You can sum it all up in a connection with God. There is, of course, the matter that man has control over the animals of the earth and that they were created for man, but that is linked back to God.

I believe in the existence of a God, but I do believe in evolution. In a lot of ways I think that animals probably have it figured out a lot more than we do. People can be really stupid.

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Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. ... I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask no one to live for me, nor do I live for others. I covet no mans soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

Ayn Rand, Anthem.

It's ok for you to view humanity as nothing more than advanced animals. Many humans think you're quite misguided in that idea though. If we're nothing more than animals why must we create societal laws, ethics and moral concepts ?

The reason I ask is because it is this beleif that we humans are nothing more than advanced animals that is allowing some to constantly try to remove, change or redefine any societal laws, ethics or moral concepts we HAVE.

If we're just animals then everything is relative.

I kind of do too. I don't think it has to necessarily be one way or the other. That's a whole nother topic though

Yeah, you won't see animals jumping outta airplanes hoping a billowing peice of cloth will save them from certain death

Because we are highly social animals- these things help us to interact with each other to mutual benefit.

I don't see how that necessarily follows, and I wouldn't say nothing more than animals, as if to be an animal were a bad thing.The way I see it, all life on this planet is related- we are all kin. If you belong to a large family, does that mean you are nothing more than a family member? Of course not- you are also an individual, with abilities, ideals and aspirations that may be very different from your kin.

I find it somewhat misguided, even arrogant to assume that we are so beyond the rest of animal life that we have nothing to learn from other animals, and there is nothing in our nature that is akin to theirs (or that only the undesirable parts of our nature are akin to theirs). It reminds me of the doctor who believes that no one without a degree is worth talking to. Canada and greyleg geese are far more faithful in their pairings than humans are, and many animals will protect their young with their lives. Knowing this, how can we say that morals are exclusively human? The only consistent difference that I see is that humans will often rationalize their lapses, and paint them as virtues, a capacity that other animals appear to lack.

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And I shall go as an Otter lank
and harry thee close from bank to bank
And I shall go in the Lady's name
all to bring thee home again

Ahh, I see. We create societal laws, ethics and moral concepts because we're highly social animals. So, I suppose you beleive this, somehow now proves we're only animals now ?


Raise up the animal so that it doesn't look so bad to lower the human.



The ability to discriminate the difference between humans and animals and the difference between individuals OF a related human family doesn't somehow tie humans as the kin to animals. The THEORY of evolution (which is continually evolving ITSELF) does that. Not so well either. That is a rather big argument among academics actually. One I'll let THEM bandy about for eternity.


The rationale that went on behind the scenes in the above paragraph is interesting in many different ways. I'll leave that for others to comment on if the willingness exists.

Alright, you've heard ours. We want YOU to lay out your thoughts in clear detail now

I think what most distinguished humans fro other animals
is our phenomenal intelligence.




Skipping to something else, in response to the story of the
mother cheetah, take a look at this story about a lioness
who has adopted three baby antelopes:

Google Image Result for http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1745000/images/_1746828_lion_afp_150.jpg

(from the link):

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From the fury of the Northmen, Good Lord deliver us.

Some humans are different from animals. I think what makes a human different is the ability to reason and override biological imperatives. Of course, some humans are unable to do this, so I'd say the only difference between these humans and animals is one of degree.

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chicken butt

Highly social and intellegent animals. Ants are also highly social (moreso than we are), but any creating or processing that happens, occurs among the hive as a whole. This is not better or worse than human society, but it is profoundly alien.

You are the one talking about raising and lowering here, not me. Both humans and animals are capapble of behaving in 'low' or 'elevated' ways, if you will. Our large brains give us enough foresight that we should know better- and advantage most other animals lack.
Anyway, what do you believe? That we are fundamentally different from other animals, and seperate from the rest of the life on this planet? Do we have a soul that animals lack?

The only 'academics' debating the validity of evolution are the self-styled creation 'scientists' that shout from the fringes of biology. That debate occured when Origin was published, and has been over for a long time. What is still developing is our understanding of the mechanisms involved, and the specifics of history. A 'theory' in scientific terms does not mean a 'guess'; it is the term used for ideas that have the highest degree of confidence possible in this field.

__________________
And I shall go as an Otter lank
and harry thee close from bank to bank
And I shall go in the Lady's name
all to bring thee home again