Confronting Human Exceptionalism | Christine Webb
From OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance by Population Balance
February 24, 2026 · 1h 5m
About this episode
Christine Webb discusses the myth of human exceptionalism and its implications for understanding nonhuman animals.
The myth of human exceptionalism casts humans as separate from and superior to the rest of life. Primatologist Christine Webb, author of The Arrogant Ape , dismantles this belief, showing how science and culture sustain human exceptionalism - and why replacing it with awe and empathy for the natural world is essential to life's future on Earth. Highlights include: How an early experience with Bear the baboon led Christine to a deep insight about nonhuman animals' complex theory of mind - the ability to know what others know; How human exceptionalism is deeply rooted in Western thought from Aristotle through medieval Christianity to the Enlightenment and modern science; How human exceptionalism influences both the research questions asked and the methods used in primate research and science in general - such as using symbolic language tests on captive animals that privilege human cognition, and self-recognition mirror tests that privilege visually dominant animals like humans and disadvantage animals like dogs that 'see' with their sense of smell; Why animals should be studied in their natural habitats, taking seriously each species' worldview, and developing relationships with…
People in this episode
Guest: Christine Webb
Topics covered
- human exceptionalism
- primatology
- cultural beliefs
- animal cognition
- Indigenous knowledge
- science and society
Keywords
- human exceptionalism
- primatology
- animal cognition
- Indigenous societies
- theory of mind
- Western thought
- natural habitats
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Arrogant Ape
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