Are humans any better than animals?

[Mesomorph]

I've been thinking about this idea. All ideas of religion aside, what makes a human think that we are any better, or superior than any other animal. Simply because we have evolved in a way that is advantageous to thought and that we are capable of adaptation, does this make us any better than an animal.

Who's to say that in a billion years, cats won't evolve into something comperable to our current state. Who's to say that we won't die out.

Do animal's have souls or just humans? Personally I think that animals do have souls, but just aren't capable of properly expressing them.

Most of what humans do can be traced back to instincts and animalistic action. So, why do we always think that we are somehow greater?

 

[GoldenBear]

I think, therefore I am.

 

[AmitPatel]

exaclty, humans are self-aware, and animals are not really...our thinking ability is much higher thatn other creatures..

 

[linuxboy]

because we have will

 

[AMDJunkie]

We have Anandtech forums. They don't.

 

[RaDragon]

<< We have Anandtech forums. They don't >>


Amen to that!

 

[Mesomorph]

yah, but thought wasn't originally an asset. thought developed out of man's inability to adapt properly to his surroundings. thought developed out of our poor evolution. sharks can survive perfectly in water. we can survive in mediocrity in many places, but i still wouldn't want to go up against a shark. what's so great about thinking? much of the thinking that we do is mere instinct. throughout our lives, we don't truly &quot;think&quot; much.

 

[Sluggo]

Opposable thumbs, other animals would have long ago killed us if they had these.

Imagine instead of just biting your leg, a dog could grab it and then bite, there would be no escape.

 

[Imported]

Because we can and we will. Sorry, but I get tired of all those PETA people. A friend of mine is like, anti-animal killing, etc and everything. One day while fishing, she was like &quot;Don't catch the fish, you're gonna hurt them.&quot; Bah, they shouldn't make themselves taste good then..

 

[Passions]

Humans have a soul, given by God. Animals dont, they were created for man.

 

[Mesomorph]

Hey, i never said don't kill animals. We have the capability to kill, there isn't any reason why we shouldn't. I'm just saying that humans are so pompous about their superiority that they lose sight of the fact that we are just evolved animals

 

[Russ]

<< Who's to say that in a billion years, cats won't evolve into something comperable to our current state. >>



You've been watching too much Red Dwarf.

Russ, NCNE

 

[RaDragon]

<< Do animal's have souls or just humans? Personally I think that animals do have souls, but just aren't capable of properly expressing them. >>



I think you are confusing the word &quot;Soul&quot; with &quot;feelings&quot;...

 

[Mesomorph]

<<Humans have a soul, given by God. Animals dont, they were created for man.>>

BUNK! Prove it without refering to the bible.

 

[Mesomorph]

RaDragon. No, I can understand your confusion with my statement though, so I'll clarify. Humans can tell that humans have souls because we are capable of outwardly expressing them. We are capable of comprehending, of feeling unconditional love, etc. Who is to say that animals aren't the same way. We look into a dog's eyes, and we can't see that comprehension, but that doesn't mean that it isn't there. It merely means that he isn't capable of expressing it. There is still that potential though.

 

[OS]

<< Are humans any better than animals? >>



Discounting religious considerations, not really. The recent human genome project has shown that in terms of genetic complexity, we are roughly equivalent to a corn plant.



<< Who's to say that in a billion years, cats won't evolve into something comperable to our current state. Who's to say that we won't die out. >>



Possible on both counts.



<< So, why do we always think that we are somehow greater? >>



Egocentrism. And the inability to develop an effective cross species form of communication, which would be needed to gauge ourselves relative to other animals.

 

[RaDragon]

Thanks for clarifying that, Mesomorph.



<< Who is to say that animals aren't the same way >>



If you are familiar with Aristotle's de Anima (book III), then you must be aware of the kinds of soul, their powers/faculties, operations/activities and objects/content. With that in mind, what separates us human beings from animals is intellect. Animals have a 'sensitive soul' -- they have the capacity to see images, shapes/light/color, hear sounds, taste flavors, smell aroma, feel pain/pleasure and ingest food. As humans, we experience all those with the added 'bonus' of intellect (mind) -- to understand definitions/forms/ideas/meanings.

 

[Mesomorph]

so you don't think that animals sense things with intellect. so, if you shock and animal as it touches a peice of food, it won't get scared of that food eventually? of course it does. animals have the ability to analyze things within their own intellect, it just happens that their intellect is not as developed as our own.

 

[OS]

<< what separates us human beings from animals is intellect. >>



Jane Goodall would disagree. Chimpanzees have shown that they have nearly human level thinking, including the ability to learn sign language, do basic algebra, and grasp basic economic ideas. Similar idea for dolphins, who understand that television is a representation of reality. These creatures have minds equivalent, or possibly above those of developmentally challenged human beings. There is no solid line between the intellectual capabilities of humans and animals. Only shades of grey.

 

[RaDragon]

ah, i just re-read this thread and found this...



<< what's so great about thinking? much of the thinking that we do is mere instinct. throughout our lives, we don't truly &quot;think&quot; much. >>



Mesomorph -- aren't you thinking right now? isn't it great that you are able to formulate your thoughts onto this thread? do you think that it is instinct that compels you to type out the words in your mind? and how great it is to write your opinion that

<< we don't truly &quot;think&quot; much >>

?

 

[RaDragon]

<< so you don't think that animals sense things with intellect. so, if you shock and animal as it touches a peice of food, it won't get scared of that food eventually? of course it does. animals have the ability to analyze things within their own intellect, it just happens that their intellect is not as developed as our own. >>



please do a search on Pavlov's dog.

 

[8ball]

<< All ideas of religion aside >>


If you look at things this way, no one is better than anyone or anything else. There is no such thing as crime with this way of thinking. There is no right or wrong. In this case, survival of the fittest is what would determine which species is &quot;better&quot;.

 

[Mesomorph]

RaDragon. no, i understand what you're saying. but there is a difference between feeling pain and knowing that a certain action will bring about pain. Animals have been known to learn, to pick up concepts, to navigate mazes with decreasing times as trials increase. They are able to learn and make intelligent decisions based on that learning. I think that you have difficulty actually understanding the definition of thinking. Thinking doesn't mean pondering the meaning to the universe or anything spectacular like that. Rather, it starts as learning from experience, then deriving from that (even though what you are pondering may be beyond that which you have experienced). That is the nature of all thinking.

 

[OS]

<< If you look at things this way, no one is better than anyone or anything else. There is no such thing as crime with this way of thinking. There is no right or wrong >>



Geesh, morality does not need religion to exist.

 

[8ball]

The idea that because humans can think, or whatever, does not make them superior (in this case). There are many things one species can do that another can't.