So do you believe that humans are nothing more than animals? Of course we can all clearly distinguish between a monkey and a human, but some people think that humans still have a basic, primitive setting. Now when I say this, I mean when someone refers to say, sex. I've heard people claim (on this site and rl lol) that all men want to have sex just to spread their seed, or that sex is the only motive in a man's life, comparing the motive to that of a lower level male species. Another example is emotions or human perception of emotion. In a discussion I had with my friends about why we eat other animals and not humans, one stated that animals aren't capable of emotions. Now I'm pretty sure that animals are indeed capable of emotions, but I told her that you can't really compare animal emotions to human emotions because we feel different things for different reasons. While a parrot or guinea-pig will get sad or depressed by itself because by nature they are social, there are a number of factors that can depress a human being (whether it's because of their sociability or lack of) My point is that while there are certain behaviors in humans that can be concluded to nothing more than animal instinct, I still find it hard to think that humans and animals are often compared in such ways. What do you think? Do you believe that the most things we humans do are primitively instinctive? Edit: I think I may have been unclear. I know that humans are in the end, animals. What I am saying is that do you think that humans and other animals have the same instinctive thinking?
We definitely follow the very same type of thinking as other animals to that extent. While we are capable of higher order thinking that most animals are not, we still have many of the same instincts as our ancestors. We have an instinctual drive to eat, drink (water I mean, not alcohol per se), interact with other members of our species, and of course fuck. These instincts can even cloud our higher order thinking. It's all based on the same neurological system that drives other animals to do the very same. The only differences between us and other animals is walking upright, opposable thumbs, and the ability to think with logic ontop of the instinctual thinking that you refer to.
No animal has the same instinctive behavior, not totally, and that's what separates us. Humans ARE animals, and we do have similar emotions. How we perceive those emotions undoubtedly is much different however. Emotions are simply chemical reactions in the brain; every animal has them. But the human consciousness to another animal is impossible, as we cannot perceive another beings consciousness, even within our own species. I think that you cannot differentiate yourself from, or integrate yourself into, any group fully. Life is about individual meaning, and understanding; we can feel empathy for anything if we try, but we can never fully understand what another feels. But as a human I'm sure you still feel different than an animal. It's natural for us to consider ourselves better than everything else, therefore not want to classify ourselves as animals. But if you study anthropology, you will recognize the very primitive and animalistic behaviors of yourself, and others around you. It can be both enlightening and disheartening, but don't let that stop you. Learning to look at the world, and yourself, with an unbiased eye is not easy, but it will help you to understand yourself and those around you much better. Edit: And to the person above me, who is to say other animals cannot think with logic? Have you ever watched a predator hunt? It is not all about brawn. As for the physical attributes, that is a adaptation to our environment that every other animal has also, just in different ways. Opposable thumbs are simply for climbing, and grasping onto things, whereas walking upright was an adaptation to see over tall fields, or objects, to see predators from further away and facilitate escape.
sometimes i think life would be easier if i had the mind of an animal... eat, shit, hump other animals without having to pay child support, and sleep..
I think you mean life would be easier without being accustomed to the type of luxury that we have come to expect as humans. And you're probably right
idk I've been known to turn beast and beat the brakes of my girl something about the scent of pussy in the air that turns me into a caveman
of course a brain as big as ours, compared to 'animals', comes with a responsibility, but what is the point of having this responsibility? animals simply live to reproduce and adapt to their environment, as do we, but now we think we need a purpose which, i think, complicates things.
What responsibility have we exerted as humans? Most of us won't even accept the responsibility to lead our own lives, and require others to step in to make sure our life remains intact. This is why, throughout civilization, the weak have been oppressed by those strong enough to wield a weapon. You can see a prime example of this in the United States right now, where millions of people are calling for guns to be banned, hoping to keep themselves safe by having another person disarm those who may do them harm, and hoping that person also does not wish them harm. This is their choice, rather than accepting the responsibility to protect themselves. Because it is scary for us to accept the responsibility of our own life and death.
