what seperates humans and animals?

[candle]

our ability to go agasint instict

 

[Formaldehyde]

A fence.

Bah. You beat me to it. Preferably electrified if you value your poultry.

Regarding dolphins, nobody has mentioned opposable thumbs yet. Without those, they are pretty well screwed from further evolving into a civilized species.

 

[Mise]

oh and opposable thumbs are what separates us from dolphins

Regarding dolphins, nobody has mentioned opposable thumbs yet.

Another Brit beats you to it

 

[Agent327]

Most things that separate us from other animals is the frequency we use certain mental tasks. For example, the ability to plan ahead. Humans do that all the time, but it's only been observed once in animals, and that's in a chimpanzee or bonobo in a zoo.

All social animals plan ahead; ant societies revolve around it and are considered states, that also wage war; so do termites, bees, wasps, etc.

Humans appreciate beauty frequently, whereas animals are observed to do it much less often.

Beauty plays a part in many courtship rituals (examples: peacocks, birds of paradise, etc.); it's quite frequently used.

Humans create art for the pleasure of creating.

Humans make and use tools much more frequently than animals.

Humans create music.

Many animals use tools and many animals create music, often apparently for no reason - which suggests pure enjoyment. (Whales have quite elaborate songs, distinguishable from other whales - i.e. no two whales songs are the same. The same holds true for certain individual bird songs.) Also, not all humans create music.

Humans have far more complicated language than animals.

So, it's not so much uniqueness that separates humans from animals, but just the frequency of donig certain things.

Possibly. Finally, humans are animals.

And I agree with Eran of Arcadia.

 

[Gelion]

Principal advantage of humans - speech, it allowed to transfer experience between specimen and thus, accumulating it. Without speech humans were just another smart monkeys.
Development of modern civilization started with invention of writing.

The first technologies are Mining, Irrigation, and Roads.

 

[red_elk]

The first technologies are Mining, Irrigation, and Roads.

And Mysticism, yes.

Of course speech is not the only advantage of humans. But this is IMO the main thing which made the difference so big. Old animal dies almost without transferring its experience to younger ones, because it has very limited ability to do it. Humans can do it using speech, unlike animals, they can "explain". And invention of writing, increased this ability by the order of magnitude.

Not to mention building libraries and signing open border agreements

If somebody take group of children from their parents and allow them to grow without giving access to human society - they will behave pretty much like animals.

 

[Leonel]

I read an article in which crows exhibited many human qualities like tool making, the ability to comprehend their surroundings and what things meant, anticipation for what could be coming and maybe even imagination. But I think what separates us is that our hands are probably the most finely tuned hands in the world, thus we are able to perform complex maneuvers and craft tools beyond bending a stick into a hook.

 

[Elta]

*And they are not as smart as Birds and they are not as as smart as Children, since they can predict where other children will put toys. **The test is called the Sally Anne Test, to see if Sally knows where Anne will put a toy, after each child has gotten to know each other.

The thing that ***separates us from Animals is that we are made in the Image of God and they are not, making us so much more important.

* Birds are not as smart as Bonobos or Chimps. There is nothing a bird of any kind can do that a Bonobo or Chimp can not. The only difference is that birds have the vocal cords to pronounce human words.


** No child has ever passed that test under the age of 50 months. And as I said Chimps and Bonobos are more or less on par with 4 year old children in many aspects. Not all, but a lot. This test is one of them.


*** We are having a serious discussion, when you say things that can not be backed up scientifically it is rude and adds nothing to the discussion.

 

[amadeus]

some dolphins are just as smart as people,

Not quite.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

*** We are having a serious discussion, when you say things that can not be backed up scientifically it is rude and adds nothing to the discussion.

I don't think that is true at all. There is plenty of philosophical discussion here.

 

[El_Machinae]

I saw a docu that's point was that we're the only ones to teach really well. We intentionally have generational knowledge

 

[amadeus]

Humans can reason.

 

[kulade]

Arrogance.

 

[Godwynn]

some dolphins are just as smart as people

I've never seen a dolphin build a space ship and rocket into space.

QED

 

[Elta]

I don't think that is true at all. There is plenty of philosophical discussion here.

As someone with an associates in Anthropology I'll tell you, if I had mentioned god in a response to the question "What separates humans from other animals?" I would have gotten an F.


It's like if you ask me whether or not you need to upgrade your video card in order to play such and such game and I go and kill a chicken by decapitating it and then hang it up side down to see how the blood pools on the floor and get my answer that way. Superstition is not going to answer questions such as these.

He mentions one superstition, I mention another, you mention another and we have made no progress towards and answer.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

On the contrary.

His answer, while not scientifically rigorous, was serious in the sense that that is what he genuinely thinks is the answer. It is certainly more serious than several other answers in this thread, none of which inspired your wrath at all. The answers are not being graded, either.

Or did you really expect this thread to provide the final, ultimate answer?

 

[amadeus]

Arrogance.

Nihilism.

 

[Elta]

On the contrary.

His answer, while not scientifically rigorous, was serious in the sense that that is what he genuinely thinks is the answer. It is certainly more serious than several other answers in this thread, none of which inspired your wrath at all.

Or did you really expect this thread to provide the final, ultimate answer?

Yes I most certainty did.


Seriously, I click on these threads at least expecting some semblance of a serious discussion. If the comments are not serious at least some of them are funny. Just making a comment about your not proven not unprovable beliefs adds nothing to the discussion.

Seriously, if we were actually at some sort of real life forum - Lets pretend we are a group of the smartest people on Earth who get together to discuss things. And someone stood up and said "What separates Humans from Animals is that we are made in the image of God" Do you seriously think people would clap politely? GTFO of here what kind of nonsense is that. It adds nothing to the discussion.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

A question was asked. He provided an answer. Perhaps it is not the correct answer. Neither are many of the others in the thread. I have no idea why this one bothered you so much. This is hardly the first time something like this has happened.

 

[Elta]

I don't know, nonsense bothers me.


Side note: The direct translation in the Bible is "G-d and the Elohim created man in their image".

..... That is going off topic, so I'll stop their.