You make some very good points and, unlike others that have replied, you reason. This is a reply that I sent to someone else. But I think you'd appreciate more the point I'm trying to make. All I'm saying is that there's a very real danger in contruing the human being as nothing more than a highre animal...Here goes:
--The question in all of this is not, and was never, if humans are, or are not, animals. We are animals of the mammal sub-species. The issue here is society defining humans on the same plane as as lower species; yes, I did say lower species. There is a clear danger in this. Because of all the attributes which I outlined that humans possess and which animals of lower species do not, human life must cateogorically be deemed more precious. I am not suggesting in any way cruelty to animals is justified; it is a crime. I am simply saying that the holding of human life as precious and(dare I even say this)divine is essential to perpetuating civilization. Once this construance is set aside and human life is deemed as of lesser value, the door is left open for men to to act in animalistic ways. Take as an example the holocaust of the Nazi era. The Nazis found themselves justified in reckoning an entire race or, for that matter, all other races as being on the same level as lower animals. This they used as justifying genocide and carrying out grotesque scientific experiments on other people they reckoned as different from themselves. Can you possibly see now what I'm getting at????????? Science and indeed civilization as a whole must hold human life in the lofty light which it deserves. However, I fear the opposite is taking place. And that's dangerous--
Cats possess free-will??? Uh huh, okay, gotcha. I think I'm going to re-think my entire thread. After reading the feedback I'm getting, I'm beginning to think that maybe Nietzsche was right; maybe the human race is regressing.
Oooooooohhhhhh! I touched a nerve there! Listen, when a gorilla or chimp or dolphin writes anything that comes near to a Shakespeare soliloquy I'll fall the pseudo-intellectual crap that passes for science that's floating around our institutions of "higher" learning..pal.
Not once did I ever imply that creation should be exploited. Due to mankind's more advanced brain development, it falls to us to protect and enhance our environment - That would include the creatures we share this planet with.
The question in all of this is not, and was never, if humans are, or are not, animals. We are animals of the mammal sub-species. The issue here is society defining humans on the same plane as as lower species; yes, I did say lower species. There is a clear danger in this. Because of all the attributes which I outlined that humans possess and which animals of lower species do not, human life must cateogorically be deemed more precious. I am not suggesting in any way cruelty to animals is justified; it is a crime. I am simply saying that the holding of human life as precious and(dare I even say this)divine is essential to perpetuating civilization. Once this construance is set aside and human life is deemed as of lesser value, the door is left open for men to to act in animalistic ways. Take as an example the holocaust of the Nazi era. The Nazis found themselves justified in reckoning an entire race or, for that matter, all other races as being on the same level as lower animals. This they used as justifying genocide and carrying out grotesque scientific experiments on other people they reckoned as different from themselves. Can you possibly see now what 'm getting at????????? Science and indeed civilization as a whole must hold human life in the lofty light which it deserves. However, I fear the opposite is taking place. And that's dangerous.
"Humans are a subset of animals." That is true insofar as we share many of the same physical traits as animals. And why shouldn't we??? We share the same environment with them. However, this is as far as the similarities go. We as humnans possess key characteristics that separate us far from the animal kingdom. INCLUDING THE SO-CALLED PRIMATES. Make no mistake, this has NOTHING to do with religion and everything to do with common sense. Humans possess free-will. We can explore past and future; we can question right from wrong; love from hate. We can plan for the future and learn from our mistakes. We are not governed by instinct as animals are: We can learn an action, govern what we do by that and decide that it is no longer necessary and try something else. NO animal other than the human being can claim any of this. If this were not the case, then there would be similar dialogue being carried out by other species.......which there is not.
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You make some very good points and, unlike others that have replied, you reason. This is a reply that I sent to someone else. But I think you'd appreciate more the point I'm trying to make. All I'm saying is that there's a very real danger in contruing the human being as nothing more than a highre animal...Here goes: --The question in all of this is not, and was never, if humans are, or are not, animals. We are animals of the mammal sub-species. The issue here is society defining humans on the same plane as as lower species; yes, I did say lower species. There is a clear danger in this. Because of all the attributes which I outlined that humans possess and which animals of lower species do not, human life must cateogorically be deemed more precious. I am not suggesting in any way cruelty to animals is justified; it is a crime. I am simply saying that the holding of human life as precious and(dare I even say this)divine is essential to perpetuating civilization. Once this construance is set aside and human life is deemed as of lesser value, the door is left open for men to to act in animalistic ways. Take as an example the holocaust of the Nazi era. The Nazis found themselves justified in reckoning an entire race or, for that matter, all other races as being on the same level as lower animals. This they used as justifying genocide and carrying out grotesque scientific experiments on other people they reckoned as different from themselves. Can you possibly see now what I'm getting at????????? Science and indeed civilization as a whole must hold human life in the lofty light which it deserves. However, I fear the opposite is taking place. And that's dangerous--
Wow!!! You really know how to defend yourself intellectually, don't you???
Cats possess free-will??? Uh huh, okay, gotcha. I think I'm going to re-think my entire thread. After reading the feedback I'm getting, I'm beginning to think that maybe Nietzsche was right; maybe the human race is regressing.
Oooooooohhhhhh! I touched a nerve there! Listen, when a gorilla or chimp or dolphin writes anything that comes near to a Shakespeare soliloquy I'll fall the pseudo-intellectual crap that passes for science that's floating around our institutions of "higher" learning..pal.
Not once did I ever imply that creation should be exploited. Due to mankind's more advanced brain development, it falls to us to protect and enhance our environment - That would include the creatures we share this planet with.
The question in all of this is not, and was never, if humans are, or are not, animals. We are animals of the mammal sub-species. The issue here is society defining humans on the same plane as as lower species; yes, I did say lower species. There is a clear danger in this. Because of all the attributes which I outlined that humans possess and which animals of lower species do not, human life must cateogorically be deemed more precious. I am not suggesting in any way cruelty to animals is justified; it is a crime. I am simply saying that the holding of human life as precious and(dare I even say this)divine is essential to perpetuating civilization. Once this construance is set aside and human life is deemed as of lesser value, the door is left open for men to to act in animalistic ways. Take as an example the holocaust of the Nazi era. The Nazis found themselves justified in reckoning an entire race or, for that matter, all other races as being on the same level as lower animals. This they used as justifying genocide and carrying out grotesque scientific experiments on other people they reckoned as different from themselves. Can you possibly see now what 'm getting at????????? Science and indeed civilization as a whole must hold human life in the lofty light which it deserves. However, I fear the opposite is taking place. And that's dangerous.
"Humans are a subset of animals." That is true insofar as we share many of the same physical traits as animals. And why shouldn't we??? We share the same environment with them. However, this is as far as the similarities go. We as humnans possess key characteristics that separate us far from the animal kingdom. INCLUDING THE SO-CALLED PRIMATES. Make no mistake, this has NOTHING to do with religion and everything to do with common sense. Humans possess free-will. We can explore past and future; we can question right from wrong; love from hate. We can plan for the future and learn from our mistakes. We are not governed by instinct as animals are: We can learn an action, govern what we do by that and decide that it is no longer necessary and try something else. NO animal other than the human being can claim any of this. If this were not the case, then there would be similar dialogue being carried out by other species.......which there is not.