Albert Einstein photo by Ferdinand Schmutzer [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

Scientific misnomer of human species

The scientific name of the modern human species means ‘wise’. However, wisdom cannot be measured and has never been compared between humans and other higher primates. Since human activities make questionable even the subjective view that we are particularly wise among animals, the implicit claim that wisdom is one of our salient features seems pseudoscientific.

Robin and the Honey Badger, 22 March 2016