Who Needs Other People?

I've often wondered what it would be like for a person to live a solitary life, away from other human beings, from a very young age. For instance, suppose a baby survived a deadly plane crash that killed his parents, and all of the other passengers; the plane went down in a remote forest in central Africa; and the child was rescued by a small community of primates and raised as one of their own; like Tarzan. I'm not sure if gorillas will actually do that, but for the sake of discussion, let's go with it...

With no human interaction, it is unlikely that the child would ever read, write, or communicate in a language that another human being could understand. Like the apes, he would probably eat bamboo shoots and termites; and never learn to cook. If he wore clothing at all, it would most likely be crudely constructed for warm or protection, with no regard for style.

Without exposure to civilized cultures, languages, trends, concepts, and ideas, he would grow up implementing the same primitive skills, resources, and forms of communication that the apes used. In the period of a lifetime, his superior intelligence might advance him slightly farther than his adoptive family, but it is unlikely that he would ever live a lifestyle that remotely resembled that of an educated, socialized human being.

So it seems that we are what we are, primarily because of the influence of other human beings. I know, it is disheartening to realize that you almost certainly would not have gotten this far in life without the input of literally thousands of people. But look at the bright side; you don't have to eat bamboo shoots and termites...