Whats the ' one thing' that makes us diffrent from animals?

That's rich, MA, really rich.


Well, ya know what they say about great minds ....

Not to fear, Merry and Timber. Have you forgotten the memory-erasure capsules?

ohhhh HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH

red pill or blue pill?

Timber, yeah, I know what they say about great minds. But what's that got to do with our minds?

oooohhhhh GUS..
please save me
spare my soul
I GROOOVEL at your feet...

Well, looks like this thread's been pretty well derailed ....

Mebbe, just mebbe, to go back to the topic, the big difference between folks and critters just might be a sense of humor.

I would agree with that. :-)


ok.. go back to topic.. ( haf'ta stop laughing )

I am not sure that it was truly one thing that makes us diffrent.
As i reread this thread, all answers are good and correct.. but I still think that it was the consumption of protien that made/make us diffrent from other animals.
The consumption of protien made us develop bigger brains. More brains, more capabilities,more capabilities more questions, more questions more answers... blah blah.. Im babbling here.. But i hope you see my point

See your point all right, she. But if that's true, then animals which are strictly carnivores, e.g. the big cats, should have bigger brains than we do. Their diet is more protein-rich than that of omnivores e.g. homo sapiens who frequently can't get meat at all and must rely on nuts and berries and cereal grains for sustenance.

When shewolf brings up "consumption of protein", I hafta wonder...

Goin' to the nutrition angle for a bit ... and mind you, this is pure top-of-the-head stuff here ... but mebbe humankinds' cognitive development was aided by the fact humans are'nt carnivores, or herbivores, or predators, or scavengers, or any of that - humans are opportunistic omnivores. We pretty much eat it all, if it can be eaten. We have the binocular vision and depth perception of carnivores, grasping appendages with opposable digits, pretty respectable endurance for long-haul travel, our teeth and our digestive system can handle damned near anything. I imagine there were times in times past that times got pretty tough for critters that couldn't adapt to suddenly changing conditions, such as glaciation or desertification, and couldn't or wouldn't strike out to find more hospitable areas, or simply failed to survive the trek. Mebbe all of that worked together to get us where we are today.

hahahahhah!!!
I SAID i haf'ta STOP laughing...
and you are not helping.

My mother in law brought up a good point on this as well.
when i asked her what she thought, she said it was ego. Ego meaning ( I hate to quote dictionary) but the dictionary words it sooo much better then I can:
3 : the one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that serves as the organized conscious mediator between the person and reality especially by functioning both in the perception of and adaptation to reality; compare ID, SUPEREGO
- ego·less adjective
_______________________________

Having said that..
I also think that ego coupled with the desire to feel like you are part of something bigger then yourself could also be a factor.
??

I think Timber's right. If I had to choose one word to describe how humans differ from other mammals that word might well be 'adaptability.' A healthy catholicism in our diet is one aspect of that adaptability. If there's nothing else around to eat, you learn to survive on piñon nuts.

You could say the same for cockroaches.. ? Right?

I would have to say the major difference between humans and animals is the fact that animals don't have to take out the garbage.

Oh. And I guess we play lawn darts too. So that's two.

Let me think some more.

ohhhh gus :lol


Yea, you are right Merry. It WOULD apply to carnivores if it were the consumption of protien only that made us the beings we are. Though Ido believe it had some part in it, i agree it isnt the only reason.
The development of self I think is what it was. how that happened I dont know. But I dont think there is another animal on this planet that can single themselves out. That thinks of themselves as a single part of something .

What about ants or bees? They seem pretty sure of their role as individuals within a larger community.

how so?
You got some 'splainin to do lucy.....

It was a simple statement actually. They have assigned roles, which they execute with efficiency for the good of the group. If we assume they have some degree of sentience, you could argue that they do indeed feel like a part of a whole. Ants in particular have a vast number of species and societies, some peaceful, some warlike. One thing they know is their own kind.

Lets look at yellowjackets. A single scout goes out and sniffs around for food. Within minutes, they pass on a message to the hive saying "hey, spilled soda." I'm not speaking in metaphor here, it's just facts. Humans and animals, to me, not much difference, really. The natural world is a diverse place, and if anything, we have learned more from animals than we care to admit.