The Gap: The Science of What Separates Us from Other Animals

All through history mankind has preferred to tout his adaptation above other animals. It has only come to our attention as a species in the Twentieth Century that man is just another animal in the ocean of living creatures on Earth. However, Thomas Suddendorf suddenly dramatizes what really separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom in his book, The Gap.

The book takes a refreshing look at where we are in evolutionary terms to completely understand just how we fit in. With a vast resource and an incredible insight, the author uncovers aspects of our nature many have grossly overlooked. We simply don’t think about it often. Of the more recent undertakings, we learned how much other animals use tools, build homes, communities, political hierarchies and language. The last thirty years of research has enlightened us as a species. We have been rather naïve about the ways other animals maintain their existence. Perhaps, Suddendorf indicates, we are finally coming of age.

He examines the various traits we carry forth from evolution, considering what they may have contributed to our success and why. He even raises the issues of why other animals have not advanced in environmental mastery. Perhaps, Suddendorf considers, they were not actually necessary for our survival. Then, what was?