what do chimps think about

[link|http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/18/AR2007031801130_pf.html|Washington Post]:

Monday, March 19, 2007; A06

When Emory University primatologist Frans de Waal read a news story that said Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, had hurled a chair across the room on hearing an employee was going to work for rival Google, the scientist immediately made a connection with his own research: "When I see such behavior, I think of a chimpanzee."

Another time, a researcher that de Waal knew told him that whenever she chatted with another scientist in the hallway, her boss would get upset. He would later drop by her office and tell her she ought to stay clear of that person.

"He was constantly interfering whenever she had a contact with an important person," de Waal said. "Chimpanzees also divide and rule. You have an alpha male, and he will try to keep his supporters away from his rivals. His supporters are in trouble if they groom one of his rivals."

[...]

Over the past two centuries, people have had to disabuse themselves about various ideologies asserting that humans are fundamentally different from other animals. Biologists have shown that our arms and legs and organs have long evolutionary histories. Beliefs about the uniqueness of human behavior might well be the last bastion of our superiority complex, but research by de Waal and many others suggests that even this redoubt may be crumbling.

"I have done studies of reconciliation and coalition strategies in chimpanzees," de Waal said. "Business managers tell me that reminds them so much of what people do."

[...]

I assume boxley's comment is about the same researcher, but I didn't hear it so I don't know for sure.

Cheers,
Scott.

Post #278,681 by Seamus 3/18/07 11:27:41 AM Reply	what do chimps think about Just because there communications skills are not as advanced as ours, does it mean they don't think about where they came from? Seamus
Post #278,691 by boxley 3/18/07 12:12:48 PM Reply	nope, spent a pleasant hour with npr while a english major explained that chimps in fact do not. thanx, bill Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 51 years. meep reach me at [link\|mailto:bill.oxley@cox.net\|mailto:bill.oxley@cox.net]
Post #278,699 by Seamus 3/18/07 1:02:03 PM Reply	I wasn't expecting an answer But, then what do chimps have to do with a question about human genetics? If it is genetic it happened after the evolutionary split. Seamus
Post #278,766 by boxley 3/18/07 9:47:24 PM Reply	what evolutionary split? :-) Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 51 years. meep reach me at [link\|mailto:bill.oxley@cox.net\|mailto:bill.oxley@cox.net]
Post #278,767 by Another Scott 3/18/07 10:15:02 PM Reply	A better question might be, What does Ballmer think about? [link\|http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/18/AR2007031801130_pf.html\|Washington Post]: Monday, March 19, 2007; A06 When Emory University primatologist Frans de Waal read a news story that said Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, had hurled a chair across the room on hearing an employee was going to work for rival Google, the scientist immediately made a connection with his own research: "When I see such behavior, I think of a chimpanzee." Another time, a researcher that de Waal knew told him that whenever she chatted with another scientist in the hallway, her boss would get upset. He would later drop by her office and tell her she ought to stay clear of that person. "He was constantly interfering whenever she had a contact with an important person," de Waal said. "Chimpanzees also divide and rule. You have an alpha male, and he will try to keep his supporters away from his rivals. His supporters are in trouble if they groom one of his rivals." [...] Over the past two centuries, people have had to disabuse themselves about various ideologies asserting that humans are fundamentally different from other animals. Biologists have shown that our arms and legs and organs have long evolutionary histories. Beliefs about the uniqueness of human behavior might well be the last bastion of our superiority complex, but research by de Waal and many others suggests that even this redoubt may be crumbling. "I have done studies of reconciliation and coalition strategies in chimpanzees," de Waal said. "Business managers tell me that reminds them so much of what people do." [...] I assume boxley's comment is about the same researcher, but I didn't hear it so I don't know for sure. Cheers, Scott.

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