Animals and humans seem to be a completely different species. Growing up, children are taught that animals are entirely unlike humans, and that they are an inferior species even though humans evolved from apes and chimpanzees. However, we are not very different. Humans need nutrients to survive; animals need food as well. Water is a necessity for animals and humans alike. Both have an intrinsic need to procreate in order to keep the species going. Nonetheless, there is one essential difference. Human beings are the only animals that can self-reflect, while non-human animals rely solely on instinct.
Animals can be taught to do almost anything a human being can do. However, they cannot assess that they are alive. A chimpanzee, the human’s closest …show more content…
As mentioned, animals can be taught to plug numbers into a computer. However, they cannot use reason and logic to understand what they are doing. While chimpanzees may be able to add up 2+2, they do not realize that they can also use this knowledge in the real world rather than just the math problem at hand. Human beings are able to determine what is useful in different situations. They can resolve a problem by thinking about it logically. This is given to them as they know how to the self-reflect on their choices by thinking things rationally. For example, animals hunt in order to get their food instinctually. People, on the other hand, can decide a recipe they want to make, go to the grocery store to buy the necessary items, and cook it. They can even change the recipe to make it taste better, healthier, and so on through reason. In addition, animals do not have the concept of patience. They do not understand that if they wait, they might get better food. Nature tells them they must hunt, so they find the easiest kill. Whether or not it is best for them is never the question. Human beings are the only species that can think about their actions and their consequences, and in turn use logic and reason to better themselves or even figure out solutions. However, human beings also have the capacity to think past reason and …show more content…
It is not possible to teach even the smartest chimpanzee the idea of God. They would not understand that there might be a heaven and hell, a place they may go after life. Animals see the world at face value; they cannot think about what could be, what may be, and if “x” happened, “y” would ensue. These abstract ideas are limited to humans because they can self-reflect. We have the capability to acknowledge the possibilities of the unknown. In this way, we can build our lifestyle around our beliefs and values. Abstract ideas, like the existence of a God, changes the way we think about life itself. This brings us to a concept of values. Humans use morality to self-examine their choices, while animals make their choices based on instinct. This morality stems from the idea that we can distinguish between right and wrong. We know what causes pain and suffering, what the right thing to do is, and what we cannot do because of the severe consequences to ourselves and other living beings. This idea of morality allows us to think about what we do and why we do it. It also means we assess what we do wrong and how we can improve. Humans have this necessity to improve their state of being, to advance and develop into better, more intelligent intellectuals with improved living standards. Animals, on the other hand, cannot think past what is happening at the time. When they
Animals can be taught to do almost anything a human being can do. However, they cannot assess that they are alive. A chimpanzee, the human’s closest …show more content…
As mentioned, animals can be taught to plug numbers into a computer. However, they cannot use reason and logic to understand what they are doing. While chimpanzees may be able to add up 2+2, they do not realize that they can also use this knowledge in the real world rather than just the math problem at hand. Human beings are able to determine what is useful in different situations. They can resolve a problem by thinking about it logically. This is given to them as they know how to the self-reflect on their choices by thinking things rationally. For example, animals hunt in order to get their food instinctually. People, on the other hand, can decide a recipe they want to make, go to the grocery store to buy the necessary items, and cook it. They can even change the recipe to make it taste better, healthier, and so on through reason. In addition, animals do not have the concept of patience. They do not understand that if they wait, they might get better food. Nature tells them they must hunt, so they find the easiest kill. Whether or not it is best for them is never the question. Human beings are the only species that can think about their actions and their consequences, and in turn use logic and reason to better themselves or even figure out solutions. However, human beings also have the capacity to think past reason and …show more content…
It is not possible to teach even the smartest chimpanzee the idea of God. They would not understand that there might be a heaven and hell, a place they may go after life. Animals see the world at face value; they cannot think about what could be, what may be, and if “x” happened, “y” would ensue. These abstract ideas are limited to humans because they can self-reflect. We have the capability to acknowledge the possibilities of the unknown. In this way, we can build our lifestyle around our beliefs and values. Abstract ideas, like the existence of a God, changes the way we think about life itself. This brings us to a concept of values. Humans use morality to self-examine their choices, while animals make their choices based on instinct. This morality stems from the idea that we can distinguish between right and wrong. We know what causes pain and suffering, what the right thing to do is, and what we cannot do because of the severe consequences to ourselves and other living beings. This idea of morality allows us to think about what we do and why we do it. It also means we assess what we do wrong and how we can improve. Humans have this necessity to improve their state of being, to advance and develop into better, more intelligent intellectuals with improved living standards. Animals, on the other hand, cannot think past what is happening at the time. When they