Reading the Entrails

I often come across arguments to the effect that humans aren ' t really unique or special, we ' re just one animal among all the others. I find this assertion, frankly, just silly. Every species is unique in some ways, of course, that ' s why we can classify them. But humans are highly unusual in very important ways. For example, the biomass of domesticated mammals exceeds that of all the other mammals on earth combined; and the biomass of domesticated poultry -- mostly chickens -- isthree times the biomass of all other birds on earth.This happened in part because of language, which is an absolutely unique human capacity that allows for an unparalleled degree of cooperation, and for the accumulation of knowledge and technological advancement over time. But what I want to talk about today is our very rich awareness of the future and out intense interest in it. We can ' t really say to what extent other creatures have foresight. Some mammals are affected by the death of relatives in ways that suggests they may be aware of their own mortality. Many engage in behaviors that are tied to future benefit, such as squirrels storing nuts, but whether there is any real awareness of the future associated with this we cannot say. Humans are entirely unique in the elaborate and flexible ways we plan for the future. Building a house requires the assumption that we ' re going to live in it, and we think carefully about the kind of environment we want to create, in the context of the exp...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs