Is culture a golden barrier between human and chimpanzee?

被引:96
作者
Boesch, C
机构
来源
EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY | 2003年 / 12卷 / 02期
关键词
shared meaning; social learning; comparison; group difference; cultural repertoire;
D O I
10.1002/evan.10106
中图分类号
Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
030303 ;
摘要
Culture pervades much of human existence. Its significance to human social interaction and cognitive development has convinced some researchers that the phenomenon and its underlying mechanisms represent a defining criterion for humankind. However, care should be taken not to make hasty conclusions in light of the growing number of observations on the cultural abilities of different species, ranging from chimpanzees and orangutans to whales and dolphins. The present review concentrates on wild chimpanzees and shows that they all possess an extensive cultural repertoire. In the light of what we know from humans, I evaluate the importance of social learning leading to acquisition of cultural traits, as well as of collective meaning of communicative traits. Taking into account cross-cultural variations in humans, I argue that the cultural abilities we observe in wild chimpanzees present a broad level of similarity between the two species.
引用
收藏
页码:82 / 91
页数:10
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