Are humans animals?

[Random]

I would getting set to rip you a “new one”, Connor, when it occurred to me that you are actually hitting on my own thinking. In my view, we are simply just another animal that is native to the planet. There IS no real gap between us and the so-called “lower” animal life forms that exist. Instead of talons, poisons, exoskeletons, etc we have a larger brain to use in order to defend ourselves. The brain is our first line of defence in those terms.

I will agree that we are different from other animals, that much is clear, however the point of this discussion is to remind people that we have always been and will always be just another animal on this small planet even though our ego’s don’t especially like that fact at times.

Hey Paul, it's great to talk to you again.

I like the Buddhist view that humans and animals share the same realm, and have the same capacity for Buddha-nature.

But I do think there are significant enough differences between humans and animals in the realm of mind (not necessarily as species sharing an environment) to warrant at least a provisionally seperate classification.

 

[lilithu]

look guys animals are animal, lilithu gave a good explanation in one of his posts. humans are on top of the chain, thus we are the most developed species.

First of all, I am a she, not a he. That is what the pink symbol with the circle and cross thing in the upper right hand corner of each of my posts means.

Secondly, that is NOT what I said at all so please don't associate my name with that nonsense. I said that humans are not dogs but both are animals. That does not mean that humans are "on top" or more "developed."

This is ridiculous - of course we're not animals. My uncle isn't a monkey. My mom isn't a dog. I am a human being - I don't live out in the woods and hunt down food on all fours. The hierarchy is very clear: bacteria, plants, bugs, fish, birds, animals, humans. We are on top because we build things and created Family Guy.

Gawd, I hope that you are being sarcastic.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Gawd, I hope that you are being sarcastic.

Oops, I see why you might think that - I forgot about viruses. The order goes viruses, bacteria, plants, bugs, fish, birds, animals, humans.

Fixed!

 

[Valjean]

Viruses before cells? How would they replicate themselves?

Seriously. you can dissect a human right down to an atomic level and not find anything to distinguish it substantially from a bird or dog. As for most "developed" or "advanced," whats meant by these terms?
Does this mean changed from an original design?, most complex?, most accomplished? I don't see humans holding a clear lead in any of these interpretations.

 

[MindHunter]

Oops, I see why you might think that - I forgot about viruses. The order goes viruses, bacteria, plants, bugs, fish, birds, animals, humans.

Fixed!

This makes no sense. A virus tends to require a host (bacteria) in order to replicate. There can be helper viruses, however, that still needs some viable host. You also forgot fungi.

look guys animals are animal, lilithu gave a good explanation in one of his posts. humans are on top of the chain, thus we are the most developed species.

Animals are animals and toasters are toasters, what's your point in that statement?

Explain your definition of "developed". Do you mean living the longest? Most complex? I'm also getting the feeling that you may be implying evolution increases complexity, which is not a requirement. After all, there is evolutionary reversal when organisms become less complex.

 

[Buttons*]

You see, BB, this is what has sparked my curiosity. Animals are incredible beings, all one has to do is observe them for even a brief period of time to understand this. My question is, Why did we ever begin to think that we were somehow better than animals? We do the same things animals do, so where DO you draw the line?

How did we begin to think it? Probably has something to do with emotional signaling, evolutionary traits like tracking, talking, and co-dependancy for society. Maybe some think we are better based on evolution - that we're at the top of most food chains. Humans can actually create new things, build new things, and work together to make things while having individual goals, dreams, and reasons. We are capable of being logical, but we are mostly overrun by emotion.

Some ancient philosophers held that man was the only animal to use logic, but it's not so. (Meaning, I don't think people actually use logic.) Maybe we're the only animals who can use mathematics to such high degrees and maybe we can formulate sentences that discuss logical statements, but we still "know" nothing. (Thank you relativism. )

Anyway, there are hundreds upon thousands of reasons for looking at the difference between humans and animals, and thinking "I'm smarter than this" or "I'm better than this" or "At least I think for myself." While I DON'T think these are good ways at exploring our differences, I do think that we are different, to say the least. We are not better because we still do the same things animals do - eat, ****, sleep, try to stay warm. But we do live life differently than your average animal.

We can gain dominion by domestication. This is also another difference. We don't know of any "lord" that holds dominion over us but nature, which is why nature is inspiring. Some people believe in a God to take that place. Fair enough, I suppose, but it's too much to get into for one single thread.

