Barbara Smuts argument

The argument I believe Barbara Smuts is trying to make in her passage "Reflections" is that animals, baboons in specific, are more human-like than we would expect. They have whole societies with small eccentricities that are unique to each group. Smuts spent months and months living with a certain troop of baboons and soon practically became one of them. She talks about how each baboon out of 140 has an individual personality that she can easily recognize. By the end of her study she could name each baboon without even having to see their face. One might argue that the baboons simply act out of instinct and any individual characteristic that she noticed were coincidences, but I, and Smuts, feel differently. She states, "Every baboon had a characteristic voice and unique things to say with it; each had a face like no other, favorite foods, favorite friends, and favorite bad habits." She then went on to explain how each baboon had a special relationship with her that was distinct from all others. Just like humans, they formed relationships and had their own personalities. Not only did the baboons have very human-like behaviors and traits but they also had some physical qualities that were similar to humans as well. Smuts describes a moment when she felt not so different from her baboon companion, "For example, one day, as I rested my hand on a large rock, I suddenly felt the gentlest of touches on my fingertips. Turning around slowly, I came face-to-face with one of my favorite juveniles, a slight fellow named Damien. He looked intently into my eyes, as if to make sure that I was not disturbed by his touch, and then proceeded to use this index finger to examine, in great detail, each one of my fingernails in turn. This exploration was made especially poignant by the fact that Damien was examining my fingers with one that looked very much the same, except that his was smaller and black. After touching each nail, and without removing his finger, Damien glanced up at me for a few seconds. Each time our gaze met, I wondered if he, like I, was contemplating the implications of the realization that our fingers and fingernails were so alike." There are many obvious things that separate us from baboons, but when closely examined, baboons are more like us than we would ever expect.