It depends who is analysing the question; a chemist, a biologist, a physiologist, a sociologist or a psychologist. There are many perspectives and it’s a question we have been pondering since the start of the human race.
I’d like to reflect the human mind and how it sets us apart from other animal species. In particular, let’s look at some of the tools we have picked up along the evolutionary pathway; consciousness and our awareness of the passing of time and our own mortality, our advanced ability to communicate and our capacity to collaborate with other humans outside of our tribe.
Consciousness and our awareness of the passing of time
Our ability to be aware that we are separate to our environment provides us with the belief (rightly or wrongly) that we have free will. Our mind enables us to understand the difference between the past, the present and the future. Being aware of the passing of time encourages us to plan and act. Robert Levine conducted research that strongly suggests that the closer to the equator you live, the less aware you are of the passing of time.
Likewise, Jared Diamond, in his work Guns, Germs and Steelsuggests that the vast majority of industry and development happens in the temperate zones, at least in part because the changing of the seasons reminds us of the passing of time. The awareness of our own mortality is a powerful motivator.
Communication
Speech has allowed us to communicate ideas from one person to another with a nuance that dramatically improves on mimicry alone. Humans are able to convey abstract concepts and discuss things that are not present. Pre-history, communication occurred through story, song, rhyme and metaphor. Today, if a group of people is gathered around a barbecue, they will still communicate primarily through the telling of stories. The advent of writing and the internet have dramatically sped up the process of communication. Many people can now access nearly all of human knowledge through their phones, stemmed from our insatiable drive to connect and communicate.
Collaboration
We communicate with others because we are primarily a cooperative species. We have had the desire and the want to reach out to other ‘tribes’ as we have evolved. Countries collaborate with other countries for trade. Robert Wright, the author of The Moral Animalsuggests that there is no racism in Business Class on international flights because people travelling overseas in Business Class know that their success and survival are dependent on the success and survival of the people they trade with. So, while it can be convenient and easy to take aim at corporations, it could be argued that those corporations are at the leading edge of human evolution.
In the end, therefore, we are human because of countless decisions and opportunities along the evolutionary pathway. Perhaps of more importance are the tools we have picked up along the way that will help us continue to evolve. That of consciousness, the awareness of the passing of time and our own mortality, our advanced ability to communicate and our capacity to collaborate with other humans outside of our tribe.
We have some great workshops available to help you use these unique evolutionary tools in your work and life. Register or call us on9487 4822 to find out more.