Really, from the bottom up?

I don't argue that I have simplified my discussion of "human nature", if we want to call it that, and that I've focused on an aspect of our nature - our consciousness - that our animal cousins do not share with us to the same degree as it is present in ourselves. There are, however, a couple of other biologically determined features that also speak for our differentness:

1. our digestive tract, from teeth to colon, is suited for any kind of food;
2. we're built not for speed, but for endurance;
3. we have speech organs that allow for highly differentiated communication possibilities;
4. we walk/run upright, freeing our hands for other tasks/activities;
5. we have an opposable thumb, facilitating tool use and production;
6. we also never stop learning and can learn through imitation, oral instruction, demonstration, and a variety of other modes.

When we consider these additional features, we find that we're also exceedingly adaptable creatures. We are the only species who can be found living in all the climate that the planet has to offer. We are everywhere and we have found ways to accommodate ourselves to any environment. Considering in particular items 3-6 in the list above, we find additional reinforcement for our social proclivity: we function best in a group. It is the group that can find and eat anything, anywhere, almost anytime, because we can communicate well and make things that help us adapt. It's a kind of virtuous circle.

We are, in a word, quite amazing creatures, and we are so, and hence so successful as a species because we can do something better than any other species can: we can cooperate. I know, I know, lions are successful in prides, and chimpanzees often hunt in troops, wolves and orcas run in packs. But, we can adjust the size, intensity, level of commitment and leadership of our groups on the fly, a moment's notice, with a minimum of effort.

This is just the way we are, but when we look around these days, there is little left of this nature to be seen: we've walled ourselves in, we communicate very little, we avoid learning more often than not, and we have trouble simply getting along. We don't need to turn back the clock and become hunter-gatherers again, not at all. We simply need to be aware of our strengths and build on them, and wherever possible, avoid our inherent weaknesses.

We've got a great foundation to build upon, so why do we work so hard at tearing it down?