Philosophy Now Forum

Brian King wonders what there is about human minds that’s unique to us.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/130/Humanity_Metaphor_and_the_Recursive_Mind

Brian King says that what distinguishes our minds from the minds of other animals is our ability to use metaphors and recursion. If you are in a hurry, you can stop reading now.

But if you read King’s article, you'll see his straightforward yet nuanced argument for the case that human evolution has caused, with respect to other animals, a difference in degree, rather than kind, that resulted in plentiful development of axions and dendrites in the neocortex of humans. If you are interested in philosophy of mind or language, it is worth your time to take a look at this piece.

The main difference in thinking between humans and other species is the extensive use of language. That became more significant with the introduction of writing.