Feeling different doesn't mean you feel better than someone. I'm not saying that I feel we are different from animals because we "are better." What I am saying is that while humans and lower thinking organisms are all in the same category as ANIMAL, there are still huge differences in the way we think and I don't see why some people compare complex human emotion and behavior to animal instinct. The point I'm trying to get across is that you can't compare an apple to a banana (both fruit, yet very different from each other.)
I agree with that, but as humans we certainly do feel "better" than every other being. I don't think you would kill everyone in Beverly Hills for a place to live. But we did kill every animal in Beverly Hills for a place to live. And we killed nearly everyone in the United States in order to make it the country that it is. Look up the phrase "manifest destiny", and see if we consider ourselves equals with everything and everyone else. Edit: And we are all different, I am not talking about you personally, but rather humans as a race.
I'm very familiar with manifest destiny, anybody who has taken middle school history knows that phrase.. With that being said, why do you not think people in Beverly Hills couldnt be wiped out for the sake of say, a rich landowner who wants to buy all of California? If they believed that god wants them to have all of Cali, and they have the money to do such things, then I wouldnt call it impossible. Now how this can relate to what we were talking about, humans kill for stupid reasons like religion and money (hence manifest destiny) while animals fight for dominance and pure survival. You're getting a bit off topic with the subject of whether humans see each other as equal. Once again, I'm saying that I see humans on a different level than other animals and they can not be compared so simply.
I think there are plenty of valid examples to demonstrate individuals failing to take responsibility for their own actions without the need to use an example such as gun control, for which your view is clearly coloured by political ideology. You are taking a complex issue and simplifying it to draw an unreasonable and incorrect conclusion; that, said individuals do not want to accept responsibility for protecting themselves. Even granting your conclusion for a moment, I don't see how this is something to be scorned, we all do it. Should I admonish people who do not choose to study at medical school for ‘failing to take responsibility for their own health', after all, they are simply hoping to keep themselves healthy by having another person take on this responsibility. This is clearly a reductio ad absurdum, but the point remains. We yield responsibility to others within our society, all the time! This is part of how our society functions and is something that is uniquely human. Without this, we would not enjoy the quality of life that many of us are lucky enough to enjoy today. As for qualities that separate us from ‘animals', I would suggest that introspection, abstraction and symbolism are three critical qualities that separate humans from other extant species. That said, there is no reason to believe that these qualities were not possessed by other hominid species. In fact, I'm quite sure there is some evidence to suggest that they indeed did.
Thanks for underlining a strong point of mine. Because it provides us luxury to do so, we yield our lives to society, which is controlled by those with the strength to rule it. By putting the responsibility on other people, we do not have to learn about our own health (which you do not need medical school to do), instead we can watch television, play videogames, or partake in any other amount of luxury we as humans are accustomed to. You shouldn't admonish people for not choosing to go to medical school, but for failing to take responsibility for their own health on the other hand, that is something to be admonished. As humans, we are the smartest species on the planet. Everything around you was built from dirt, minerals, trees, and other elements found in the earth. Yet, most of us when put into the wilderness could no more raise civilization than we could raise a shelter capable of sustaining our life. Because we allowed others to build our shelter for us, grow, harvest, and process our food for us, and for the most part feed us. So we are taught not to bite that hand that feeds us, and hope that it provides for us and keep us safe. And for the most part, it does, as long as we pay our dues, and contribute our lives to keep that society alive, which in turn keeps that feeding hand alive. That is the society you speak of. Sorry to get off topic, but I think it needed to be addressed. I did not mean to use the gun control example as a form of political debate, it was simply an example of how we give up responsibility in the pursuit of luxury. Personally, I believe that luxury should be earned, not expected, and that's why I live in America. I choose to take my life into my own hands (and yes, that does mean I take my health into my own hands too). The fact is we are animals. We follow the rules of natural selection, survival of the fittest, just like every other animal. We live until we do not have the strength to go on, and then we die. And that might be scary to some people, and it sometimes is to me too, but that is the way of the world, and I will embrace that, rather than try to skate around it and hide behind the man with the power.
