Darwin provided the profound understanding that evolution has influenced the shape of our minds as strongly as it has the shape of our bodies. Since humans evolved from the same primate ancestor as modern chimpanzees or gorillas, he suggested one could learn more by comparing human instincts, emotions, and behaviors to those of animals than one can surmise from subjective speculation.
达尔文提出了深刻的洞见——进化对我们观念的影响与对我们身体的影响一样大。他认为，既然人类是从与现代黑猩猩和大猩猩共有的始祖进化而来的，那么将人类的本能、情感和行为与那些动物相比较应该能比主观猜测学到更多东西。达尔文说，“理解了狒狒，你就比洛克更接近形而上学。”