Planet Of The Apes And Philosophy Summary

How Similar Are We? How close to human knowledge do you think animals are? In the book, Planet of the Apes and Philosophy edited by John Huss, it contains several philosophical views on the movie Planet of the Apes. Animals may be limited on what they may do with their brains, but that does not mean that animals cannot do things that humans can with their brains. How do people know that animals cannot think; if they do not have a way to communicate, how would they then interact? The book Planet of the Apes and Philosophy is separated into several chapters; chapter one is written by Kristen Andrews. In this chapter Andrews states, “…we feel as if we understand them even without language. You understand your dog’s desire to go for a walk when

On page seven in Planet of The Apes and Philosophy, Andrews speaks of mimicry with animals and humans. She states “before Taylor uses language, not everyone is convinced by Zira’s reasoning. What one person explains by appeal to mind… Taylor, “shows a definite gift for mimicry” and he at least pretends to conclude that his explanation of Taylor’s tricks” (7). Here Taylor has done what Zira has asked him and Dr. Zaius, the orangutan in charge of the science department, does not believe what he has seen. He says it is an act of mimicry and nothing more. The mentality shown by Dr. Zaius are like the ones people see today in society. Animals try to open doors, bring one of their food bowls so that they can eat, but these are seen as nothing more than entertainment. Animals can think and build on what they know and this can be seen within

On page eleven Andrews’s talks of about the orangutans, Cecep and Aldrin. Andrews’s states “…saw the turtle they all fled into the trees in terror. Later that day when it was time to head back to camp, the babysitters realized that Aldrin wasn’t with them… babysitters noticed that Cecep wasn’t around either… they found Aldrin and Cecep perched in different trees. Cecep was up in a tree in front of Aldrin’s, and he looked back at Aldrin” (11). Cecep was the peace keeper of the orangutans. When Aldrin was lost, Cecep headed back to find him; and when he found him Cecep protected Aldrin. Cecep took actions that a human would do to protect their own. Andrews also stated “… the babysitters nicknamed him The Policeman because he often broke up fights and seemed to want to keep the peace” (11). Cecep has the characteristic of a human, he defends and protects his own. Cecep in an animal with the capacity to help his orangutans, and keep the peace alike to a police officer. Animals alike to Cecep have special characteristics that can make them seem similar to a human. In my opinion, animals and humans are alike to each other. There may be things that they are able and may not be able to do, but that does not mean that they do not have the capacity to learn new things. Animals have the characteristic to protect their own just as humans do. They learn the same way babies do, by mimicking someone else. Language is a barrier