Good article up to the end when speculation about the uniqeness of humans are presented. "Humans, perhaps uniquely, have gained the ability to step outside ours

Good article up to the end when speculation about the uniqeness of humans are presented. "Humans, perhaps uniquely, have gained the ability to step outside ourselves" AFAIK we have established that quite a few animals for example apes such as the Orangutan are able to identify and reason about themselves in relation to the rest of the world. They are capable of deception, cooperation etc. And of course a range of complex feelings. The color changing and arms of an octopus would at least allow for complex information communication.