Whenever I see this written I like to point out that the "we" in this case was only a vocal minority of people throughout history.
Anyone who's ever lived or worked with animals, at the very least mammals and birds, would have observed them being intelligent.
I'm sure this idea that people used to think animals weren't intelligent is a myth in the same way we think people used to believe the Earth is flat is a myth[1].
> Be civil. Don't say things you wouldn't say in a face-to-face conversation. Avoid gratuitous negativity.
Agriculture, written language, metal smelting, universities, space shuttles, nuclear bombs, radio, computers, etc.
It was obvious to me that we're in a whole other category from other species. But then I thought about human tribes in the rain forest that don't have any of those. Are they not as intelligent us? But they are us... Hm, well you've made me think. Thanks!
Look at the recent discoveries in the Amazon basin. Layers of dirt thousands of years old, still filled with the charcoal used to improve soil quality. Species of plants that were clearly selected for over time. The list goes on.
So we're not special enough anymore and we have to come up with a new word? I don't buy it.
It's likely that humans' extraordinary achievements stem from our immense ability to communicate and cooperate. A single human on its own isn't all that smart really.
Many intelligent animals suffer from limited knowledge transfer between generations and low cooperation between individuals. So each is only as smart as itself. Or maybe as itself and a couple of friends.
Whereas every human is able to tap into the intelligence of very many other humans. That's really one of our biggest superpowers.