I was wondering about alien life, and it got me thinking that on earth have 5-10 creatures that show signs of intelligence that at least seem likely to “progress” as a civilization if they just had better organs for tool use. Theyve been with us for long time but only we progressed, and while we share a lot with apes, they havent even if they have same organs for tool use. Are Apes dumber than crows, orcas, octopi etc.? Or was human intelligence (before we got to civilization levell) really unique and that different than other animals?
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The answer to progression is actually free time, combined with the ability to reason in a safe environment.
Humans were only able to make progress past a certain point when the availability of food and water became abundant through agriculture. As permanent cities filled with humans that now had extra time on their hands, they could spend greater time experimenting, practicing, and learning how to better manipulate their environment (and those around them).
Because humans continue to ravage the planet, most other species will never attain any sort of stability over the generations needed to progress a similar manner. Those that do- the animals that live with us as pets or livestock- have their breeding, lives, and activities so restricted by humans that they cannot progress, either.
Some birds, apes, cetaceans, and cephalopods are all candidates if we weren’t here. I’d vote for the birds, apes, and cephalopods having a better chance due to their body type adaptability.
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