• Jacob-B
    97
    Planet of the Apes?

    In Stanley Kubrick's classic ‘2001 Space Odyssey’, (in my opinion one of the most philosophical profound films ever made) the evolutionary quantum leap for the tribe of hominids comes about when as a result of them touching the sheer edge of the alien’s monolith. That experience launches them into tools using ea which culminates in space travel. We know that evolution does not work in that way and that one cannot point out to a single event in the history of our ancestors with the sort of instant impact described in the film. Not even the ‘inventions’ of fire and the heel.

    However, the event described in Kubrick’s film (based on a novel by A, C Clark raises the intriguing question of the effect on an intelligent species of an encounter with the artefacts of a superior civilization. Let’s take a speculative example (but unfortunately no entirely: implausible): Suppose humankind disappears from the face of the Earth but leaves its inventory largely intact. The vacuum created would be filled by all sorts of creatures. New ecosystems would be created in cities taking advantage of the shelter stored food and tools left behind. Primates and chimpanzees in particular are likely to take advantage of the opportunities the new situation provides. I think that it's fair to assume that it won't take long for chimpanzees to learn the use of knives, axes, spares and ropes. It is also conceivable that the use of such tools would revolutionize their way of life.

    My question: Is it not conceivable that the situation described could be a catalyst for a new evolutionary path for chimpanzees leading to Planet of the Apes world, or is there some fundamental genetic brake that would make that impossible?
  • Nils Loc
    1.3k
    I think that it's fair to assume that it won't take long for chimpanzees to learn the use of knives, axes, spares and ropes. It is also conceivable that the use of such tools would revolutionize their way of life.Jacob-B

    I don't think it is likely, beyond a chimpanzee using these objects indiscriminately (ie. swinging on a rope, throwing knife like it would throw a rock). You're probably leaving out any number of some crucial elements of what shaped the human experience, like developing a sophisticated language over time and a consistent exposure to a the benefit of burnt plains (food cooked by accident).

    If pristine lighters existed on the the Earth in the proximity of all ape tribes for 100ks of years, we might or might not be surprised that no animal learned how to use them in all that time. "Fire burn! " as Frankenstein's monster said.
  • Jacob-B
    97
    The intelligence and curiosity of chimpanzees should not be underestimated. Whatmore, opportunity
    plays a crucial role in evolution. The fire' was nor 'invented' because someone was looking for a better food preparation method but because someone observed the effect it has on meat.
    Curiosity is likely to chimpanzees to deserted cities and presents them with an
    unparalleled opportunity and mental/verbal challenges.
  • Nils Loc
    1.3k
    Curiosity is likely to chimpanzees to deserted cities and presents them with an
    unparalleled opportunity and mental/verbal challenges.
    Jacob-B

    Just saying there is probably a lot of contingent factors and evolutionary happenstance that gave our species the edge which took great spans of time and fortuitous (or calamitous) incidents, also intra or interspecies competition/cooperation. Learning to cook food might be necessary step in that direction and an abandoned city might be somewhat invisible/negligible to chimp populations over an evolutionary span. Initially there might be no food for a chimp in a city, so chimps in a city wood either move out or die there.

    If food were available in such a setting there wouldn't be much of a city left uncovered to differentiate it from nature.
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