Just to clarify my point, when I used health as an example, I should have been more specific. I imagined someone involved in an accident requiring a trauma surgeon, something that most certainly does require dependence on a third party. I think we agree in our description of society, I'm unsure however if you view this interdependence as a negative thing. I most certainly do not. Can we agree that the specialisation that we observe in human society is something that is uniquely human and not observed in other species? Are there any species that exhibit this to a lesser extent? I sense this that this discussion is drifting into political territory so I will limit my comments to the following. We both obviously have a vastly different concept of social responsibility and equally different expectations of what our government should and should not provide to its citizenry. I believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity to attain ‘success' in their life and that no individual should be placed at unnecessary disadvantage, and that's why I live in Australia. If anyone wants to comment on this, perhaps a new post can be started in a more appropriate forum, or feel free to PM me.
Man is a more advanced animal then others, just like a dolphin is more advanced than a jellyfish. Doesn't mean we are better or worse off than any other animal. Think about the common household cat, gets attention, shelter, food and toys whenever they want no responsibility in the world.
This is a interesting topic. Man is like the modern,evolved,tame homosapien that has a conscious to higher extent of reality . beast could be like the angry,ignorant,crazy maybe even smart trait/instinct of the human . "He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Nietzsche Well that's just my theory
Well, first off, yes I do agree with you that society is necessary to us as a species, as it is with many other ones also. But I think society should be comprised of a very educated population, and very responsible population. Which it is currently not. As humans, we have the unique ability to survive alone, and also as a society. Alone, it is rough, and not as luxurious. Together, it is easy to become lazy, and indulge in luxury, allowing others to take charge and make the more important decisions. Now, in America, I see our government as an assembly of the people. It is our way of coming together as a population, and making decisions on a large scale. If everyone in our country was a senator things could not get done. But by electing the right officials, they can represent us by keeping the infrastructure sound while we manage other aspects of the country. But again, due to lack of education, and responsibility, the government has separated from the people. Our government now seeks to control the masses to plan for specific outcomes. This is because we are selfish, and instead of contributing to society, we try to use it to our advantage, and get ahead of the next guy. So it is not working. We are now statistics, and not people. So, back to my original point, the only way to truly be free as a people is to accept personal responsibility over our lives, and educate ourselves accordingly. Before we can survive as a population, we must be able to survive as individuals. But to your example about a traumatic car accident. That is a very good example of human luxury that we have come to expect. Medical advances are a marvel; we have the unique ability to bring others back from death, and beyond. But like I said: We live until we no longer have the strength to go on, and then we die. Our society has done away with this though. Many people who would otherwise die, are kept alive by machines, breathing life into empty bodies, simply because they are human. But like I said, I will live on my own, until I do not have the strength to go on, and then I will die. That is life. And I will live it free. Because if I can be killed by a traumatic accident today, I can be killed by one tomorrow, and it's just a matter of time. It's sad, but we need to accept that, and move forward as a society. An educated population is the only way to be free. So in conclusion, the world is not fair. It never will be, no matter how much we discuss society, and how to make it perfect. There will always be someone or something trying to hold us down, and if we are held down by it then that is our new example of survival of the fittest. But personally, I will not be held down, restricted of human rights, or technology, because people are afraid of it. I am on the face of this earth for only a short amount of time, and then I will be somewhere else. I'm going to live to the extent of my life while I'm here, and not restrict myself, or others, because of the insecurity and fear I have in my heart. If I can be killed by one thing today, I can be killed by another tomorrow, and asking someone stronger than myself to protect me from it is just procrastinating death. And I will not live my life in a box to procrastinate death.
Yes we do have strong instincts that guide us One BIG difference between us and animals though (two really ) is that we have a huge memory storage system in our brain which enables us to relate past exeriences to the now and two we have language which I believe changes the nature of our consciussness by giving us discrete labels for things and concepts. Also langauge has allowed us to formulate even more things than can be thought of and also alows non-sensical statements that would never happen otherwise.
Yes we are bassiclly smart animals Like ants we build.cities Like beavers wwe build.damns Like birds we sing We are just better at those things. I think the only real difference between humans and.other animals is our ability to see the world from am.outside perspective. It allows us to read and write and plan for the future. To pass on knowledge. This is a result of our frontal lobe which is a unique mutation only found.in humans. If another ape species mutated a frontal lobe mmaybe they would be like us?
