Re: Tool using animals.

[Adam Rose <adam@xxxxxxxx>]

Marc writes:
>
> > Do chimps or whatever _make_ tools, or do they only use found
> > objects as tools?  Just curious -- not saying this has any special
> > bearing on the question.
> >
> > -- Matt D.
>
> Yes, they strip the leaves off of slender branches to make ant colecting
> tools. Also, they seem to have a sense of property in their tools, in that
> they remember where they leave them.
>

In other words, No.

The rudiments of tool use and therefore consciousness can be seen in for
example chimps. The chimp, in order to bother selecting a slender branch
and strip off particular leaves must have some idea of purpose, some way
of imagining what it's going to do with the leaf. The selection of the tree,
pulling off the leaf, taking it to wherever the ants are, is Labour at a
very low level.

The rudiments of what makes us different can be observed in other
animals.

But no other animal produces tool producing tools like the antler stump at
Boxgrove 500,000 years ago. This tool was produced in order to produce
another tool ( it was used to shape flints which in turn were used to
butcher animals killed  by another tool, a wooden spear of some sort ).

I think the point at which we can say "this is a human ancestor and not an ape"
is where * collective * tool production begins. The production of the antler
stump implied a collective purpose and a division of Labour - you stand over
there to get the rhino going this way, we'll go over here and throw the spears,
you go and light a fire to keep the tigers away, you get the flints ready so
we can butcher the meat as quickly as possible and get it somewhere safe.

Adam.

Adam Rose
SWP
Manchester
UK


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