What do you think separates humans from other animals?

[6_Qubed]

Language

face it, individually, a lot of us aren't that much smarter than the average gorilla. The big difference between us and them is that we are able to share ideas and record them. An invention from one person can be used and improved by people over thousands of years, where any innovation another ape comes up with will be lost once they die.

You might be interested in a few points this "humor" article brings up.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19042_6-terrifying-ways-crows-are-way-smarter-than-you-think.html

I want a pet crow so badly now. I wonder if there's a crow out there that wants a pet human...

 

[efrafa_6]

Nothing separates us.

 

[blueb0g]

I don't want to say "soul" because I don't think everyone believes in one, but, personally, that is one to me.

I'm going to have to go with the ability to stray from instinct and making certain decisions based on critical thinking.

No. If we have souls, then dogs have souls too.

 

[Danny91]

...I haven't seen any animals debating the merits of console gaming vs. pc gaming yet; that seems as good a division as any

Although, I can't remember who said it, but I think it was a comedian making a joke that humans are the only life form that blushes as a result of embarrassment. Whether its true or not, I've always quite liked it as a thought

 

[Nudu]

Our social skills. I don't mean that in the sense of "we're charming and funny", but in the sense that we have the ability to preserve and expand on information through our complicated system of communication. "Great science is made standing on the shoulders of giants". Take Einstein. It doesn't matter how smart he was, he would never have come up with the theory of relativity had he grown up among a family of chimpanzees.

 

[Electrogecko]

Seriously, put some vodka under your pet's nose and see how they react

Not exactly best argument.

In reality, some animals drink alcohol (vodka is no exception).
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=animals+drinking+vodka

Moreover, some animals use "drugs".
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cat+valerianae

Maybe not the best specific case, but I still think that knowingly ingesting unhealthy substances for recreational purposes is very human-specific trait, and it'll take more than a couple of youtube vids of domesticated and conditioned pets to convince me otherwise.

 

[JesterRaiin]

Seriously, put some vodka under your pet's nose and see how they react

Not exactly best argument.

In reality, some animals drink alcohol (vodka is no exception).
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=animals+drinking+vodka

Moreover, some animals use "drugs".
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cat+valerianae

Maybe not the best specific case, but I still think that knowingly ingesting unhealthy substances for recreational purposes is very human-specific trait, and it'll take more than a couple of youtube vids of domesticated and conditioned pets to convince me otherwise.

I'm not here to convince someone about anything. I'm simply suggesting that your statement is based on easy to disprove beliefs and therefore wrong. I gave you some easy to find examples, which doesn't mean that there aren't any other, better.

If you value wisdom and experience, do some research for yourself, dig deeper. It's fun. You may start with cats and Valerian, or if you're more into exotic, then with diet of Gallus lafayetii. Coffee and the way it was introduced to us, human is a interesting place to start too.

If you prefer to stay with what you believe in, then it's fine with me either. With so much illusionary beliefs around, one more or less makes no difference.

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

Language

face it, individually, a lot of us aren't that much smarter than the average gorilla. The big difference between us and them is that we are able to share ideas and record them. An invention from one person can be used and improved by people over thousands of years, where any innovation another ape comes up with will be lost once they die.

Darn beat me to the draw. Also in some cultures and religions the presents of a soul is what separates us from non-human animals

 

[Tommeh Brownleh]

Language, stupidity, and hats.

 

[Nikolaz72]

We don't have something that animals don't. We have the same, it's just that we have MORE of certain things and LESS of others. We are smarter, have more tools, are capable of projecting ourselves farther in the future, have a more developped language, more creativaty. Anything that implies the use of our brain is better than whatever animals can come up with. But on the other hand we have less fur, no claws, less stregth (in certain cases), etc. Get the picture?

We've done in just 200 years what the animal kingdom didn't even attempt to do in over 200 million years. Think about that for a second. The animal kingdom has had hundreds of millions of years to figure this shit out. They've had millions of different species to try with, and all the time in the world. We show up and go from living in stone buildings to landing on the motherfucking moon in just a couple hundred years. If that isn't proof that we're more creative and more intelligent than animals for you then you're a lost cause and it isn't worth even trying to open your mind a bit.


