Is there anything that makes humans unique?

[Agent Larkin]

We have morality.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/5373379/Animals-can-tell-right-from-wrong.html

So do they.

Note only did that surprise me but wow I mean I always suspected dogs as having some sort of moral compass but wow.

 

[Khedive Rex]

Secondly,we are NOT animals,heres why:

We can SPEAK
We can successfully organise into a society
We are different and split into races (you wont see red or blue lions now will you)
We dont have hair all over
We can have sex when we wont,not one time a year when our penis is erected
Our vast brain has brought upon us technology (when i see a cow using a gun il call you)
We have different skills and traits
We have morals and emotions (you wont see a dog write a sad poem or cry)

The list goes on and on,i havent slept last night and ive got tennis in a few hours,PM me if you want more

In order:
- So can dolphins and whales. Their language is actually supposed to be more complicated than ours.
- So can ants and any number of pack animals. They have alpha males, and in ants respective roles and functions.
- Red foxes and White foxes are different races. Kalico cats and Siamese cats are different races.
- Neither do fish. Or birds. Or those freaky naked cats with the big eyes.
- Bonobo chimpanzees can do this too. They actually share almost all of human sexual habits.
- We've covered this rather extensively in the thread. Use of tools is a form of technology and even if you don't want to count that animals do find and refine natural resource to, in effect, invent things. They're more primitive than ours, but they have technology.
- So do animals. As I said, ants literally breed different specializations into their colonies and animals such as dogs and cats can look independant from members of their same species.
- Actually, as covered above animals do have moral systems. My favorite example is that elephants bury the bones of their dead.

 

[Delicious]

...This is casual argumentation. Debates are idiotic things that prove nothing, as are statistics (which is the why the term "statistical fact" is an oxymoron).

Side stepping the whole "we don't know" part of your post, as it's sort of a given, considering proving things scientifically is unnecessary (and impossible in this case, as you yourself stated that it is impossible to quantify a significant part of our argument) if it is readily apparent as far as I'm concerned, I say that, as per the definition of "unique", being more intelligent does make us unique because no other creature is as intelligent as we are or can do the same things as we can as proven by our accomplishments and through basic observation of the animal's shared limitations.

I think I already rebuffed this argument somewhere in the thread. I'll do it again though.

Wait, Sure enough, here it is

To adress the second question, no I don't feel that a high degree of complexity in thinking and invention should be considered a trait in and of itself. It is, in effect, denoting skill at a trait. I would not say that a cheeta who can run 60 miles an hour is unique from a emu who can run 50 miles an hour simply because the cheeta is better at what it does. It is undeniable that it has more skill at a trait than animals around it but this skill does not become an independant trait. For true uniqueness to be claimed I want to see the cheeta sprout wings and breathe fire. It should do something that is truely unmatched in the animal kingdom by any degree of skill.

Sorry to be lazy but it's getting late out my way (early technically but ...)

As for the introduction you'll forgive the miss-speak. I was a debator and I forget that 'debate' can be something of a dirty word. What I meant to say is that if you don't intend to argue something, if you're in a room with people who mostly agree with you, it is unnecessary to qualify the statement "Smart things make things." any more than it already is. If you intend to support this assertion in an argument however, it's necessary to provide the logical rationale behind this assertion. In this case that rationale is that the construction of complex devices requires, in those who would make them, skills at pattern analysis, problem solving, memory and self awareness. These skills can therefore be interpreted as the basis of establishing whether a creature is "smart" and thus predicting whether it will make "things". I've been trying to adress the base assumption of your argument so that we can agree on it and move on (whether to further debate upon the implications of this assumption or just to bed is another matter).

Being the most skillful at something makes it unique. Though the cheetah might be similar to to the emu, it is still the fastest land animal. So, as per definition: being unlike or having no equal, the cheetah is unique. Still an animal because it is not capable of the things humans are, but unique in it's own right.

But we aren't arguing cheetah's and emu's. To be more specific, we'd have to be arguing rocket ships and snails. And we'd have to arguing skills, and to say intelligence is a skill is a bit of stretch I think, considering it has one of the broadest definitions I've ever come across.

And you described the issue that I have with proper debating and argumentation. It is impractical as it is redundant, requiring me to waste my time proving something that has already been proven. Just because someone can't describe why a circle is a circle doesn't suddenly make it not a circle. And just because I can't quantify a hypothetical situation that yourself said is unquantifiable doesn't suddenly mean that we aren't the dominant species on this earth as a direct result of our intelligence and the advantages that brings.

And I'm going to bed, considering this was at best a pseudo-argument to begin with, as we both were pretty much on the same side.

 

[Sevre]

Opposable thumbs!

 

[Khedive Rex]

Being the most skillful at something makes it unique. Though the cheetah might be similar to to the emu, it is still the fastest land animal. So, as per definition: being unlike or having no equal, the cheetah is unique. Still an animal because it is not capable of the things humans are, but unique in it's own right.

But we aren't arguing cheetah's and emu's. To be more specific, we'd have to be arguing rocket ships and snails. And we'd have to arguing skills, and to say intelligence is a skill is a bit of stretch I think, considering it has one of the broadest definitions I've ever come across.

And you described the issue that I have with proper debating and argumentation. It is impractical as it is redundant, requiring me to waste my time proving something that has already been proven. Just because someone can't describe why a circle is a circle doesn't suddenly make it not a circle. And just because I can't quantify a hypothetical situation that yourself said is unquantifiable doesn't suddenly mean that we aren't the dominant species on this earth as a direct result of our intelligence and the advantages that brings.

And I'm going to bed, considering this was at best a pseudo-argument to begin with, as we both were pretty much on the same side.

