The Human Animal

Abstract

In his Perspective “Animal conformists” (26 April, p. [437][1]), F. B. M. de Waal asks “Do animals learn from each other in the same way as humans do?” Implying that humans occur in a category separate from animals may have unintended consequences. First, the “humans and animals” paradigm undermines the unifying concept of all biology—evolution. Under this paradigm, it seems coincidental that a trait would occur in both humans and dogs, for example, despite their common ancestry. Second, the loose use of “humans and animals” handicaps future learning. Research in science education has shown that students are prone to a number of misconceptions, which are often integrated into their cognitive framework early, making them remarkably difficult to correct ([ 1 ][2]). Third, our future as a species hinges on a worldview that places humans deep within the context of ecology. We consider ourselves superior to other animals due to our sharp intellect, complex social structure, and domination of most ecosystems and natural resources. This feeling of separateness from the other members of our ecosystems hinders efforts to promote conservation and sustainability. 1. [↵][3] 1. J. D. Coley, 2. K. D. Tanner , CBE Life Sci. Ed. 11, 209 (2012). [OpenUrl][4][CrossRef][5][Web of Science][6] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1237521 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [4]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DCBE%2BLife%2BSci.%2BEd.%26rft.volume%253D11%26rft.spage%253D209%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1187%252Fcbe.12-06-0074%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [5]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1187/cbe.12-06-0074&link_type=DOI [6]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000308736500004&link_type=ISI