Are humans special?

there is no "special" species. none are better than any others.

All species have different attributes that make them more/less likely to survive and flourish in any particular environment/ecosystem.

human intelligence is grand at the moment, but not in all environments. Take two posters of this thread and drop them off in the arctic circle with a polar bear. Who do you think is going to survive and flourish? Human intelligence is worth jack shit unless in an environment supplying tools for the humans to use by putting that intelligence to use.

our intelligence is actually working against the longevity of our species. As our societies get more technological, fundamental survival skills are lost. If a global catastrophe were to render our technology moot, our species would dwindle to extremely low numbers. Even if the environments and ecosystems remained the same, humans have lost survival skills. We still have the instincts...eat...drink....reproduce. The problem arises when the human doesn't know how to hunt food to eat......or find fresh, uncontaminated water to drink to keep them alive to reproduce. In that scenerio, the members of undeveloped countries would be the most likely survivors. The people who's idea of eating dinner is going out and killing something, not going to Kroger with a debit card.

when it comes to survival of a species......the simpler the better.

LOL @ people saying people aren't special on a computer over the internet in language

how does that make them special? what good does the existence of language, computers or the interweb do you if you're in the forest of Kodiak island? You seem to think that technological tools define the human species when it is merely the intelligence that allowed them to create that technology. I assure you, that intelligence is no match for hordes of grizzly bears. What are you going to do to survive.....eat your dsl cable? Are you going to fend off grizzly after grizzly with your mouse pad?

LOL @ Word Salad 🙂

"word salad", never heard of it. must be a canadian thing......eh?

It is a schizophrenic thing

Originally posted by Alfheim
Thats true but they dont have it at the moment we do.

So lets drive them all to extinction before they do!!!
💃 💃 💃

... 😘

Originally posted by inimalist
LOL @ people saying people aren't special on a computer over the internet in language

On the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons.

- Douglas Adams

Originally posted by inimalist
LOL @ people saying people aren't special on a computer over the internet in language

Still depends on the definition of "special", which this thread has yet to accurately define. So we're forced to qualify our statements based on our own interpretations of the word.

I don't think any real dissection of "special" is needed.

By humans being special it does not mean that other animals are not, and special does not necessarily mean "best" or even "good".

And yes, humans do get to define what "special" is. Might not a complex system of abstract symbolic representation that allows for such philosophical discussion surrounding the nature of that representation be special?

I don't see the label "special" as being a matter of worth, nor do I think there is any real value in arguing about the subjective interpretation of the "worth" of humanity as a species vs other species.

Main Entry:
1spe·cial Listen to the pronunciation of 1special
Pronunciation:
\ˈspe-shəl\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French especial, from Latin specialis individual, particular, from species species
Date:
13th century

1: distinguished by some unusual quality; especially : being in some way superior <our special blend>

2: held in particular esteem <a special friend>

3 a: readily distinguishable from others of the same category : unique <they set it apart as a special day of thanksgiving> b: of, relating to, or constituting a species : specific

4: being other than the usual : additional, extra5: designed for a particular purpose or occasion

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/special

Originally posted by inimalist
I don't think any real dissection of "special" is needed.

By humans being special it does not mean that other animals are not, and special does not necessarily mean "best" or even "good".

And yes, humans do get to define what "special" is. Might not a complex system of abstract symbolic representation that allows for such philosophical discussion surrounding the nature of that representation be special?

I don't see the label "special" as being a matter of worth, nor do I think there is any real value in arguing about the subjective interpretation of the "worth" of humanity as a species vs other species.

Hence the utter lack of specialness. Everything has unique or "special" qualities about it, the fact that our specialness lets us recognize that is meaningless. Paradoxical I suppose, the only way to be unique is not not be unique.

Originally posted by inimalist
By humans being special it does not mean that other animals are not, and special does not necessarily mean "best" or even "good".

And yes, humans do get to define what "special" is. Might not a complex system of abstract symbolic representation that allows for such philosophical discussion surrounding the nature of that representation be special?

