What do great apes think of humans?

One of the things that defines humans most is our ability to read others' minds – that is, to make inferences about what others are thinking. To build or maintain relationships, we offer gifts and services – not arbitrarily, but with the recipient's desires in mind. read more

Most great apes that know some sort of human language can only use it in a very primitive way. And apes are mainly concerned with food, play, and other daily activities — not deep thought. Gossip is extremely rare. read more

Although we have more studies planned to determine whether great apes can really understand others’ false beliefs by imagining their perspectives, like humans do, the current results suggest they may have a richer appreciation of others’ minds than we previously thought. read more

Humans are apes – ‘Great Apes’ Humans are classified in the sub-group of primates known as the Great Apes. read more