Human Supremacy

[Doc]

Do you think that humans are the supreme being of this planet? I mean obviously we rule the place but are we naturally the supreme beings like because of our status, should we place ourselves superior to animals or any other living being? Are animals inferior to us?

For this thread, I would prefer short and to the point sort of answers since I really dont like reading extended posts. I open this to theists or non-theists. Just keep it simple.

 

[Saw11_2000]

Yes, we are superior to any animal. From bacteria to lions, and tigers, and bears, we can conquer all of them, and rule. What else did you expect from a Humanist

 

[LordZer]

But what if your personall belief is based on scripture?

 

[Doc]

That's fine, I just was more concerened with very long posts containing scripture quoting. Okay, I shall ammend that, quote any scriptures, just keep it short unlike some of the biblical debates I have looked at.

 

[cardero]

Our only difference between other entities (animal/plant/insect) is the amount of time we exist on this planet and our PURPOSE.

 

[Saw11_2000]

Our only difference between other entities (animal/plant/insect) is the amount of time we exist on this planet and our PURPOSE.

We are extremely different than other animals, though. Other animals haven't developed light speed communication, the internet, guns, televisions, complex language, spaceships, robots, antibiotics and otehr medicines, radios, psychology, and cars. We are the dominant species on Earth. We even make the other animals work for us as food, labor, and entertainment. We are their masters.

 

[Circle_One]

I think that depends. As Saw pointed out, we do dominate other species and put them to work for us, but at the same time our existence depends on the existence of these other beings. If not for animals, plants, bacteria, insects, etc. we would not be capable of existing. So really, does that still make us superior to them?

 

[Saw11_2000]

It makes us dependant of them, but I don't think we are at their mercy. If all of a cows decide to revolt against us, and not give us beef/milk, we can survive without them, and subdue them. If, however all of the animals don't give us any food, and the plants too, we would be dead, but we are not at the mercy of any particular species. That is why we are superior I think.

 

[Circle_One]

It makes us dependant of them, but I don't think we are at their mercy. If all of a cows decide to revolt against us, and not give us beef/milk, we can survive without them, and subdue them. If, however all of the animals don't give us any food, and the plants too, we would be dead, but we are not at the mercy of any particular species. That is why we are superior I think.

I'm not saying we are at the mercy of any specific species, I'm merely saying that in general, we are at the mercy of the other living beings of this planet. If they should cease to exist, we would soon follow.

I think the only reason we, as humans, consider ourselves superior is because we have found ways to dominate the other beings on this planet, but in my opinion, that does not make us superior-a man hits his wife as a means of dominating her, does that make him superior to her?

IMO, the only time we will be truly superior to all other beings is when we find the way to coexist peacefully with everyone and everything on this planet. This will show intelligence superiority rather than physical and forceful superiority, which, again IMO, is more important and more sound.

 

[Saw11_2000]

^Agreed, without plants, and no oxygen from plants, we would soon be extict.

 

[Lightkeeper]

People exist in areas where there are no plants, i.e. Antartica, etc.

Supposedly there will be a superbug that no antibiotic can kill, would humans be superior then?

 

[Sunstone]

In terms of sheer mass and numbers, bacteria are the dominant species on this planet.

 

[Yerda]

It makes us dependant of them, but I don't think we are at their mercy. If all of a cows decide to revolt against us, and not give us beef/milk, we can survive without them, and subdue them. If, however all of the animals don't give us any food, and the plants too, we would be dead, but we are not at the mercy of any particular species. That is why we are superior I think.

Yes we can survive without beef and milk if we so choose. We cannot survive without many of the microbes occupying our gastro-intestinal tract. They provide nutrients for us by metabolizing molecules we cannot, and more importantly provide immune protection by out-competing pathogenic organisms.

I also disagree that human supremacy can be gauged by our ability to create tools. Human inventions do help reduce survival pressures and increase natural fitness though.

 

[Valjean]

Doc, you need to define "supreme", otherwise we may discussing entirely different things.

Some of these posts are of the "might makes right" variety. Did you mean to debate which species is most successful in exploiting others?

Some equate species persistance with supremacy. Was this what you had in mind?

 

[Jaymes]

We are at the absolute mercy of nature. In turn, if we fack up the earth enough, it will be at the absolute mercy of us (until we get scorched to death, anyway...). Balance of powers, really.

 

[Saw11_2000]

Balance of power, yes, but we definitely tip the scales comparing to any other species on earth.

 

[painted wolf]

Humans are no more superior than any other living thing.

Domesticated animals may have lost thier freedoms, but in turn they gained freedom from, hunger, predators, comptetition and lack of shelter. There are now for instance, more chickens alive in the world than Humans. Billions more than would ever survive in the wilds of south east asia.

If you really think about it who is really in control? The plants have been exploiting animals from day one. Today the most successful plants are ones that use animals as tools for reproduction. They bribe animals to do thier work for them with necter, fruit and other goodies. In turn the animals unknowingly polinate and spread the seeds of future generations.
The plant has domesticated the animal.

One such plant is the Ant-plant, a group of plants that have become specalists at domesticating ants. They provide specal structures in thorns and galls for the ants to live, they provide food in the form of specal excretions (only produced if ants are present) and in return they get the ants corpses and feces as nutriants, and they get polination and protection from other insects who would eat the ant plants leaves.

Other animals make tools, wage war, build great structures, create art and mourn the dead... we are not different from our brothers in anything but ego.

as for tipping the scales, all it takes to bring us back down is a humble virus, we are not nessisarily secure in our alpha postion.

wa:do

 

[cardero]

We are extremely different than other animals, though. Other animals haven't developed light speed communication, the internet, guns, televisions, complex language, spaceships, robots, antibiotics and otehr medicines, radios, psychology, and cars. We are the dominant species on Earth. We even make the other animals work for us as food, labor, and entertainment. We are their masters.

But we didn't have most of those inventions 600 years ago, were humans inferior then? Also we cannot survive without other living things. I would think that we would be indebted to other entities superiority.

(I apologize for saying the same things as other posters but I posted first read later.)

 

[painted wolf]

ah, I almost forgot that animals also have medicine, language, slaves, domestic animals, (ants keep aphids like we keep cows) and so on and so forth.

There is no human accomplishment that is not also found somewhere in nature.

wa:do

 

[Mr Spinkles]

There is no human accomplishment that is not also found somewhere in nature.

Fascinating posts, as always painted wolf. I think it's also worthy to note that, though we have thus far limited our discussion to Earth, theoretically there are beings far more intelligent and technologically advanced than humans all throughout the universe (and even, perhaps, our own galaxy).