Face it, Fido is not as creative as his owner. It's that simple. And I won't buy the "But their bodies aren't fit for it" argument, because our bodies aren't fit to be the apex predator. But that didn't stop us from ruling this planet whether nature likes it or not. Mankind has the final say, if it doesn't want a species to exist that species ceases to exist. If mankind wants to eat it, mankind will eat it. And if something threatens mankind, mankind will fancy it into a nice living room decoration. If mankind wants to, mankind can wipe the entire planet free of life with the press of a button.


If animals lacking opposable thumbs had the same intelligence and creativity we do they would have figured out a way around their physical limitations just the same as we did, and we wouldn't be having this debate.

We have done in the last 20.000 years what the Animal Kingdom has not done in 200 million years *fixed* You dont have to exaggerate it to get your point across, it serves no purpose.

 

[Agow95]

Opinions, self-conciousness and the ability to speak, sure some animals can communicate, but not with "words" that can be rearranged into various sentences.

 

[Rule Britannia]

Call me crazy but probably to do with the speaking bit...Don't quote me on that...

Seriously though, it's our ability to be creative, to have our conscience depend on what we do, also our stupidity, our constant wars and conflicts.

 

[xplosive59]

[\quote]

It was the monoliths causing superior beings to evolve and develop tools, watch the first part of 2001.

i haven't seen this movie. should i have? is it a classic? what is it? what year was it made? [/quote]

2001: A Space Odyssey is thought of as one of the greatest Sci-fi films ever made , It was made in 1968 (although based on a book)and is directed by Stanley Kubrick. It explores intergalactic travel based in science eg no sound in space and lag between messages over great distances and there is alot to do about evolution in there and what makes someone human. It is split into 4 parts but the 3rd part is the most famous which revolves around a computer with supperior intellect called HAL 9000 which goes awol basically this part has been parodied alot in other tv shows and media and you would probably recognise the image of HAL if you saw it.

 

[vidirg]

Technically were animals, but most animals have there own ability, the human is just smarter than other animals.

 

[SD-Fiend]

The difference is pants.

Nothing else wears pants.

...
W-
no...
The-
no...
good point.

Only... I am not wearing any pants, does this make me less of a person?

do you, or have you, ever wear/worn pants?
otherwise, fucked if i know.

Sometimes... they force me into them. Those are not very good days.

maybe you could try these:

 

[ACman]

Self awareness, opposable digits, the ability to use fire.

 

[CulixCupric]

Nothing separates us.

I agree. humans have differences from other species, but so do ALL species, therefore there is no barrier, other than the false one people perceive.

 

[Athinira]

Nothing.

We just like to convince ourselves that we are so much more different than other animals in order for us to soothe our conscience whenever we bring another animal race close to extinction. Humans are by far the most self-destructive race on the planet, but we like to feel superior and important.

At the end of the day we are just another curious entry in the history of the food chain, and eventually our race is going to come to an end just like every other race.

 

[Mad World]

I don't want to say "soul" because I don't think everyone believes in one, but, personally, that is one to me.

I'm going to have to go with the ability to stray from instinct and making certain decisions based on critical thinking.

Soul thing is the main one for me. Like you said, not everyone agrees... but I don't care.

Personally, I don't consider human beings to be animals. In my opinion, we're different; therefore, referring to human beings as animals is just plain stupid (again, in my opinion).

 

[Ninjat_126]

I've always been really fond of the explanation Jack London gave in his book 'White Fang': Animals don't ask 'why?'.

Why is the sky blue? Why does fire hurt? Why can't I try this? Why can't I do that? Why am I even asking why?

Humans do ask why. They then when they find out why, those answers only create more questions. Hell one of the first (and most annoying) thing kids learn how to do is start asking why, it's part of our species to question everything.

Honestly I've no clue if there's any real truth to the statement but I liked it.

That's my opinion too. Although I did read White Fang when I was a kid, it might have made an impression.

We have guns. They do not. We can communicate how to build and use guns. They can not.

So, humans only came into existence in the last 1000 years or so, and the first humans appeared in China? And groups such as Aboriginal Australians and Native Americans weren't human until white Europeans turned up and gave them guns? Way to be unintentionally racist there.