Quicklet on Jared Diamond's The Third Chimpanzee

ABOUT THE BOOK

At present we make a fundamental distinction between animals (including apes) and humans, and this distinction guides our ethical code and actions. For instance, as I noted at the start of this chapter, it is considered acceptable to exhibit caged apes in zoos, but it is not acceptable to do the same with humans. I wonder how the public will feel when the identifying label on the chimp cage in the zoo reads 'Homo troglodytes'.

The Third Chimpanzee is inspired by the latest ge...