The Editor, Sir:

In response to the letter from J.E. Warioba on January 12, the postulate that we, humans, may not be better than crabs, should not be dismissed out of hand. Where we excel in cognition and in developing technology, the 'common crustacean' is a wonder of evolutionary development and marvellously well adapted to thriving in the tumultuous intertidal zone. Their biochemistry, physiology, morphology, immunology, etc. have been finely tuned through millions of years while our human cognitive abilities only led to digital watches just a few decades ago.

Warioba also seems to postulate that humans - belonging to the animal kingdom - would in some way choose to behave as some other species, rather than as humans. This is a puzzling postulate suggesting that jackasses might choose to act as humans or intertidal crustaceans. It is more reasonable to suppose that humans act as humans; empathetic, vengeful, forgiving, greedy, beneficent, petty, noble, angry, fearful, brave, quirky, loving, artistic, ecstatic, creative, … [the list goes on].

I would like to end with the observation that we humans are good at learning and that we learn best by example. Let's all be models of the kind of human that we wish others to be.

I am, etc.,

DAVID ALMANDSMITH

almsmith@pacbell.net

Oakland, California, Via Go-Jamaica