Why Only Humans Ask 'Why': A Journey from Ape to Inquiry

First, it's important to know a fact that few people are aware of: Earlier studies on ape communication received harsh criticism from scientists. Many "researchers" trained apes to mimic human behavior and perform predetermined hand signs on camera, thus showcasing intelligence and creativity that didn't really exist. These "researchers" gained quick fame but distorted scientific knowledge.

It was only after other researchers attempted to replicate these studies that the embarrassing truth was revealed: apes are just animals—they lack true comprehension of abstract concepts or the ability to construct complex sentences in sign language.

Unfortunately, to this day, some people still quote old studies and mislead the public about the "amazing capabilities" of apes.

So what have the latest studies actually found?

Well, repeated studies conducted under proper scientific scrutiny have shown that mature great apes, such as chimpanzees, are intellectually on par with a two-year-old human child. In experiments, researchers taught chimpanzees to "speak" using sign language, revealing their desires and "thoughts." But to the researchers’ surprise, a significant difference emerged between a human child and an ape: apes never ask the researcher questions!

Despite numerous attempts to communicate with apes and educate them to "speak," the apes showed no understanding or curiosity about the world.

I will translate research conclusions from English Wikipedia: "Despite their impressive achievements, apes subjected to similar tests failed to ask questions themselves... Apes who underwent extensive language study programs learned how to answer questions and requests with words like 'why,' 'who,' and 'where,' but they have so far failed to learn to ask questions themselves.

"For example, David and Ann Premack wrote: 'Although the chimpanzee understood the question, it never asked questions itself, unlike a child who asks endless questions such as why is it like this?, who makes the noise?, when is dad coming home?, am I going to grandma’s?, where is the dog? etc.' However, the chimpanzee never detained its educator with questions; it never asked where it was going or when it was coming back, or anything else." (Source:Great ape language – Limitations of ape language).

For example, a researcher may disappear for a few days. The chimpanzee would be sad but wouldn’t ask where the researcher is in sign language. When the researcher returned to the enclosure, the chimpanzee wouldn’t ask where they went, where they were, or what they did, neither before nor after. The ape relates to reality as it occurs, not considering that anything exists beyond it.

This is a fascinating fact. Unlike a two- or three-year-old child who frequently asks questions and seeks to understand the world and their place in it, mature apes show no interest in the outside world. It appears that, like all animals, apes operate according to instincts (inherent characteristics that determine their behavior and actions in advance); animals are programmed to accept the physical reality as it is, as if they are an inseparable part of it.

The mental existence of apes is not separate from nature—to some extent, they and nature are one. Hence, they cannot be interested in asking questions about the world they live in, just as a plant doesn’t ask why it grows or why there is a sun shining on it. To ask questions about the world, one must be separate from the world, you could even say: a foreigner within it. Like a guest.

This is proof that humans are observers, consciousness within a body. As observers, even as small infants, humans seek to understand the reality around them, to learn and comprehend the world they live in, why they exist, where they come from, and what the purpose is.

By the way, it's important to remember that these experiments were initially created by researchers who strove with all their might to find evidence of physiological and mental similarities between humans and animals, and despite all their efforts, they failed in their mission. The experiments proved the opposite of their materialistic view of humans and showed that there is a spiritual dimension in humans that doesn’t exist in animals.

As the Torah teaches us: "And Hashem created man from the dust of the earth, and blew into his nostrils the breath of life" (Genesis 2:7). Man is the only creature to receive a soul, and therefore his purpose differs from that of animals.

Even a two- or three-year-old child recognizes that they possess a spiritual consciousness—a soul that is not part of the natural reality and, therefore, does not accept reality as given. So next time you hear a little child asking "why" and "how?" and "where?"—know that these questions are a testament to their soul!

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