Effective communication, it is widely believed, is among the most efficient tools in resolving human conflict. It takes people years of trial and error, maybe a therapist or two, to perfect the art. Yet, human beings have long held the arrogant belief that they are the pinnacle of evolution. Turns out, their close evolutionary cousins, bonobos, are also capable of complex meaning-making, previously thought of as a uniquely human ability. Several bonobo calls during mating rituals and tense social situations — according to a new study published in Science — resemble complex human sentence structures. And they use this ability for a call to “find peace”.
This discovery is in a series that has shattered the idea that evolution is a ruthless, violent enterprise. Raymond Dart’s “killer ape theory” argued that human evolution has been propelled by aggression and the ability to kill. Chimpanzees, another close cousin of Homo sapiens, are also known to employ violence both with other species as well as among themselves. Bonobos — long thought to be a variety of chimpanzees who also share over 99 per cent of their DNA with humans — privilege cooperation over competition. These “hippie apes” survive by sticking together, negotiating and choosing affection and physical comfort over violence. They offer an alternative imagination of survival: One built on kindness, cooperation — and communication.
For too long, humans have seen themselves in the chimps and too many people continue to promote aggression as a way to get ahead. Perhaps it’s time to go the bonobo way. They don’t kill for resources but rather use language to “encourage others to build their night nests,” as the study observed. Clearly, human beings are not nearly as unique or superior as they think. And intelligence is only what you make of it. Instead of creating borders and hiking tariffs, it may be better to help each other build nests.
