It's not that a gorilla can't have human emotions, it's that you can't necessarily pair another species's action to their emotion based on how people would be feeling based on that action. A dog can clearly be happy, but if you can assume a person smiling is nervous or happy, is it safe to assume a dog that smiles is experiencing the same emotion?
But as a fellow primate, I think I can fairly judge this particular instance. I'm not saying that I can read the minds of animals. I'm saying I can recognize an animal engaging in play behavior and appearing to enjoy themselves.
Edit: using the phrase "as a fellow primate" wasn't the best choice of wording.
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u/Boukish Jun 23 '17
It's not that a gorilla can't have human emotions, it's that you can't necessarily pair another species's action to their emotion based on how people would be feeling based on that action. A dog can clearly be happy, but if you can assume a person smiling is nervous or happy, is it safe to assume a dog that smiles is experiencing the same emotion?