 

[Gharib]

First of all, I am a she, not a he. That is what the pink symbol with the circle and cross thing in the upper right hand corner of each of my posts means.

darn it. i saw it just beofre i submited the post but i must have forgotten, sorry.

Secondly, that is NOT what I said at all so please don't associate my name with that nonsense. I said that humans are not dogs but both are animals. That does not mean that humans are "on top" or more "developed."

the only thing that i related to you was that you made a good point in one of your posts, the rest after it is mine. i know you didn't say that, i did. sorry for the confussion, but i should have done a better job at it.

 

[3.14]

no we are not since we created the term human for all animals who surpass a certain point of selfawareness.
biological we might not differ much from animals but mentaly we are as diffrent to them as to plants

we lost our animal heratidge the moment we started creating things to harm

 

[Gharib]

Ok.. so who is next in line after the human? and who is the last one? Or did you just decide that the human is on top and all the rest below that?

after humans there are the animals, and the plants. just as i have been saying to YMG that there are 3 different worlds considered in biology, the human world, the animal world and the plantation or vegetation world.

I did not invent logic if that's what you mean, but I did say your logic was false yes.
On the other hand I cannot use my logic on your chain of creatures as that chain is unknown to me.

badluck.

Ok, we are going that way, no problem. So you're saying that the properties we should look at are intelligence. The human is not the only one with intelligence, every animal has it. So why did you decide that the line for getting another name than animal was just under the human?

were not the only creature with inteligence? what are you saying?
1 why don't dogs use computers?
2 why don't whales make a weapon to destroy the jappanese ships?
3 why don't 4 leged animals fly?

if you can anwers these, the you will find the anwer to what i'm talking about.

You forgot your smiley. Now I am almost thinking you weren't being sarcastic. But even in the case you didn't understand... I am talking about you running faster than a cheetah... Not a motorcycle..

the whole point os using a motorcycle is to show to you that we are the best beings on earth, we are the strongestby simply using our brain the same with running. we are the smartest beings on the planet thus we are on top of the animals and the plants. simple really why is it so hard to understand?

we are able to survive in even the worst conditions that animals and plants cannot. see, if we were "animals" then we would be just like them and not way more superior than them.

And we can have a same color, size or weight as others. You are right, we can look like other things in many ways..
However, we as humans defined "animals" ourselves.
Wikipedia:
The word "animal" comes from the Latin word animale, neuter of animalis, and is derived from anima, meaning vital breath or soul. In everyday colloquial usage, the word usually refers to non-human animals. The biological definition of the word refers to all members of the Kingdom Animalia, including humans.
You can search for your version of animal ofcourse. Most versions I found placed the human in the animalkingdom.

how sure are you that this "definnition" is from a reliable source? many people can write stuff up in wiki, even i can, and my main thing at the moment is to say that humans are not animals, and everyone that will search for it may think it is true.

I am close to you however. I also think intelligence has something to do with it.

now you're speaking my language.

BUt I think intelligence alone is enough to place something in the animalkingdom.

just look at the words "human", "animal" untill 20 years ago what set them appart?

What makes you think that? I think they would agree with me. Just like the greatest part of the world (a guess) and so far the greatest part of this forum (See poll)

well there are about 17,000 memebrs i think, so 32 campared to 17000 is a very low part of the majority.

By your definition here a cow could marry a dog?

sort of.

You are so eager to put yourself on top of other animals and you fail to see that animals are also different from eachother.

well i'm not an animal if thats what you mean, there are many animals and not all are the same i agree, just as there are many human species as well, now you must agree. do you?

And might I add that a fish looks a lot more different from an elephant than I do from a monkey. (It's only a form of respect that I typed "I" here..)

thanks, but i'm just pointing that out once in a while to show that i do not beleive in it.

 

[McBell]

after humans there are the animals, and the plants. just as i have been saying to YMG that there are 3 different worlds considered in biology, the human world, the animal world and the plantation or vegetation world.

badluck.

were not the only creature with inteligence? what are you saying?
1 why don't dogs use computers?
2 why don't whales make a weapon to destroy the jappanese ships?
3 why don't 4 leged animals fly?

if you can anwers these, the you will find the anwer to what i'm talking about.


the whole point os using a motorcycle is to show to you that we are the best beings on earth, we are the strongestby simply using our brain the same with running. we are the smartest beings on the planet thus we are on top of the animals and the plants. simple really why is it so hard to understand?

we are able to survive in even the worst conditions that animals and plants cannot. see, if we were "animals" then we would be just like them and not way more superior than them.

how sure are you that this "definnition" is from a reliable source? many people can write stuff up in wiki, even i can, and my main thing at the moment is to say that humans are not animals, and everyone that will search for it may think it is true.

now you're speaking my language.

just look at the words "human", "animal" untill 20 years ago what set them appart?

well there are about 17,000 memebrs i think, so 32 campared to 17000 is a very low part of the majority.

sort of.

well i'm not an animal if thats what you mean, there are many animals and not all are the same i agree, just as there are many human species as well, now you must agree. do you?

thanks, but i'm just pointing that out once in a while to show that i do not beleive in it.

 

[Gharib]

you know, you're really not worth the argument. i'll just ignore you and give you some frubals, little children like shiny stars don't they. yes they do. ( this part is sopposed to be invisible to mestemia, i'm not really going to frubal him )

 

[McBell]

you know, you're really not worth the argument. i'll just ignore you and give you some frubals, little children like shiny stars don't they. yes they do. ( this part is sopposed to be invisible to mestemia, i'm not really going to frubal him )

Interesting how someone who knows so little about biology still does so much talking.

 

[Gharib]

Interesting how someone who knows so little about biology still does so much talking.

welcome to my world

 

[Gharib]

What's the problem with an animal? You should be proud being an animal..

i sure am proud that i am a human, one step above the animals. but i'm not an animal.

What happened to this world to think so low of an animal?

that because animals are low creatures, they were never meant to be thought off as a high ranked creature in the first place. now just because westerners sleep with dogs, or live with them, not so much sleeping. that doesn't mean that it is the right thing to do. and just, i'll say again, just because someone decided to live with a dog it doesn't make me a dog. nor does it make anyone else an animal. people have been living with plants in thier homes, but no one went this far, we are plants. that ridiculous. seriously think about it, not just you but everyone

 

[Gharib]

One gets the feeling you're not being entirely serious...

did you actually think he was serious?

 

[Gharib]

I would getting set to rip you a “new one”, Connor, when it occurred to me that you are actually hitting on my own thinking. In my view, we are simply just another animal that is native to the planet. There IS no real gap between us and the so-called “lower” animal life forms that exist. Instead of talons, poisons, exoskeletons, etc we have a larger brain to use in order to defend ourselves. The brain is our first line of defence in those terms.

I will agree that we are different from other animals, that much is clear, however the point of this discussion is to remind people that we have always been and will always be just another animal on this small planet even though our ego’s don’t especially like that fact at times.

doesn't the theory of evolution state that everything is in a hirachy. ie lower life forms and then higher life forms. such an example would be bacteria vs human the lowest against the highest.

that "fact" is just a belief. see how it feels when people say that islam is just a beleife with no actual proof, well thats what you are doing and so is everyone else, we are animals (well not me ). how can that be true when we are way more advanced than anything else on earth, everything is here to serve us. we control the world with the permission of god. we have free will, if we were to be like animals we would not have free will.

in a field there are 1000 cows, all die appart from one, that standing cow will not even move an eyebrow to care about what is happening to the others. but in a different situation there are 1000 people, one dies everyone rushes to help like crazy, look at our animal behaviour, we fit right in.

 

[Gharib]

Monotheist Arabic religions...but that's just my opinion.

no the answer is brains, the ability to think.

 

[Gharib]

You see, BB, this is what has sparked my curiosity. Animals are incredible beings, all one has to do is observe them for even a brief period of time to understand this. My question is, Why did we ever begin to think that we were somehow better than animals? We do the same things animals do, so where DO you draw the line?

been there done that, proves nothing that i am one of them.

yes most people do most things that animals do, so to call them human would be a waste of time. they are animals, but then again most don't have the animal behaviour in them or should i say the animals instinct.

 

[Valjean]

There are no hierarchies in evolution. Where do you get these odd ideas, eselam?

 

[Gharib]

There are no hierarchies in evolution. Where do you get these odd ideas, eselam?

didn't gas form into amino acids, then that formed into bcteria, then that formed into something better and bigger, and so on and so forth, untill the human species was reached. tell me if this isn't how it happened.