This blog post takes an in-depth look at whether the factor that made humans special was truly communication and cooperation, or whether it was bipedalism.
In his book ‘Homo Deus’, Yuval Noah Harari argues that the human trait enabling our domination of Earth is our capacity for communication and cooperation. Harari bases his claim that this ability fundamentally distinguishes humans from other species on two main grounds.
First, humans reached the top of the food chain largely because they could adapt flexibly to diverse situations. Harari contends that this was made possible by the exceptional complexity-processing capability of human communication, far surpassing what other species’ communication demonstrates. This enabled humans to form complex social structures beyond simple survival strategies and develop culture and civilization. For instance, early human societies did not remain confined to family units or small groups but gradually formed larger communities and societies. This expansion was largely a result of humans’ unique communication abilities. Furthermore, human communication capabilities enabled the effective sharing of emotions, ideas, and complex concepts, going beyond simple information transfer.
Furthermore, Yuval Noah Harari argues that the reason humans could dominate other species to an unparalleled degree was precisely because large-scale cooperation became possible. He contends that without the capacity for extensive collaboration, humans would likely still be competing with other species or would struggle to achieve the stark differences seen today. This demonstrates how, throughout history, humans faced numerous crises and challenges yet overcame them by cooperating toward shared goals. The scope of this cooperation extended beyond mere survival; it enabled cultural and technological progress, playing a crucial role in advancing civilization. Through this, humans transcended basic survival to create their own unique cultures and pass them down to future generations.
Yuval Noah Harari’s argument appears sufficiently persuasive, and when viewed through the lens of human characteristics we experience in daily life, it doesn’t feel particularly wrong. However, Harari does not provide concrete, objective evidence to support his claim that the ability to communicate and cooperate is the single most significant factor making humans special. While I acknowledge to some extent that the ability to process the complexity of communication for flexible adaptation and the potential for large-scale cooperation are human traits distinguishing us from other animals, the claim that these traits alone enabled humans to dominate the Earth can be seen as merely Yuval Noah Harari’s own subjective opinion. In reality, throughout human history, such communication and cooperation have not solved all problems; rather, they have often led to conflict and war. Considering this, explaining human uniqueness solely through communication and cooperation is somewhat limited.
Furthermore, Yuval Noah Harari claims that intelligence and tool-making ability did not significantly contribute to humanity’s domination of the Earth, but this assertion also lacks sufficient evidence. Numerous studies conducted over time support the fact that intelligence and tool-making ability, no less than the capacity for communication and cooperation, have been uniquely human traits that have greatly influenced our development. Traditional research has consistently pointed to bipedalism as the most significant factor making humans special. This is because bipedalism freed the hands for tool-making and use, which in turn allowed for the gradual increase in brain size and the development of intelligence. Australopithecus afarensis, often called the earliest humans, could make and use simple hand tools. Homo habilis, appearing two million years ago, literally means “tool-using human.” Crucially, it was only with Homo habilis that the language center emerged in the human brain. Language became the most critical factor enabling human communication and cooperation. Ultimately, the ability to walk upright led to the development of intelligence and tool-making skills. This became a form of training, creating conditions that allowed the brain to be used more freely, enabling the use of language.
This process represents one of the decisive moments in human evolution, laying the foundation for humans to transform into beings distinct from other animals. In particular, the development of tools transcended mere survival tools, influencing all human activities from art and science to the construction of civilization. The ability to communicate and cooperate can be seen as a byproduct of the development of superior intelligence. Therefore, existing research shows that it is inherently contradictory to deny intelligence as a special human ability while emphasizing communication and cooperation. In this light, it is more accurate to fundamentally attribute the factor distinguishing humans from other animals to bipedalism. This is because bipedalism enabled the development of intelligence, tool-making ability, and communication and cooperation – all special abilities. I certainly do not claim to be absolutely certain that bipedalism is the cause of humanity’s domination of Earth. I am merely refuting Yuval Noah Harari’s view that communication and cooperation alone made humans special.
Yuval Noah Harari argues that ants and bees, which have engaged in organized cooperation since before Homo sapiens, failed to dominate humanity or Earth for the following reasons. He points out that while ants and bees exhibit highly sophisticated cooperation, they cannot communicate with each other, criticize one another, or improve their social systems. A prime example is that even when faced with threats from new environments or new opportunities, they cannot execute the queen bee at the guillotine, spark a revolution, and establish a republic. But I wish to counter this here. Is it truly only because of humans’ superior communication abilities that they sparked the French Revolution or developed the internet, enabling far broader and faster communication than before? I also believe Yuval Noah Harari’s fundamental argument—that while ants and bees excel at cooperation, they lack communication skills—lacks sufficient basis. Yet ants and bees, whose cooperative abilities far surpass humans’, cannot create the internet. This can only be interpreted as stemming from the difference in intelligence capable of conceiving something like the internet—connecting the world through radio waves—and the ability to create tools like computers. If ants or bees possessed the intelligence and tool-making capabilities sufficient to develop the internet, they would have evolved that way.
Furthermore, human civilization developed through a process of challenge and response in the struggle against nature. Human domination of the Earth did not result solely from communication and cooperation; it stemmed from the ability to understand nature and transform it to suit human needs. Therefore, the claim that communication and cooperation alone made humans special is sufficiently refutable.
For these reasons, evidence, and data, I do not fully agree with Yuval Noah Harari’s opinion that the fundamental and unique trait that enabled humans to dominate the Earth is the ability to communicate and cooperate.