Originally posted by Mindship
I think so. As I mentioned in prior posts, while human beings may not inherently be more deserving of peace, love and freedom from suffering than other creatures, we are able to see the universe in a unique manner, a manner which allows us to ask the big questions regarding existence and our place in it, allows us to find (or at least, impart) meaning and understanding beyond what our senses tell us.

I agree entirely

I was more arguing against the people who think that by calling someone "special" it is saying that humans are the greatest when compared to animals along any dimension.

Originally posted by Evil Dead
Main Entry:
1spe·cial Listen to the pronunciation of 1special
Pronunciation:
\&#712;spe-sh&#601;l\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French especial, from Latin specialis individual, particular, from species species
Date:
13th century

1: distinguished by some [b]unusual quality; especially : being in some way superior <our special blend>

2: held in particular esteem <a special friend>

3 a: readily distinguishable from others of the same category : unique <they set it apart as a special day of thanksgiving> b: of, relating to, or constituting a species : specific

4: being other than the usual : additional, extra5: designed for a particular purpose or occasion

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/special [/B]

very well then: Exhibit A

LANGUAGE

a'duh

wew're just animals.. one of our main problems is our egotism and smugness.... we name ourselves homo sapiens sapiens, wisest of wise men, assuming that we are already at the top of the tree.... for all we know we'rejust the latest top of the tree... for instance, at the time of the dinosaurs, it is very possible that there was a spexcies with the same reasoning capacity as us, thinking it too was the best species there could ever be... if we had been less influenced by the whole judaeo christian "image of god" thing, we would have named our species diffewrently.. personally i would favour Jack Cohen's "Pan Narrans".... the story telling chimp....

Everything has special qualities. We are human yet we don't do what's best for our own planet. Guess we're special in a more stupid and unintelligent way. In fact, we're greedy, well most of us.

Originally posted by big gay kirk
for instance, at the time of the dinosaurs, it is very possible that there was a spexcies with the same reasoning capacity as us, thinking it too was the best species there could ever be... if we had been less influenced by the whole judaeo christian "image of god" thing, we would have named our species diffewrently.. personally i would favour Jack Cohen's "Pan Narrans".... the story telling chimp....

LOL

omfg

Originally posted by debbiejo
Everything has special qualities. We are human yet we don't do what's best for our own planet. Guess we're special in a more stupid and unintelligent way. In fact, we're greedy, well most of us.

...

I guess if the measure of intelligence to you is the health of the planet...

Especially considering how difficult it is to learn things about the planet and how far our technology had to come for us to have these concerns...

I guess if the measure of intelligence to you is the health of the planet...
Especially considering how difficult it is to learn things about the planet and how far our technology had to come for us to have these concerns...

Originally posted by debbiejo
No, it's greed in all areas. Money, power..etc. The powerful squash the small and exploit them. People waste resources, people cheat companies so that insurance goes up, Companies cheat people and the society which makes some want to cheat back. No, integrity with many people, and it all spirals back down to "Can't you see the bigger picture, or are we all that dumb." thing. And we are the intelligent ones?????

ok...

so how does a complex system of insurance and banking make us unintelligent?

I agree that humans are "selfish" (Randian) but like, we aren't asking whether or not human intellect lets us be used as pawns by mega corporations, but in fact, if that intellect makes us special when compared to other terrestrial animals.

Using the definition Evil Dead posted, human intelligence satisfies 3 of the 4 possible uses of "special".

Saying people are special is not saying people are perfect. Get over the fact that you are more intelligent that the idiot who spends his entire week waiting for the next American Idol vote.

Oh, and if you think humans are greedy and easily manipulated, I think you might be overlooking all of the research done on animal behaviour. You want greed? look at something with a small pre-frontal cortex. You want easily manipulated, look at the work by Skinner.

Oh, I've read Skinner, but what I am getting at is that people feel we are MORE SPECIAL than anything else. We aren't.

If you looked at it from a different view, we are pretty stupid with all that we use our minds for. We are supposed to be leaders of this world, well we're doing a smash up job, eh?