Customer Reviews

Ape Genius

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Apes are smarter and more thoughtful than we previously thought based on casual observations of these animals. But these geniuses are still apes.
This conclusion is based on recent systematic field observations as well as carefully designed scientific experiments.
Most of these experiments are well illustrated and fun to watch in this NOVA special edition. For example, a chimp, when shown two bowls of candy, can never resist pointing to the bowl with more candies, even though it has learned from previous tries that the one it is pointing to will be given to the other chimp and he will be given the other bowl. In other words, unlike humans, apes cannot easily overrule its instinctual urge.
But the really interesting part in the experiment is that the chimp will point to the bowl with fewer candies if you replace the candies with number cards.
In another experiment, apes and small children are asked to follow instructions to remove a candy from a box by tapping the box and pulling some levers. Both groups can handle the work. And then, some blocking pieces are removed from the box, leaving only a transparent structure. Now all can clearly see how their step-by-step actions lead to the successful retrieval of the candy. They are asked to do it again. The children follow exactly what they are taught, even though it is clear that some of these steps are unnecessary. The chimps, on the other hand, cut to the chase by skipping the useless tapping steps - they can learn, but they don't take learning that seriously.
The program is about studying the ape mind, but it's really aimed at showing the human genius and its limitations. Watching the video reminds me of Adam Smith's words in the Moral Sentiment - human behavior is the outcome of the struggle between "passions" and the "impartial spectator." Today we call that instinct and consciousness. The more the impartial spectator wins, the more rational our behavior tends to be. Unfortunately every time the instinctual urge is denied, it takes revenge by making us feel bad. Another keen observer of human nature, Buddha, says human suffering is inevitable. That may be true even for apes and many other animals.

Ape Genius is an episode of the scientific public television series NOVA on DVD that seeks to answer the questions: just how smart are the great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas), and what exactly is it that differentiates their thought processes from those of humans? Apes have been seen to use tools, and controlled experiments have shown them to possess shared culture, even the ability to perform simple math. Yet the latest research has revealed subtle, crucial limitations ape brains have that prevent them from dominating the world like humans have. An utterly absorbing and educational presentation, enthusiastically recommended for public library collections and anyone curious about what makes humans unique among the animal kingdom. 54 minutes, color, with the options of closed-captioned and described video for the hearing impaired.

I love the multiple purposes of the title. It could be oxymoronic or it could refer to humans. I'm thinking about the surprised meaning behind the title of Nicole Kidman's "The Others" in thinking about it.

There are so many thoughtful points mentioned here. Apes can figure out the sequence between one through seven, but they don't have that "a-ha!" moment where they realize that one plus x equals the next highest number. Apes do not understand the purpose behind pointing, but dogs can figure it out. An ape can cooperate with a human to move a stone, but two apes wouldn't similarly work together.

Some viewers may be frustrated in how this work presents other primates as smart yet stupid. Still, I think the work is trying to measure what apes can learn and what they cannot, so that we can point to traits that are currently solely human. Sometimes the work sounds in awe at what apes can do, but I always had heard that primates are smart. It is not that surprising. Also, I think some of this work just proves what humans are now able to videotape, rather than observe and have no one believe them. The work shows an old video of Jane Goodall and she did not look like Sigourney Weaver, by the way.

This work is actually diverse. It shows humans in the US, Japan, Germany, and Africa interacting with primates. It interviews men and women. It often compares primates and little kids and viewers with an interest in child psychology may love seeing that.

Wearing an environmentalist cap, I was worried about something. I feared the work would say, "Aren't other primates stupid?!" and have the tacit suggestion, "See! That's why we can destroy their habitats and not care less if they go extinct!" This work didn't seem to say that the difference between humans and other beings is a reason for mistreating or killing off these important animals.

For me, the highlight of this production is the comparison of other ape with human ape problem-solving. There is a strong suggestion that human apes are more likely to follow instructions, rather than the truth that they can clearly observe. This reminds me of the fact that many of Aristotle's false "observations' (such as, objects of different weights fall at different speeds) constituted authoritative knowledge for more than a thousand years, even though they could have been easily disproved by anyone who wanted to test them (Galileo in this case, although few believed him at the time). I think that it also says much about the human ape propensity for religion, or official knowledge. For humans, agreement in a social context may have more survival and reproductive value than real facts or personal observations. Anyway, well-done and worth watching.

Outstanding documentary that really helps us question and begin to understand the place of humanity in the world. By exploring different species of apes, many of the standard differences between humans and monkeys are debunked (use of tools, language, ability to learn, and having a basic culture). By the end of the video, some answers are found; however, more questions are ultimately created than answered. I use this video in a basic writing course and have my students write about similarities / differences between humanity and animals - so far, the students have given positive feedback and written some great papers. I highly recommend this video.