All,
Actually, there are a large number of anthropological and natural history
museums out there that might have found that brief struggle interesting.
They may be planning their next exhibition comparing apes and humans right
now thanks to us.
As indicated by Jay and Indigo, according to prevailing thought, we are
indeed evolved from the same line as chimps, and therefore share many of
their inherent traits. They and bonobos and even gorillas are studied so
carefully because they serve so well as animalistic versions of
ourselves(sans the higher cognitive functions). I have seen this theme in
numerous exhibitions, both well-done and deeply misinformed.
By the way, since we are all now aware that bonobos are less aggressive
than their larger cousins, but not entirely peaceful, perhaps it might be
interesting to note a couple other interesting chimp traits. Said larger
cousins have been know to canibalize their own kind after murdering them,
and they regularly engage in what relates directly to tribal warfare.
Chimps and bonobos also make and use simple tools in their daily lives, and
chimps have been observed to use weapons (typically thrown) in combat.
Through their actions, they exhibit greed, envy, hate, ambition, and
intentional cruelty, in addition to kindness, love, loyalty, friendship,
and grief.
Sound familiar?
Mark Janzen
Registrar/Collections Manager
Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art
Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection
Wichita State University
(316)978-5850
Jay Heuman
<[log in to unmask]
DU> To
Sent by: Museum [log in to unmask]
discussion list cc
<[log in to unmask]
SE.LSOFT.COM> Subject
Re: Peace
07/27/2004 06:19
PM
Please respond to
Museum discussion
list
<[log in to unmask]
SE.LSOFT.COM>
Stephen,
At core, there are ideas that have museological implications in these
messages -- about human nature, the world in which we live, the
assumptions we make about our visitor's base knowledge and capacity to
comprehend, etc.
How about contributing content (rather than stilted humor) to this
discussion? What are your thoughts concerning the 'peace museum'? Or
how about war and war museums?
Sincerely,
j heuman
Education Curator
Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art
Utah State University
4020 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-4020
t 435.797.0165 | f 435.797.3423
Education costs money, but then so does ignorance.
Sir Charles Moser, b. 1922
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stephen Lockwood
> Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 4:54 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Peace
>
> You two must have absolutely nothing satisfying going in in
> your own lives at the moment. Could it be mid-summer boredom?
> Your bonobos and chimps would be too busy trying to stay
> warm, if they were in San Francisco today.......
>
> Stephen Lockwood
> Senior Museum Registrar
> Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail
message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should
read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
