We are still monkeys

Just as we are still apes.

In the recent past, the response to a common misunderstanding of the Theory of Evolution was: "We are not apes. We evolved from a common ancestor." Now, we realize that even that answer is still incorrect.

Essentially, the problem is with semantics. In the past, the term "apes" is used to refer to primates such as chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas while arbitrarily excluding humans from the group. As we now understand the evolutionary history of our species and our cousin species, the term "apes" now includes us within the group. Thus, previously, the group "apes" was paraphyletic where it excludes us. Now, the group "apes" includes all great apes including us.

The rationale for this change in understanding and terminology can be simply understood by common ancestry. Since evidence demonstrates that we share a common ancestry with chimpanzees, at some point in history, the two lineages must have had diverged from a parent lineage. That parent lineage must have had traits common to both daughter lineages. If the parent lineage was considered to be an ape, then its descendants would still be apes by definition no matter how different they may have changed.

The same issue has occurred with the way we utilized the term "monkey". So technically, we are monkeys. The same way all birds are dinosaurs. The same way all chordates are "fish".

O' enough talk. Watch AronRa's video - he gives a much better and detailed explanation in the following video.