... Ah hell. I'll defend the formal rules of debate another day. For now I think we can agree to disagree and, anyway, sleep is such a tempting proposition.

Truce, good sir. Turce. We shall finish this another day.

Now! To the bed-mobile!

 

[deedee03]

Thinking that your not human???

 

[Kyletacullar]

1.opposable thumbs
2.unique communication system
3.advanced civilization
4.greater technology
5.THE INTERNET
=_=need I go on?

 

[deedee03]

Unique Human Right There [http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk27/goddess_grudge/?action=view¤t=babysloth.jpg]

 

[matnatz]

The thing that makes us different is that we are so poorly adapted to exist. We can't swim very well, run fast and aren't all that strong. The only thing we have going for us is brains. That's how we survive. We even lack basic instincts.

If our situation changed and humans had to survive in a way that our brains were of no use, just plain out instinctual survival, we would pretty much all fail and die.

So yeah, we are unique.

Yeah, I've always said the same myself. It's quite strange really, what the hell would motivate nature to do such a thing?

 

[El Poncho]

Our Brains. That we are top of the animal kingdom I guess, that we are spiritual(well some of us) Although elephants have been known to do things with bones of other elephants which is sort of spiritual i guess but not for sure

 

[deedee03]

only a person who is extreamly fat or lives with there parents still or both would say that - most people who keep active and had boyscouts would survive perfectly fine in the middle of nowhere-people nowadays lack basic insticts because nowadays life is beyond way too simple for us-because of our brains we have develpoed a new world in which we dont have to do much to get anything-unlike my grandmother who went thru hell just to get her laundry done-become aomish for a while-you will see what i mean-nowadays people just get a tan and say thier life is sooo hard-im sure the women that come from the projects know what i mean!!!

 

[kingpocky]

I've read one interesting theory about what makes humans unique, and I rather like it. We have a more advanced understanding of time than all other animals. Humans are the only animal capable of thinking about the future (as in, the distant future beyond what will happen in the next few hours or so.) While some animals may appear to make long-term plans, they are usually just following instinct. When a squirrel buries nuts, they don't actually understand what they're doing - they're just following a program hardwired into their neural system.

 

[deedee03]

only a person who is extreamly fat or lives with there parents still or both would say that - most people who keep active and had boyscouts would survive perfectly fine in the middle of nowhere-people nowadays lack basic insticts because nowadays life is beyond way too simple for us-because of our brains we have develpoed a new world in which we dont have to do much to get anything-unlike my grandmother who went thru hell just to get her laundry done-become aomish for a while-you will see what i mean-nowadays people just get a tan and say thier life is sooo hard-im sure the women that come from the projects know what i mean!!!

 

[deedee03]

The thing that makes us different is that we are so poorly adapted to exist. We can't swim very well, run fast and aren't all that strong. The only thing we have going for us is brains. That's how we survive. We even lack basic instincts.

If our situation changed and humans had to survive in a way that our brains were of no use, just plain out instinctual survival, we would pretty much all fail and die.

So yeah, we are unique.

only a person who is extreamly fat or lives with there parents still or both would say that - most people who keep active and had boyscouts would survive perfectly fine in the middle of nowhere-people nowadays lack basic insticts because nowadays life is beyond way too simple for us-because of our brains we have develpoed a new world in which we dont have to do much to get anything-unlike my grandmother who went thru hell just to get her laundry done-become aomish for a while-you will see what i mean-nowadays people just get a tan and say thier life is sooo hard-im sure the women that come from the projects know what i mean!!!

 

[deedee03]

sorry people-i ment to type this on a quote-sorry about the double eeek

 

[The Maddest March Hare]

The thing that makes us different is that we are so poorly adapted to exist. We can't swim very well, run fast and aren't all that strong. The only thing we have going for us is brains. That's how we survive. We even lack basic instincts.

If our situation changed and humans had to survive in a way that our brains were of no use, just plain out instinctual survival, we would pretty much all fail and die.

So yeah, we are unique.

only a person who is extreamly fat or lives with there parents still or both would say that - most people who keep active and had boyscouts would survive perfectly fine in the middle of nowhere-people nowadays lack basic insticts because nowadays life is beyond way too simple for us-because of our brains we have develpoed a new world in which we dont have to do much to get anything-unlike my grandmother who went thru hell just to get her laundry done-become aomish for a while-you will see what i mean-nowadays people just get a tan and say thier life is sooo hard-im sure the women that come from the projects know what i mean!!!

You appear to have either skim read or totally misconstrued my post. Oh and by the way, opening on a poorly hidden insult won't make you look cool, so it's not really getting you anywhere.

Being a boyscout requires tools made by us, and it requires cognitive thought, I'm saying that cognitive thought is all we have going for us and your point backs that up. We're going in circles here.

And yes, modern life is far more simple, and it was much much harder when our Grandparents and Great Grandparents were growing up, but that's still not relevant to my post unless your Grandmother had to survive on her instincts alone, possible fending off bears with her hat pin, just to get the laundry done.

 

[Peach_hat]

Emmm we are Self-aware??

yep, so are elephants.

Thumbs.

yep, primates have those too and they have them on their feet as well!

Isn't having all of these things what makes us special?

 

[HentMas]

opposable thumbs

also feelings and emmotions

imo

Animals have feelings and emotions. They have personal preferences and dislikes too.

O RLY!?

ok... perhaps they do, but they are nowhere nearly as complex as those of a human

and if you believe they do, just dont quote me, i dont intent to make you change your mind, thank you for your post!

 

[Zac_Dai]

I heard it was the ability to understand abstract ideas such as someone pointing there finger being a representation of a direction.

As for tools, a few animals can already use very very basic ones so thats not unique.