Huge gap between humans and animals

[FearGod]

Humans are most unique in the size of their EGO that tells them they are better than everything else.

Animals are exactly the same as us. We are farther down the road resulting in more capabilities. As I see it, we and animals are all children of God and walking the same path.

Are the cockroaches children of God?

 

[Bear Wild]

so.....you are as much a chimp as any chimp

I consider as myself as much a primate as other primates. Actually if I am a chimp then I am a talented chimp that can do the internet interesting thought. Trying to make humans superior to other animals (using unique as a descriptor) shows a poor insight into how nature works. Humans may be able to do creative things such as language art and technology but in the long term do these things really show superiority if the lead to the destruction of the very ecosystems that support mankind. Which is more superior an organism that lives out of balance with its environment and destroys the ecosystem that it need to survive by exploiting it beyond its supporting capacity or an organism that lives within a balance with its environment which continues to be supportive of life. Look at the big picture then rethink which is superior since all life is unique. Ironically there are groups of humans that do live in harmony with nature but they have seen as savage/uncivilized. In reality they are more civilized to the world they live in.

 

[Bear Wild]

They are if you believe god created them. Cockroaches, dolphins, dogs, cats, horses and all life. Each unique and each has a place in its ecosystem.

 

[Thief]

keep in mind that a single bee is not the organism itself. It's a detachable cell in a
superorganism: the hive.
The hive is the organism. Are they all the same?

to be sure of bee-havior.......yes

and let's not quivel over distinct form having distinct function

they are much like the Borg of Star Trek fame

so engrained to the collective purpose.....they are all the same

 

[Thief]

I consider as myself as much a primate as other primates.

well there you go.....

 

[tas8831]

But I do not think we are any more universally unique for our intelligence than the blue whale is for its size.

Still fish regardless of their sizes, but humans are unique.

Well, there's your problem...

 

[tas8831]

Why only humans are different than the rest of animals in terms of thinking, talking
and the way of living, no animal can be compared to humans?

Why we can't even see animals in midway between humans and animals in
terms of thinking, talking and the ability to invent ..etc?

How that is explained by science, we can see different kinds of animals horses, donkeys, dogs,
different kind of birds, but why humans are unique?

"...thinking, talking, and the way of living.. and the ability to invent..."


All of those are housed primarily in the brain.

 

[tas8831]

I think animals imitate learned behaviors.

You may think this, but so what?

They don't understand reasons for those behaviors.

How do you know?

They can react to certain experiences they themselves may experience - like pain, etc., but an animal knows nothing about prayer, or how to sit down and work out a solution to solve an emotional problem.

Why would a non-human animal need to know about 'prayer'?

If you are around an animal long enough, it learns your behavior,
If you are sad, you dog may put its paw on you, or the monkey may seem to say to you, "Care for a banana?"

Wow... Humancentrism much?

I admire the intelligence of animals, but the do not come close to the vastly superior intelligence of humans.

So right. Humans are the only animal to kill its own kind for pleasure. The only animals to delight in the misery of other creatures. We are so superior.

 

[Cacotopia]

Well of course I am not speaking of animals being able to identify animals. If I could smell water for a mile, I'd probably be able to identify a thousand male lions in a pack.

I'm talking about humans identifying animals.
Whereas, we can easily tell the difference between humans by appearance, and habits, we cannot do so with animals That's why they tag them when they want to study them.

If what you say is true, point to a real example of someone who can catch a healthy lion, or shark, and keep it for a week. Release it - no tag, and after a week, go and search for it, and identify it.

Take a million years if you like.

I can pick my dog's bark out of a crowd of dogs barking, does that count?

 

[Cacotopia]

This guy is still stuck on humans being unique, well yes they are, but s is every other species of creature. The water bear can survive 22 hours in the vacuum of space. Cool! They can also survive extreme pressurized, hot and cold environments. We would die in a few seconds or instantly.

 

[Valjean]

Well, there's your problem...

The problem is that a whale's size isn't -- or wasn't -- malignant. Man's intelligence is.

Our intelligence will likely destroy us, just as it's well on its way to destroying the present ecosystem and all of Nature.

Our intelligence has made us a singularly unsuccessful and short-lived species, more like a planet-wide infection on the verge of killing its host than a contributing part of the ecosystem.

Our intelligence has given us the power to parasitize the planet. Would we had the wisdom to apply it constructively.

 

[Cacotopia]

The problem is that a whale's size isn't -- or wasn't -- malignant. Man's intelligence is.

Our intelligence will likely destroy us, just as it's well on its way to destroying the present ecosystem and all of Nature.

Our intelligence has made us a singularly unsuccessful and short-lived species, more like a planet-wide infection on the verge of killing its host than a contributing part of the ecosystem.

Our intelligence has given us the power to parasitize the planet. Would we had the wisdom to apply it constructively.

I believe it already has, we just don't know it yet.

 

[nPeace]

I can pick my dog's bark out of a crowd of dogs barking, does that count?

