Discovery of primate tool use in the 1860s - Historum

ghostexorcist · May 20th, 2012, 10:25 AM

Primate tool use was first recorded in the 1960s. This simple fact drastically changed how science viewed our chimp cousins. What do you think the reaction would have been in the 1860s, shortly after Darwin published his On the Origin of Species?

**Mike McClure** · May 20th, 2012, 02:24 PM

Nothing! The scientific community would have ignored it.

ghostexorcist · May 20th, 2012, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike McClure

Nothing! The scientific community would have ignored it.

I have a feeling that it would have been rejected by a large majority due to religious leanings, or they would have just said the chimps learned it from humans. However, for the purposes of this thread imagine the information is irrefutable, meaning that it could somehow be demonstrated that they did not learn it (which is the reality).

**Mike McClure** · May 21st, 2012, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostexorcist

I have a feeling that it would have been rejected by a large majority due to religious leanings, or they would have just said the chimps learned it from humans. However, for the purposes of this thread imagine the information is irrefutable, meaning that it could somehow be demonstrated that they did not learn it (which is the reality).

In 1860 science wasn't even sure that Blacks and Whites were the same species. Doctors were just learning to wash their hands between operations. Chimps using tools, impossible

ghostexorcist · May 21st, 2012, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike McClure

In 1860 science wasn't even sure that Blacks and Whites were the same species. Doctors were just learning to wash their hands between operations. Chimps using tools, impossible

That's a good point.

**Brisieis** · May 21st, 2012, 01:05 PM

Good points.

I think many would simply put the blinkers on and find excuses to ignore the implications.

However, there would always be some who would be fascinated by such a thing, I believe. After all, Darwin was not the only one to have such views, he was not alone in his thinking.

**Zarin** · May 23rd, 2012, 01:12 PM

Darwin created a firestorm with his publishing of the Origin of Species. It instantly created a danger to established Christian dogma and assumptions. Similar to what Copernicus and Galileo created with their discoveries. If proof had been available of chimpanzee tool use then, this may have eroded some of the hostility which occurred among members within Darwin's own scientific community and given more credence to cetain aspects of Darwin's discoveries. Especially vis a vis the so-called "monkey" connection. It would have been extremely difficult to argue against this tool use commonality between man and the common ancestor, man is believed to have with chimpanzees. However, even with such obvious connections in capabilities between humans and chimpanzees, there are people even today; who still refuse to see what is so obvious around them. Evolution is a fact not a theory.