Kanzi The Bonobo Analysis

The story of a new born baby is significant to look at when it pertains to the story of the bonobo Kenzie. When a baby is born he/ she does not know a specific language or culture. As they grow and develop language is learned and so is culture. Everything we know as humans through experience by another being. We learned how to communicate, we learn right from wrong, and we learn how to conduct ourselves as human beings. Let’s look at it from a different point of view. What if a human was raised by an ape? The same concept would apply because a new born human is unaware of its classification; therefore their minds are opened to acquire whatever they are taught. What is learned from both scenarios is the idea that humans and apes are very similar …show more content…
The experiment done with Kanzi the bonobo proves that as humans we are in denial, though we are more advanced, Apes have the same ability to become just as advanced. As a matter of fact, they are very much capable with assistants and patients and the story of Kenzie proves that. Kanzi is a bonobo’s story is not a miracle nor should it be surprising. Kenzie’s learning ability is slightly different because he was not brought in as a new born when he entered the Iowa Great Ape Trust facilities so it is apparent that it would take him much longer to learn the complex English language. However even with that disadvantage, considering the time period in which he started to learn the human language, he is now able to construct sentences on his own; he is able to comprehend full sentences, he knows how to tell his caretakers what he wants and what he does not wants, he knows how to start a fire and cook his own meal, and can even comprehend and use technology. Kanzi is able to identify symbols by using a lexigram which shows how he is capable of engaging in the advancement of technology if he is continued to be …show more content…
In the Five Sexes, Sterling the author argues that female and male are not the only sexes, “there are five sexes or more on a spectrum. There is the true hermaphrodites, who possess one testis and one ovary (the sperm- and egg-producing vessels, or gonads); the male pseudo-hermaphrodites (the "merms"), who have testes and some aspects of the female genitalia but no ovaries; and the female pseudo-hermaphrodites (the "ferms"), who have ovaries and some aspects of the male genitalia but lack testes” (pg2). Sterling’s point is that humans should not limit the possibilities of there being more to human existence into two categories. The problem it seems hard for humans to accept. For example it is rarely easy for us to accept those who differ from our beliefs when it relates to religion, sexuality, appearance, cultures and values. We are judgmental beings. With that being said, it is exceptionally durable to even think that a human being would want an animal such as Kanzi to be classified as one of