that if you put a bucket on your head that you can't see. Other animals don't consider your perspective, they just know that if they approach from tall grass, they are more likely to kill you. They don't understand why.

Answer 5

As human intelligence is evolving, we are learning more about the intelligence of other living things...whales, elephants, dolphins...we just haven't deciphered their languages. We probably have much to learn from them. Just this week I heard a report about chimps who use spears to hunt for food. They sharpen sticks with their teeth and stab their prey. The issue, I think, is not evolution but rather communication. That is a pretty crude skill humans use.

Answer 6

Well, almost all animals think. They probably don't think abstractly, but you may note that in the news recently, we've found chimps hunting with spears. They may well evolve abstract thought.

As for why we evolved it: It is a little curious. I'm not sure. Obviously intelligence is critical for survival -- other primates, for example, will do very complex tasks for a banana.

But on the other hand, our huge brains may be a fluke -- I would sooner bet on the survival of the cockroach than the human species.

Answer 7

There are many "thinking" beings, humanity took the route of being dependent on tools and invention rather than natural adaption. Take, for example, dolphins. They obviously have empathy, as they are gentle with pregnant women who swim with them, understand if someone in the water with them are sick, etc.

Just because your dog doesn't walk up to you one day and says, "I'm feeling sad today, how about a walk", doesn't mean he is not an intelligent being.

Answer 8

Survival of the fittest. At one time there were many more species of hominids, they died out for a variety of reasons. Besides there are many thinking animals, apes, parrots, dolphins, and yes even pigs all have the capacity to think and reason.

And if humans were to become extinct, I am sure millions of years from now that some other species would fill our niche. Perhaps squids. ;-)

Answer 9

Who says whales and dolphins aren't thinking beings? They (along with many other species) are highly intelligent. Sure, we don't understand their complex interactions (like their communication skills,) but that might say something about how intelligent we humans really are.

Answer 10

I think there are others. We just have a little more ability for imagination and have a little more skills in language. It is a fine line. Our species was pretty nearly extinct at one point due to a drought in Africa. If that had happened, who knows how it would have gone. Neanderthal may have stayed the dominant species.