--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I sometimes try to imagine what would…" description: "\"I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The discussion about hu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/frans-de-waal-2997_animal_i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-ha_46733.jpg" --- # I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if… ![“I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The discussion about human evolution might not revolve as much around violence, warfare and male dominance, but rather around sexuality, empathy, caring and cooperation…” quote by Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/frans-de-waal-2997_animal_i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-ha_46733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/frans-de-waal-2997_animal_i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-ha_46733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/frans-de-waal-2997_animal_i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-ha_46733.jpg) > “I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The discussion about human evolution might not revolve as much around violence, warfare and male dominance, but rather around sexuality, empathy, caring and cooperation. What a different intellectual landscape we would occupy!” [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagining a different primate discovery order suggests human evolution could be framed by cooperation and empathy rather than aggression. **In simple terms:** Reframing evolution around social bonds. Key Takeaway Perspective shapes scientific narratives. Themes Evolutionary biology Social behavior Gender studies Anthropology Cooperation Empathy Mood Thoughtful Speculative Optimistic Type Reflective Speculative When to use this quote - Academic discourse - Public policy debates - Education curricula - Media framing - Science communication Key Concepts Primatology Human nature Cultural narratives Practical Applications - Designing curricula that emphasize empathy - Informing policy on gender equality Questions to Reflect On - How does the order of scientific discoveries influence societal values? - What would change in our self‑image if cooperation were the central evolutionary theme? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Bonobo Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bonobo-chimpanzee-681082/) [Bonobos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bonobos/) [Caring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caring/) [Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee/) [Chimpanzee Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee-later-681081/) [Chimpanzees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzees/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Cooperation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperation/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Discussion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discussion/) [Dominance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominance/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Human evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-evolution/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape/) [Male dominance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/male-dominance/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) [Sexuality Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality-empathy-681083/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare/) ## Related quotes > [Some folks seem to have descended from the chimpanzee much later than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/some-folks-seem-to-have-descended-from-the-chimpanzee-much-later-than/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [Most men probably wouldn't want to live the lives of bonobos. They're constantly clinging to their mothers' apron strings. They lack the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/most-men-probably-wouldn-t-want-to-live-the-lives-of-bonobos-they-re/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“In a world divided by chimpophiles and bonobophiles, we all had a good laugh when Stephen peeled his banana. (62)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/in-a-world-divided-by-chimpophiles-and-bonobophiles-we-all-had-a-good/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Male bonobos really don't fit the human male ideal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/male-bonobos-really-don-t-fit-the-human-male-ideal/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Being both more systematically brutal than chimps and more empathetic than bonobos, we are by far the most bipolar ape. Our societies are never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/being-both-more-systematically-brutal-than-chimps-and-more-empathetic/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Bonobo studies started in the '70s and came to fruition in the '80s. Then in the '90s, all of a sudden, boom, they ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/bonobo-studies-started-in-the-70s-and-came-to-fruition-in-the-80s/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Female bonobos form a strong sisterhood. They rule through female solidarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/female-bonobos-form-a-strong-sisterhood-they-rule-through-female/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't waste time with gestures but just goes ahead and attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/a-chimpanzee-who-is-really-gearing-up-for-a-fight-doesn-t-waste-time/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [If we look straight and deep into a chimpanzee's eyes, an intelligent self-assured personality looks back at us. If they are animals, what must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-we-look-straight-and-deep-into-a-chimpanzee-s-eyes-an-intelligent/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [If you look at human society, it is very easy, of course, to compare our warfare and territoriality with the chimpanzee. But that's only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-you-look-at-human-society-it-is-very-easy-of-course-to-compare-our/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [It is not only visitors to the zoo who are fascinated but uneasy in the presence of chimpanzees; the same is true of scientists.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/it-is-not-only-visitors-to-the-zoo-who-are-fascinated-but-uneasy-in/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Bonobos may have a brain that's a third the size of ours, but they're remarkably intelligent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudine-andre/bonobos-may-have-a-brain-that-s-a-third-the-size-of-ours-but-they-re/) [Claudine Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudine-andre/) > [We built Bonobos, with more than a few dozen customers and counting, and the industry we were disrupting didn't seem to care. Then we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dunn/we-built-bonobos-with-more-than-a-few-dozen-customers-and-counting/) [Andy Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dunn/) > [Bonobos are not monkeys! Bonobos are apes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dunn/bonobos-are-not-monkeys-bonobos-are-apes/) [Andy Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dunn/) > [Bonobos are unique among great apes because they are not dominated by males.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudine-andre/bonobos-are-unique-among-great-apes-because-they-are-not-dominated-by/) [Claudine Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudine-andre/) ## More by Frans de Waal > [Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/dogmatists-have-one-advantage-they-are-poor-listeners/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [If both parties have a stake in the other, the chances of them killing each other are going to be reduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-both-parties-have-a-stake-in-the-other-the-chances-of-them-killing/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Unlike the primate hand, the elephant's grasping organ is also its nose. Elephants use their trunks not only to reach food but also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/unlike-the-primate-hand-the-elephant-s-grasping-organ-is-also-its/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Science is not inherently good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/science-is-not-inherently-good/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [The possibility that empathy resides in parts of the brain so ancient that we share them with rats should give pause to anyone comparing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/the-possibility-that-empathy-resides-in-parts-of-the-brain-so-ancient/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“on August 16, 1996, when an eight-year-old female gorilla named Binti Jua helped a three-year-old boy who had fallen eighteen feet into the primate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/on-august-16-1996-when-an-eight-year-old-female-gorilla-named-binti/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [We start out postulating sharp boundaries, such as between humans and apes, or between apes and monkeys, but are in fact dealing with sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/we-start-out-postulating-sharp-boundaries-such-as-between-humans-and/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-any-persons-whose-belief-system/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Personally, I think it is possible to build a society that is moral on a nonreligious basis, but the jury is still out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/personally-i-think-it-is-possible-to-build-a-society-that-is-moral-on/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“humans are a strange lot. We have the power to analyze and explore the world around us, yet panic as soon as the evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/humans-are-a-strange-lot-we-have-the-power-to-analyze-and-explore-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/armies-are-a-purely-human-invention-most-soldiers-who-go-to-war/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [There's actually a lot of evidence in primates and other animals that they return favors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/there-s-actually-a-lot-of-evidence-in-primates-and-other-animals-that/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“In a world divided by chimpophiles and bonobophiles, we all had a good laugh when Stephen peeled his banana. (62)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/in-a-world-divided-by-chimpophiles-and-bonobophiles-we-all-had-a-good/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [In Africa, we have the bush meat trade, which means that, on a very large scale, animals are being killed in the forests and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/in-africa-we-have-the-bush-meat-trade-which-means-that-on-a-very/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [ Humanity is actually much more cooperative and empathic than \[it's\] given credit for. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/humanity-is-actually-much-more-cooperative-and-empathic-than-it-s/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) [Explore all 143 Frans de Waal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The discussion about human evolution might not revolve as much around violence, warfare and male dominance, but rather around sexuality, empathy, caring and cooperation. 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