What makes US human?

Well a mixed bag of a thread, I know some have posted a rant and very legitimate they are, some the juxtaposition between the question and the reality - I know this very well!

However this is a personal question that I wanted to elicit not what you think it should mean but what it means to you on a personal level - maybe a little too probing for an open forum if an truly honest answer is to be given.

In my experience a truly honest answer to this question reveals a great deal about a person, about their perceived position in the universe. It reveals the mind and character of a person and the perceived standpoint when considering the value of those things that sane human beings hold most dear. Of course its not easy with all that is happening in the world that is contrary to those things most of us hold dear.

I have still yet to formulate my own response. An interesting debate that can bring out some very unusual comparisons with the animal kingdom. Some of which I am sorry to say "they" do better than the human race. We as a race seem to lack equilibrium amongst ourselves - my thoughts are the way in which we lack the desire to co-operate with one another in the most basic of situations.

A work in progress....
 
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LASTOLITE said:
Well a mixed bag of a thread, I know some have posted a rant and very legitimate they are, some the juxtaposition between the question and the reality - I know this very well!

However this is a personal question that I wanted to elicit not what you think it should mean but what it means to you on a personal level - maybe a little too probing for an open forum if an truly honest answer is to be given.

In my experience a truly honest answer to this question reveals a great deal about a person, about their perceived position in the universe. It reveals the mind and character of a person and the perceived standpoint when considering the value of those things that sane human beings hold most dear. Of course its not easy with all that is happening in the world that is contrary to those things most of us hold dear.

I have still yet to formulate my own response. An interesting debate that can bring out some very unusual comparisons with the animal kingdom. Some of which I am sorry to say "they" do better than the human race. We as a race seem to lack equilibrium amongst ourselves - my thoughts are they way in which we lack the desire to co-operate with one another in the most basic of situations.

A work in progress....
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What I would say is the animal kingdom is vicous, its a higherarchy where the strongest eat and pray on the next strongest etc. ie a food chain.

We are no different and actually try to conserve some wild life and even keep some as pets. Never heard of other species doing that. We are not as bad as we think we are, IMHO.
 
ST4 said:
What I would say is the animal kingdom is vicous, its a higherarchy where the strongest eat and pray on the next strongest etc. ie a food chain.
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Bit of a sweeping statment, only the predators/carnivores might be considered vicious in that respect. And even then most of them try for a quick kill via strangulation, suffocation etc, not ripping their prey limb from limb viciously.
 
ST4 said:
Other than monkees which we are derived, we are unique. We can use our hands to make things and that's whats caused us to be top of the food chain. We are unique in that respect. What other species can make fire, build habitats, make weapons to hunt with etc. None.
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Pedant rant alert:

It's impossible to be unique "other than".
It's like saying you're almost pregnant. You either are, or you are not.
Something is either unique, or it is not. Not "absolutely unique" or "totally unique", just unique.

:pPedant rant ends. :)
 
I used to say "abstract thinking" but they showed apes (and now other animals) can do this.

Our skills have accelerated far beyond what I suspect would have been capable from our programming - you don't see animals doing calculus, pontificating on the meaning of life, even considering the concept of deities, travelling out of our planet. Look at what humans have created - television, internet, cars, artificial lighting, etc. These are things that aren't essential for survival.

But we are not so far removed from animals as to abandon our baser instincts. We still fight and kill. We still yearn to eat, sleep and copulate. We still have lust and greed. In some ways, we are still cavemen.
 
Suicide?

Not sure I've ever heard of an animal purposefully killing itself for no reason other than for self. Some animals will defend or sacrifice themselves for colonies etc but not outright, I'm depressed kill me....they tend to shrivel and die slowly by giving up. #thinkingoutsidethenorm
 
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dTEA said:
Suicide?

Not sure I've ever heard of an animal purposefully killing itself for no reason other than for self. Some animals will defend or sacrifice themselves for colonies etc but not outright, I'm depressed kill me....they tend to shrivel and die slowly by giving up. #thinkingoutsidethenorm
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Interesting. Perhaps this deepness of thought is missing in animals
 
dTEA said:
Suicide?

Not sure I've ever heard of an animal purposefully killing itself for no reason other than for self. Some animals will defend or sacrifice themselves for colonies etc but not outright, I'm depressed kill me....they tend to shrivel and die slowly by giving up. #thinkingoutsidethenorm
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I've known animals "pine" themselves to death after their companion animal died. Twice.
Refusing to eat or drink.
A form of suicide perhaps?
 
I have dealt with many cases that have been quite frankly inhuman, some really bizarre, callous and violent. Just when you think you've seen it all and nothing will ever shock you again - boom ! another violent death or vicious rape occurs, more violent and psychotic than the last that makes you think again. I sometimes I think that some people haven't actually evolved much further than pond life. Whilst many people are compassionate, kind intelligent and humane. A small minority remain inhuman.
 
viv1969 said:
I've known animals "pine" themselves to death after their companion animal died. Twice.
Refusing to eat or drink.
A form of suicide perhaps?
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Perhaps or more likely perhaps not since I would assert that only human beings have a sense of their own mortality. The animals death as a result of pining may well have been a by-product of pining but not their intention.
 
Yes I'd say so, but not the same as purposefully popping pills or jumping off a cliff. It's that consciousness of life and knowing how to end it quick that's possibly different?
 
DorsetDude said:
Humans are the only species capable of boredom?
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Stereo-typical behaviour in captive animals. (pacing head swinging etc)

dTEA said:
Yes I'd say so, but not the same as purposefully popping pills or jumping off a cliff. It's that consciousness of life and knowing how to end it quick that's possibly different?
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Lemmings, the "drive to migrate" is stronger than the self preservation instinct.
Although probably not a deliberate act to die, by pushing themselves to the limit, swimming across fast rivers
trying to cross deep ravines etc, they do die (at times) en mass.
Whether or not this is a natures way of controlling the species has never been proven either way.

As to what makes up human,
taking it back to basic nature we are top of the food chain, and capable of killing any other living animal.

Oh and of course the ability to sit at a keyboard and have an emotive discussion about life death and the universe ;)

One final thought though, to err is to be human,
it takes a computer to right royally f*** things up ;)
 
The thing that makes us human is the mental abitiy to counter our All our animal isntincts.

Adam
 
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Lucifer said:
The thing that makes us human is the mental abitiy to counter our All our animal isntincts.

Adam
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But Adam didn't, otherwise there would be no human race ;)
 
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