What Makes Us Human?

[Gharib]

i guess not. should of said that from the start, then i wouldnt of misunderstood your post.

so back to the topic or are you still out?

and i will have to go now, i just got called up to work tonight for 12 bloody hours untill 6 am.

see you some other time.

 

[JMorris]

so back to the topic or are you still out?

and i will have to go now, i just got called up to work tonight for 12 bloody hours untill 6 am.

see you some other time.

no, i guess im back. tho im actually losing interest in this topic.

til 6am? that sucks, see ya later

 

[Rough_ER]

from all the many millions of animals we have only one that breaks that peace and harmony in nature us humans, do you agree that without humans all the other creatures would live in peace and harmony?

No, without humans wasps would still lay their eggs in the bodies of living caterpillars so that their young may eat them from the inside. You've got a rather elevated sense of importance if you believe human beings are some sort of panacea for nature's woes.

If blue whales were having this discussion they would be saying "well, obviously what separates us from the other animals is our size, no other creature is as big as us, therefore we should be classified differently".

Of course humans are unique, but so is every other animal. We are that: a unique animal called Homo sapiens.

 

[cardero]

never said that. what i am trying to say is that animals are brainless. they only do the things that god has set them to do.

what i said was to show that animals have no free will, thats what sets us appart from all of them other creatures, thats what distinguishes a animal and a human, our brain, our ability to think and have an imagination etc.

we are not imbalanced, but we dostroy or change nature in order to fit our needs and to be satisfied. why is it that almost all of the forests are gone? anything we want we take and why don't other animals do this too, because they have no free will, we are their masters so they obey us. meaning we are superior to them and we are different to them. but you still don't get it do you?

You never came home to a puppy that has ripped your slipper apart have you? Why would God want me to walk around with one slipper?

 

[painted wolf]

exactly what i'm saying, even though we are the weakest species in nature according to biology we have ended up on top of the list, now please explain to me how could this have happened?

i'd say it's due to our brain, thats what sets us appart from other species. but lets hear your story.

We aren't that weak... our big advantage is not so much our brain as our hands.
We have very unique hands... capable of a fine precision grip.
You can touch your thumb and finger tips together, this is something no other animal can do and it lets us manipulate our world in a much more precise way.
It lets us make tools that are far more fine tuned than any other species does.

We use a lot of tools.

That precision grip also lets us use our big brains to a much higher degree than we would otherwise. But tool use is not dependent on big brains and we are not the only tool users around.

wa:do

 

[Gharib]

No, without humans wasps would still lay their eggs in the bodies of living caterpillars so that their young may eat them from the inside. You've got a rather elevated sense of importance if you believe human beings are some sort of panacea for nature's woes.

i know wasps will continue to do that, just as lions will continue to eat zebras, but you didn't get the point.

let me explain;

without us around, animals would live as god has set them. sure animals will die and get killed, thats life, thats what keeps everything balanced. but when we come to the picture, we do as we please, we kill so many animals that are not even soposed to be killed. does it kind of make sense?

If blue whales were having this discussion they would be saying "well, obviously what separates us from the other animals is our size, no other creature is as big as us, therefore we should be classified differently".

yeah they are clasified as whales and not as dolphins.
what i'm talking about is what seperates humans and animals, and clearly the answer is the brain. there are other smaller things, but the brain is one of the biggest reasons.

Of course humans are unique, but so is every other animal. We are that: a unique animal called Homo sapiens.

so why is it that out of all the millions of animals only our species has a brain? and we are talking about millions. lets say for the sake of the argument that ok we do have a brain, what about insects? why do insects not have a brain, i'm only asking for one species.

why doesn't a donkey have one too?

 

[Gharib]

You never came home to a puppy that has ripped your slipper apart have you? Why would God want me to walk around with one slipper?

no i've come home to a pupy that would tear my clothes with his teath and i would kick the bloody hell out of him.

 

[Gharib]

We aren't that weak... our big advantage is not so much our brain as our hands.
We have very unique hands... capable of a fine precision grip.

i wonder hos scared a lion or a wolf would be when they see us use our "precision" defence system against them?

You can touch your thumb and finger tips together, this is something no other animal can do and it lets us manipulate our world in a much more precise way.

other animals have way more better and interesting "super natural powers" than some human touching his thumb with the rest of the fingers. there are way more animals than just apes you know, why limit this discussion between us and them?

It lets us make tools that are far more fine tuned than any other species does.

bears have a great deal of strengh compared to other animals of the same size. they can even climb trees, how fascinating, don't you think so?

We use a lot of tools.

and surprisingly animals barely use any, they tend to use thei mouth most of the time, just like animals, see how we are different?

That precision grip also lets us use our big brains to a much higher degree than we would otherwise. But tool use is not dependent on big brains and we are not the only tool users around.

thats right we aren't, so if we were just another animal and the animals were just some animal (which they are) why is it that only our tool usage has evolved and that of other creatures hasn't.

 

[ericoh2]

What is it about humanity that separates us from all other animal species?

BONUS QUESTION: If your response uses the word soul, spirit, Fnord, or so forth, what are the effects of having this thing, which an individual without this thing would not be able to achieve?

