Many people think of the thumb as the main finger and the part of the hand that serves humans so well. In many ways, it is, I suppose, but I have read in multiple places that the truly important part of the hand is the "ulnar opposition", ability of the ring and little fingers to roll toward the thumb. Other animal hands can't do that and our grip, especially the way we grip a golf club or a sword, makes us much handier with tools and weapons.
Various maps of the homunculus brain show that the fingers have a great portion of the brain devoted to them. I have read in several places that the sensitivity of the finger tips is among the best touch sensitivity in the entire animal kingdom. We can sense extremely small things with our fingers.
Of course, we gesture with our hands and we can use American Sign Language or other ways to sharpen the precision of our communication using hands. I have had chances to experience the fact that gestures and signs can be communicated over spaces in noisy wrestling match atmospheres that limit the use of the voice.
Watching my baby great-grandson look at his hands in wonder and spend time slobbering over them and trying to cram them into his mouth makes clear to me how much work it is for us to learn to use our hands. In junior high, I took a typing class and did poorly. I listed myself mentally as a non-typist so I was very surprised when about 25 years later, it was clearly demonstrated to me that I knew the QWERTY keyboard way better than I thought, even after all that time. For the last 30 years, I have typed nearly every day. Not all that well by the typing class standards but in direct composition, my head and my hands cooperate better and more effectively than with longhand.
Hurray for hands!
