Are humans special or are they just another mammal species? Here are some reason why homo sapiens is special:
- Population: The number of humans is several orders of magnitude higher than one might expect for mammals of their size.
- Distribution area: Humans have inhabited practically all land surfaces of the earth.
- Environmental impact: Humans control huge, diverse energy and matter flows on an unprecedented scale.
- Cognition, communication, intelligence: In learning and communication tests, people demonstrate outstanding performance; human language is extremely flexible in contrast to communication of other species.
- Gain of knowledge: People acquire, share and store information on an unprecedented scale and build a common cultural knowledge over generations.
- Technology: People invent infinitely more complex and diverse products than other animals and mass-produce these products.
- Global impacts: Human activity threatens countless species and triggers major evolutionary change throughout the biosphere.
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You are stating the obvious. No other species can make tools that allow sensory perception or physical capabilities beyond their natural skill set. No other species has communicated and documented thoughts that demonstrate the scope of intellect and imagination we have. No other species can travel beyond the planet.
kensmile4u
Level 8
Dec 21, 2018
0
Special, used as an adjective, is a judgment made by humans. The fact that humans can make that judgment makes them special animals. Humans have the capacity to form concepts, reason, use logic, and think long term, which makes them special animals. Aristotle figured that out over 2300 years ago, when he defined man as, "the rational animal."
sfvpool
Level 7
Dec 21, 2018
0
@MissKathleen I wrote that humans have the capacity to be rational, not that they are all rational.
I think that our ideas of being special come from religion. Without that we are just a destructive mammal species.
Stephanie99
Level 8
Dec 21, 2018
1
I disagree that humans are anything special, particularly because the (implied) definition of "special" is biased toward humans. Until we have a well-understood body of research of life on other planets, including intellegent life, there is no clear way to define how "special" we are.
Buxx
Level 7
Dec 21, 2018
0
Buxx:
@Matias That is my point. Special compared to what? That claim that we are special is egocentric. We can just define that word so that special means human. Amongst humanity, special is comparing members of the same species. But outside of humanity, we have little to compare it too.
In that sense humans are special in the same way every other species on this planet is special. Every other species has unique traits.
"human language is extremely flexible in contrast to communication of other species." - how do you know? Can you speak elephant, whale, or dolphin?
jondspen
Level 7
Dec 21, 2018
1
@Matias As far as we know. So instead of admitting we are the one's ignorant, we just naturally assume they are. You know it's been shown that elephants communicate across generations? During a bad drought, a herd(s?) traveled to a watering hole that none of the living members knew anything about...except past members of the herd that had long ago died went there during a drought in their time. Scientists concluded that the way this information was know to the current herd, who had never traveled to this source of water, was through generational communication passed down. At least that's what the scientists that studied the herds concluded...
Ants and cockroaches are pretty special too.
And they tick a lot of those boxes too. Except they do it without destroying the planet they live on in the process. Now that is special.
Uncorrugated
Level 7
Dec 21, 2018
3
Special? Weren't dinosaurs the same way, special for a while? After we help destroy things, maybe in a few hundred million years little mini me versions of simian like animals will still exist.
Beowulfsfriend
Level 9
Dec 21, 2018
0
I don't think humans are special, we adapt to our environment according to our abilities just like any other animals... And just to point this out, humans created the category mammals ... It is really a good category considering it includes sea life and humans as.members lol
Cutiebeauty
Level 9
Dec 21, 2018
2
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