Are humans somehow "unnatural"?

[Saint Frankenstein]

I claimed that animals don't think to the same extent that we do, at least as far as I know. I also asked you to provide evidence otherwise. I also informed you that if they do think like us it only strengths my attention. Please take some time, cool down, get your emotions in check, and then try reading what I've actually said.

How exactly do you measure thought? I mean, what do you mean by "don't think to the same extent"?

I have to know what you're talking about first before arguing a position.

As I've said numerous time, simply put forth your evidence of advanced shark languages,

@beenherebeforeagain already mentioned the advanced language abilities of whales and such.

whereas I never see people like you or @Saint Frankenstein providing evidence of all the billions of species you believe to be our intellectual equals.

There's different forms of intellect. A person who spent all their life on a farm and who never finished grade school will know a lot more about certain things than, say, a physicist may. There are species that have been around for millions of years. Surely they know much about the aspects of life that have been conducive to their survival.

 

[1137]

I think you missed this part here:



[sarcasm]But thanks for being patient and not making unnecessary assessments about character and everything because I have a job. I really appreciate it![/sarcasm]

Of course, I'm now feeling a little bit disinclined to revisit that post when I receive feedback like this... so the "I'll take a closer look at that post" is now a "maybe I'll take a closer look at that post."

The endless excuses. Is our goal here to make RF more like reddit?

 

[metis]

6-7 or so million years after the ape-human split gave evolution a lot of time to work on us.

 

[1137]

6-7 or so million years after the ape-human split gave evolution a lot of time to work on us.

Not much when you consider how much longer other species have been around without causing much, if any, willful change.

 

[metis]

Not much when you consider how much longer other species have been around without causing much, if any, willful change.

Evolution is not and has never been uniform according to the evidence, so what's your point?

 

[Father Heathen]

These are not "minor" differences!

I was being a bit facetious.

In addition, there are many more!

Of course.

 

[Father Heathen]

LOL, I haven't seen that particular brand of political correctness before.

We have to be fair to the straw women.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

I was being a bit facetious.



Of course.

Sorry, I misunderstood.

I come across many people, atheists mostly, who always downplay the huge gulf between humans and animals.

 

[Etritonakin]

I was thinking recently about the fact that humans have much more mental capacity than it takes to simply be humans.
Our bodies are presently keeping us from doing much of what we can imagine doing.
Other species are pretty much balanced. A horse has the mental capacity to be great at being a horse, but not much else -that sort of thing.
Just a thought.

It is also interesting to note that about the time Adam is said to have been created, things began to be rather different in the world.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

But I hail from a non-dualistic view of the world...

So, when you reach a fork in the road you keep going straight?

 

[Quintessence]

So, when you reach a fork in the road you keep going straight?

No. To me, there is no fork in the road. Seeing a fork in the road is a dualist way of viewing the terrain.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

No. To me, there is no fork in the road. Seeing a fork in the road is a dualist way of viewing the terrain.

just what do you see when you come to a fork in the road?

 

[Quintessence]

just what do you see when you come to a fork in the road?

I'm sorry, but weren't you being metaphorical before? At any rate, this is off-topic.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

I'm sorry, but weren't you being metaphorical before? At any rate, this is off-topic.

I know but bunny trails happen all the time. I am very curious as to how you see a dualistic universe in non-dualistic manner.

 

[Quintessence]

I know but bunny trails happen all the time. I am very curious as to how you see a dualistic universe in non-dualistic manner.

You speak as if it's a matter-of-fact that the universe is dualistic. Whether one is a monist, dualist, or pluralist... those are human interpretations of the universe, not the matter-of-fact. I see far too many problems with dualistic maps of the territory to want to use them that often. I use them sometimes, but I'm not a fan of them. Make a new thread if you'd like to discuss this further, and feel free to tag me. Can't promise I'll be super active in it, though.

 

[AndromedaRXJ]

Natural is whatever happens.

 

[Etritonakin]

If nature is only that which happened after the Big Bang -and due only to the Big Bang, humans would be unnatural if they were produced by something other than only the chain of events which was produced by the Big Bang.

For example.... "Nature" could technically produce an IPad if things happened in the correct order -but they did not -at least not around here.

We can see that it is possible for humans to have been produced by "nature" alone -and it may seem more likely due to the long process and many life forms which preceded man -and that life -even if created unnaturally -now self-develops -but we actually do not now that life itself -or the present human form specifically, happened completely "naturally". Similarly, that which we create which might be considered unnatural is still based on, and preceded by, the natural.

From a biblical perspective, God both initiated the universe and natural processes -and manipulates them afterward.

 

[idav]

What I mean is, is there anything about humans that could not have come about through natural evolutionary processes?

Some claim that the minds and abilities of humans are so advanced and complex to the point that they could not have come about through natural processes alone. Some view this complexity as the result of aliens or mysterious deities.

I disagree with this opinion and think there was no intervention, agreeing with the current scientific evidence that humans are merely the product of evolution as all species on Earth are.

What say you? Present evidence and state your reasoning, if you can be so obliged.

The easiest way to see that we are nothing special is to see how we are similar to other animals. People love to see humans as distinct from the animal kingdom but we are proven plenty of times that we really aren't all that advanced. That being said I can see how people will think otherwise like having self-awareness and being able to speak but we are not unique in even those areas.

 

[gnostic]

I don't entertain the 'alien' concept, but I do agree that humans are special in that we have an Isolate Intelligence guiding us

Yep, we are guided by these:

Guess who built the London Bridge????

 

[Segev Moran]

What I mean is, is there anything about humans that could not have come about through natural evolutionary processes?

Some claim that the minds and abilities of humans are so advanced and complex to the point that they could not have come about through natural processes alone. Some view this complexity as the result of aliens or mysterious deities.

I disagree with this opinion and think there was no intervention, agreeing with the current scientific evidence that humans are merely the product of evolution as all species on Earth are.

What say you? Present evidence and state your reasoning, if you can be so obliged.

Your question will never be answered as theist (who are usually the ones not believing we are just a natural beings) will always claim that things we not yet fully understand are things that are supernatural...

So nowadays, Consciousnesses and Feelings and Thoughts are the unnatural thing in humans...

When one day, science will be able to explain the processes and mechanism of thoughts, the theist will find something else to claim as unnatural instead

Just like disease... once upon a time, disease was considered a punishment or a message of god.. today, everyone agrees that disease is caused by natural means and not as a spiritual thing.