If you understand that the force behind nature is driven by the will of God it becomes evident that human beings are unique in that we can reason and therefore willfully act against the will of nature (God). We can also, through this reasoning, fulfill the will of God to a higher degree than any other creature on earth. Animals act in perfect accordance with there essence and therefore act exactly as they are designed in all circumstances according to their awareness. Human awareness has reached a higher state than that of the animals and allows the potential for a certain degree of free will.
One example of human creation is depression. Depression as we define is not natural in the sense that we create it with the mind. Animals can suffer, but it is of a different nature than ours. Our reasoning allows for unnatural suffering but also for higher attainment in accordance with nature (God) through the understanding of the unity we share.

 

[zenzero]

Friend rojse,

What Makes Us Human?

A developed MIND.

Love & rgds

 

[painted wolf]

i wonder hos scared a lion or a wolf would be when they see us use our "precision" defence system against them?

seeing as we've driven both of them to near extinction... I'd say pretty scared.

other animals have way more better and interesting "super natural powers" than some human touching his thumb with the rest of the fingers. there are way more animals than just apes you know, why limit this discussion between us and them?

I'm not limiting it... even cephalopods don't have the precision we do...
Bird tool makers are limited by their song-bird feet... it grants them an automatic grip on a branch, but they can't use them for manipulation... they have to make tools using their beaks and leverage. Impressive tools none the less.

bears have a great deal of strengh compared to other animals of the same size. they can even climb trees, how fascinating, don't you think so?

Very impressive... they are built for digging so their great strength is a given. But what does that have to do with the conversation?

and surprisingly animals barely use any, they tend to use thei mouth most of the time, just like animals, see how we are different?

Actually the list of tool using animals is growing... and it's already impressive.
All the great apes use tools... several species of birds ... dolphins... and a few more.

thats right we aren't, so if we were just another animal and the animals were just some animal (which they are) why is it that only our tool usage has evolved and that of other creatures hasn't.

we have those handy handy thumbs.... and the evolutionary pressure to develop in the tool use direction. And it's not only us.. Neanderthals were also master tool makers, some of their stone tools were actually better than the ones we were making at the same time.

wa:do

 

[JMorris]

we have those handy handy thumbs....

gotta love those thumbs!:clap

 

[Gharib]

seeing as we've driven both of them to near extinction... I'd say pretty scared.

scared from our thumbs and gripp ability?

or scared from our brain?

Very impressive... they are built for digging so their great strength is a given. But what does that have to do with the conversation?

who has given them that strength?

Actually the list of tool using animals is growing... and it's already impressive.
All the great apes use tools... several species of birds ... dolphins... and a few more.

so does that make them equal to us?

we have those handy handy thumbs.... and the evolutionary pressure to develop in the tool use direction. And it's not only us.. Neanderthals were also master tool makers, some of their stone tools were actually better than the ones we were making at the same time.

aren't neanderthals soposed to be a transitional species, so how could we have existed at the same time as them?

wa:do

ta:da.

can i ask why you wright that every time?

 

[rojse]

i wonder hos scared a lion or a wolf would be when they see us use our "precision" defence system against them?

They are when they see this precision hand holding a spear.

 

[JMorris]

i resubmit my original answer

pants:yes:

*edit* i defer to Pearl Jam on the issue

"Woo..
I'm ahead, I'm a man
I'm the first mammal to wear pants, yeah
I'm at peace with my lust
I can kill 'cause in God I trust, yeah
It's evolution, baby"

 

[rojse]

I'll have a go at answering these questions; Painted Wolf can tell me if I get it wrong.

scared from our thumbs and gripp ability?

or scared from our brain?

The brain is far more limited without the hands, eselam. The brain devises an idea for the tool, but requires the hands to manipulate and utilise it.

who has given them that strength?

Bears have strength as it was an evolutionary advantage for them. I don't see your point, unless you want to use this datum to point out that God must exist.

so does that make them equal to us?

The point is that these animals have the intellect to devise tools to solve problems, but lack the capacity to fully utilise the tools.

aren't neanderthals soposed to be a transitional species, so how could we have existed at the same time as them?

The role of the neanderthal in the lineage of modern humans is fairly controversial - some people see it as a transitional species, some as a sub-species. I'll let Painted Wolf address that one.

can i ask why you wright that every time?

Wa:do is Cherokee for thank you. It says so in Painted Wolf's signature.

 

[Gharib]

so now are we talking about how our brain is useless without our hands?

if so then our hands are also useless without our brain. the end.

 

[DarkSun]

so now are we talking about how our brain is useless without our hands?

if so then our hands are also useless without our brain. the end.

What does this even mean? :areyoucra

 

[BucephalusBB]

if so then our hands are also useless without our brain. the end.

You don't need to use the "if so" you silly. Our hands are always useless without a brain..

 

[DarkSun]

yeah they are clasified as whales and not as dolphins.
what i'm talking about is what seperates humans and animals, and clearly the answer is the brain. there are other smaller things, but the brain is one of the biggest reasons.

It probably is part of the reason that we seem to be more intelligent than any other animal, I agree. But this doesn't set us apart from animals. It just makes us one of the most intelligent animals.

so why is it that out of all the millions of animals only our species has a brain?

Other animals have brains too. But I can see what you mean.

and we are talking about millions. lets say for the sake of the argument that ok we do have a brain, what about insects? why do insects not have a brain, i'm only asking for one species.

Mhm. And primates seem to be more intelligent than the dodo bird was. Does that mean that primates aren't animals, while dodo birds are? Using your logic, a person can only agree.

why doesn't a donkey have one too?

It does. :foot: