How do you compare between man being an animal and man being a rational animal?

Question

How do you compare between man being an animal and man being a rational animal?

Answer 1

Three things that separate man from the entire animal kingdom:

1. Expression through art.

2. The knowledge that we will die.

3. Belief in a higher power. While this is not unique to every single human (although its been said that no one has ever met an atheist in a foxhole), no society...no matter how remote or primitive...has ever been discovered that did not have some concept of a god.

Answer 2

Most humans have the ability to become rational animals, however it requires socialization with rational humans (a learning process) to reach that point. Feral humans (those denied early contact with other humans) have a diminished ability to communicate. Most social (pack) animals exhibit these characteristics.

It is suspected, not proven, that the brain is preprogrammed (wired) in early childhood to view the World in a specific way. Therefore, much of how a human or other social animals view (rationalizes) a situation depends upon early training/learning.

Chimps,  wolves & dogs display most of the same social attributes that one finds in rational humans. Strangely, dogs have an inate ability to read human body language that never appears in wolves raised by humans.

On a personal note, I've noticed that humans can be taught to be irrational when religion is used to induce irrational thought.

Answer 3

I would suggest that the fact that humans are rational allows them to distant themselves from their animal selves.  Our rational mind separates us from our fellow animals but it does not change the fact that animals we are.  We still have to eat and void and we still have strong drives to procreate and protect our young. Because of our big brains we have been able to "progress" far beyond many other animals in our ability to survive.  Being rational has been a big part of that.  But we've also been able to rationalize the destruction that has been left in our wake of "progress."