I\'ve been debating this topic with a friend of mine and we can\'t get to a comm

Question

I've been debating this topic with a friend of mine and we can't get to a common answer. She argues that we don't descend from any Chimpanzee or Orangutan because, if we did, they would also have the cognitive thinking ability that we have. I am arguing that a high protein diet allowed the first humans to have the possibility to develop a higher memory, intelligence and other mental procedures.

But after all, what would be the real origin of the intelligence? And if animals do have intelligence too, why isn't theirs as advanced as us.

Explanation / Answer

How is

not equivalent to

?

Any related species are going to differ in some respects (otherwise they would not be different species, after all), and it is plain to see that intelligence is one of the ways in which species can differ.

Regardless of that (if your friend thinks intelligence is special in a way that hairiness is not), you can make your argument even while sticking to talking about intelligence, and there is no need to go into the reasons for changes (increases) in intelligence to see that.

To make the point with your friend, it might be best to point to two different animals that

In light of such an example, her argument falls flat (unless she further considers only human thinking ability special, in which case you will have a harder time!)

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