What differentiates humans from other species ?

originally posted by: gosseyn
But they don't have the capacity to transmit information through centuries and millennia.
You disagree ? Discuss !

I'm not sure that other animals have a real sense of self-awareness of their existence like we do. For my cat, everything is now, and she doesn't understand that time is passing and someday she'll die. I'm not sure if a human being raised in total isolation would figure that out on their own, but I suspect they might. Hard to say. Certainly, our ability to roughly transmit abstract concepts like life and death make us pretty special.

a reply to: 321Go

You don't believe the human race is out of control?



I don't see how that's even remotely possible.

No I don't Randy. Individuals may be, or perhaps some groups, but mankind is not.

I like your video, but I won't counter with one which claims that 1000s of times the number of scientific deaths have been caused by religion.

a reply to: 321Go

Why would you counter like that? I'm speaking of the undeniable
fact that mankind lacks guidance. And the only thing you are saying
to me in retort is, I wish to remain blind to this observation because
of a reality I just might have to face.

Religion has nothing to do with it.

Or should I say, religion is just a part of mankind.

It's faith.

We can sense a spirit not our own, and because of it, we build up religions and seek spiritual guidance and make complex laws governing morality, etc.

edit: I guess I should say, though, that it is not true for all people - some are spiritually unaware/dead, and they are no different than animals.

Well, no creature on this planet needs guidance so why would we? Only the offspring of our planet's creatures need parental guidance. Nothing else. Unless you are calling humanity children?

originally posted by: Bleeeeep
It's faith.

We can sense a spirit not our own, and because of it, we build up religions and seek spiritual guidance and make complex laws governing morality, etc.

edit: I guess I should say, though, that it is not true for all people - some are spiritually unaware/dead, and they are no different than animals.

I disagree. I don't sense the spirituality you state. Instead I'm in awe of the very nature of being – aware enough to see and appreciate life as it is. I don't need an excuse to explain it or invent reasons for it being there.

Can you explain this spirituality please? And the reasons why you feel it?

I'll ignore the very obvious derogatory statement you've made, but I will say I'm very happy and proud to be an animal, and that no other animal is above or below me.

originally posted by: Bleeeeep
It's faith.

We can sense a spirit not our own, and because of it, we build up religions and seek spiritual guidance and make complex laws governing morality, etc.

edit: I guess I should say, though, that it is not true for all people - some are spiritually unaware/dead, and they are no different than animals.

Faith is just the result of answering questions without the ability to answer them, and because our consciousness is acute we suppose that all the universe has been created or is governed by a creative intelligence that resembles our own (because we are our only example of creative intelligence). But there is no difference in nature with some other species, only a difference in degrees of consciousness.

a reply to: 321Go

Well, no creature on this planet needs guidance so why would we?

Because mankind threatens his own existence with his insanities.
Not to mention the existence of everything else on the planet that by
at the very least a miracle has thus far survived.

Not just children but insane children. Everyone of us.

originally posted by: randyvs
a reply to: 321Go

Well, no creature on this planet needs guidance so why would we?

Because mankind threatens his own existence with his insanities.
Not to mention the existence of everything else on the planet that by
at the very least a miracle has thus far survived.

Not just children but insane children. Everyone of us.

OK, fair enough – we'll agree to disagree. We're in danger of straying off topic, and this is an interesting one, so I'll wrap up here.

a reply to: 321Go

Very cool, nice volley!

I agree to disagree.

originally posted by: randyvs
a reply to: 321Go

Very cool, nice volley!

I agree to disagree.

I'm sure there'll be plenty of other opportunities to express our opinions is as sane a way as possible!
Steve

Well some species we don't get to know very well, like Dolphins, and their ET ish ways.

a reply to: gosseyn

Very interesting thread! To me what differentiate us from animals is that we manipulate the environment for personal benefit, selfish reasons, usually power and greed. Animals may also manipulate the environment (take ants for example) but they do it to secure their species, a primordial behaviour.... we don't, we seem to do it for that temporal feeling of superiority over others.

I think that there is no difference at all. It is just a matter of how you look at it and how deep you want to go.

There are many differences which we can observe visually or otherwise with senses which we all experience differently.

But even so, the observable world is the same for all just the experience is different, unique for all of us.

Maybe we like to put ourself on higher ground because we are the most self-aware species and supposedly the smartest beings on our rock

But even animals OR plants are alive, the same as we. Everything which is born has to die. The most basic thing we all share together.

And not only that.

Even plants have evidently some kind of self-awareness in them if you observe how they respond to day and night or the weather. Or how some plants even attack flies for eating. Then there are new discoveries of plant communicating in the forest by fungi's with roots for food supply (it was a topic not so long ago on ATS).

I think that every living plant and animal (humans included) share the same kind of awareness on the very basic level, our root. And that awareness tries to do the most with what there is.
In case of a plant it mainly tries to grow and survive.
in case of an animal it can experience more due to a different set of properties and survive.
in case of humans, we are at the top of self awareness ladder and can choose the most about how we will live our lives and survive.

But we experience emotions and conciousness on totally different level then other living manifestation. And I think that with great power comes great responsibility and we should take care of all as much as we can. And we should respect that we are just visiting this rock for a short period of its time and try to unite with nature and all different species.

And because of our mental power we should try to hurt as little as possible in any way. But of course we all have in common different desires which are playing us in the show we call life, plants and animals both just trying to survive.

So what's the difference?

Humans are made in God's image and animals are not!

a reply to: mamabeth

Thats what some religions teach but everything has Gods image in.
Don't put down the animals.
Also so God is in Human form? why did he make us so badly then?.

originally posted by: mamabeth
Humans are made in God's image and animals are not!

I love you mama!

a reply to: gosseyn

I would say common sense, buuuut, yeah a big buuuuut

a reply to: gosseyn

Well...animals transmit information from one generation to the next...primates will regularly teach their young how to use certain tools. Orca whale pods have somehow all learned how to attack great white sharks and other large sharks by putting them "to sleep." Certain birds have learned tecnhiques for cracking open certain shellfish.

So animals have a way of transferring information. What they don't have is a a written language.

To a certain extent writing is really the differential mark between humans and other highly developed species.

That being said, certain species can "write" or leave messages for others via pheremones.