Suppose for a moment that a living tribe of hobbits is discovered, how will we treat them? Are they just monkeys or tiny people? If one of their children is brought by a researcher to Britain, will his place be in "Eton" or the zoo? If he dies, will he be buried in consecrated ground or in a pet cemetery?
Desmond Morris, from Galileo
Suppose for a moment that a living tribe of hobbits is discovered, how will we treat them? Are they just monkeys or tiny people? If one of their children is brought by a researcher to Britain, will his place be in "Eton" or the zoo? If he dies, will he be buried in consecrated ground or in a pet cemetery?
His very existence among us will once again raise the question of what makes us human. Since until now our ancient ancestors had very successfully killed all their relatives, a chasm was opened between us and the other animals, a chasm so deep that religion distanced us and claimed that we do not even belong to them. Humans have a soul and animals have nothing.
Darwin's theory of evolution put an end to this nonsense. To most of the amazement, the obvious truth is met with opposition from large sections of the public who continue to insist that we are a special kind of creation. Will the mini-man give them nightmares? How can there be half a soul?
The mini-man is supposed to be the jewel in the crown of evolution and once and for all the modern man will be placed in his rightful place: in the animal kingdom, where he belongs scientifically.
If and when we meet these living examples and they mumble like chimpanzees, we will no doubt be classified as great apes, and the poor people will end their lives in cages as guinea pigs. But if, mercifully, they speak, we will have to admit the reality of two types of humans on earth and then - if we see them we will be considered murderers, if we eat them we will be considered cannibals and if we experiment on them it will be abuse.
Personally, I long to know that they can talk.