Um. Not if your dog has a throat defect.., and if you could prove that, in this case, hearing is believing.
However, I wasn't thinking of familiarity with one's pet.

 

[tas8831]

The problem is that a whale's size isn't -- or wasn't -- malignant. Man's intelligence is.

Our intelligence will likely destroy us, just as it's well on its way to destroying the present ecosystem and all of Nature.

Our intelligence has made us a singularly unsuccessful and short-lived species, more like a planet-wide infection on the verge of killing its host than a contributing part of the ecosystem.

Our intelligence has given us the power to parasitize the planet. Would we had the wisdom to apply it constructively.

Agreed, but I was specifically referring to his (her?) thinking a whale is a fish.

 

[Cacotopia]

Um. Not if your dog has a throat defect.., and if you could prove that, in this case, hearing is believing.
However, I wasn't thinking of familiarity with one's pet.

So are you trying to tell me all dogs sound exactly the same to each other? Not true. Just like every other species there are the occasion identical twins and triplets maybe, but that's not how evolution operates, Each offspring is yet another step towards refining an ever changing species, at least the ones that survive to pass on their genetic information.

 

[Bear Wild]

well there you go.....

Yes I admit it I am a primate and I must say so are you. Same family as those chimps who can solve puzzles and climb trees. I hope I have not offended you by calling you a primate. We should be proud of who we are although maybe not so proud of what we are doing to our ecosystem. Chimps do seem to be better at that.

 

[Bear Wild]

"...thinking, talking, and the way of living.. and the ability to invent..."


All of those are housed primarily in the brain.

True they are housed in the brains of crows, parrots and chimps just to mention a few.

 

[Polymath257]

True they are housed in the brains of crows, parrots and chimps just to mention a few.

And perhaps the arms of octopi.

 

[nPeace]

So are you trying to tell me all dogs sound exactly the same to each other? Not true. Just like every other species there are the occasion identical twins and triplets maybe, but that's not how evolution operates, Each offspring is yet another step towards refining an ever changing species, at least the ones that survive to pass on their genetic information.

No I am not trying to tell you that all dogs sound exactly the same. Where did you get that idea?
Why did you see the need to use the word exactly.... Is it because if you put two dozen Jack Russell in a group, or Chihuahua, or Akita, or... you can always find some that sound so similar, you could hardly tell the difference?
Isn't that the reason we can tell the difference between certain breeds of dog, but can't tell the difference between others?
You aren't trying to tell me differently, are you?

Wanna play a game then?
Let's play identify the dog.

Every Dog Breed Has A Distinct Bark, But You’ll Probably Never Hear The Difference
Ethologist Csaba Molnar dug deeper into our ability to recognize our own dog’s bark. His study focused on recognition of individual barks by their owners, who in this case were sheepherders who spent all day around their dogs. While most of them thought it would be simple to determine which bark belonged to their own dog, they were unable to tell the difference between their dog’s bark and that of another.

In Molnar’s study, he came to the conclusion that dogs have different types of barks that mean different things, but if one dog barks for the same reason as another dog, the two barks will sound the same. He tested this by playing different barks, and in doing so, people were able to determine which bark meant what. For example, two different dogs barking to play.

He also found that barking is a learned and evolved trait, that was potentially brought about in domesticated dogs via humans. This theory is supported by the fact that wolf pups bark, but it is not done by adults, they have no need to.

 

[Cacotopia]

No I am not trying to tell you that all dogs sound exactly the same. Where did you get that idea?
Why did you see the need to use the word exactly.... Is it because if you put two dozen Jack Russell in a group, or Chihuahua, or Akita, or... you can always find some that sound so similar, you could hardly tell the difference?
Isn't that the reason we can tell the difference between certain breeds of dog, but can't tell the difference between others?
You aren't trying to tell me differently, are you?

Wanna play a game then?
Let's play identify the dog.

Every Dog Breed Has A Distinct Bark, But You’ll Probably Never Hear The Difference
Ethologist Csaba Molnar dug deeper into our ability to recognize our own dog’s bark. His study focused on recognition of individual barks by their owners, who in this case were sheepherders who spent all day around their dogs. While most of them thought it would be simple to determine which bark belonged to their own dog, they were unable to tell the difference between their dog’s bark and that of another.

In Molnar’s study, he came to the conclusion that dogs have different types of barks that mean different things, but if one dog barks for the same reason as another dog, the two barks will sound the same. He tested this by playing different barks, and in doing so, people were able to determine which bark meant what. For example, two different dogs barking to play.

He also found that barking is a learned and evolved trait, that was potentially brought about in domesticated dogs via humans. This theory is supported by the fact that wolf pups bark, but it is not done by adults, they have no need to.

there are few dog breeds here, proto dogs are the most common dog where I live, people don't usually have "breeds" here, and there are packs of wild feral dogs running around. So yes I can pick out my dog's bark in a back of other dogs.

Proto dogs, are "nature's breed" IE not screwed with by humans.