Critical Analysis of Hominidae (Great Ape) Taxonomy

Abstract

This article is a critical look at the current taxonomic placement of the different species that make up Hominidae (the great ape family) to determine if any biases might be occurring in how humans are described relative to the other great apes and how taxonomic placements are understood across different disciplines. A systematic literature review was conducted to quantify the placement of the human node on the phylogenetic trees that were observed. The qualitative data includes a literature review of the philosophical/religious and linguistic perspectives and noting when the colloquial and scientific terms were used and in what context. Three taxonomic placements were presented in this thesis: the currently accepted Hominidae family, 2) the separated Hominidae-Pongidea families, and 3) an updated taxonomic placement that result from the findings in this research. The data from the quantitative and qualitative analyses were observed and the use of language were used to determine that there is a bias when researchers illustrate the taxonomic relationship of humans and other great apes. The main findings were humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas all belong to genus Homo, and failure to group all these organisms in a single genus produces a bias within the research and leads to paraphyletic groupings where humans are perceived as separate from other great apes. This bias reinforces institutional pithecophobia in Western society that perpetuate the belief that humans are separate from other apes.