What distinguishes humans from other animals? Are human beings unique: if so, in what way?

-- Barry Poole (bazzap@hotmail.com), September 15, 2002

Answers

This is a very complicated question but, roughly speaking, humans are different from other animals in many ways, most of these resulting from humans' greater intelligence and from their better ability to manipulate physical objects. No other animals are able to reshape their envirnoments to their (perceived) needs so completely (indeed, sometimes beyond their own ability to forsee the consequences). No other animlas have the linguistic abilities of humans, allowing humans to have a much richer cultural life than other animals (for better or worse). Transmission of *learned* skills (not to mention beliefs) from one generation to another is a relatively rare event in the non-human animal world. It is virtually the norm in the human world. And that's only the beginning...

-- Christopher Green (christo@yorku.ca), September 15, 2002.

This is of course the question that has perplexed the field of comparative psychology. You might look at some of the history of that specialty, and the way the answers have varied over the years. The question is also a religous question--most world religions have something to say about the relative value of humans and animals, although their views vary widely. These views influence positions taken on animal rights, ethics of animal research, etc.

-- Hendrika Vande Kemp (hendrika@earthlink.net), September 15, 2002.