What makes humans better than animals?

Question

I believe animals are quite civilized beings. When a person calls someone else an animal, its usually used in a derogatory way. But what makes humans any better than animals? Last I checked, animals didnt murder their own species and give each other the death penalty by means of electric chair. I never saw a pack of wolves firebomb another pack's den. Come to think of it, Ive never heard of a case of bears that released nuclear warheads on another country and killed millions of innocent people. I dont know.

Answer 1

We are intelligent beings.  We have every right to be better than them since we know what is going on.

If you needed help.... an animal wouldn't help you.  Another human would.

See my point?

Answer 2

You make valid points.  And I agree.  The only thing I can think of is that we don't eat our babies.  

Answer 3

In todays society there is no distinction between the two.  VERY SAD

Answer 4

I quite agree with you - I think  within their own communities that they have found various ways of socializing.

I aspire to be as good as the bonobos.

We are hampered by consciousness and that is pretty big limitation for us. It is in some way an explanation for why we fail but yes I agree - the animals get more brownie points.

Answer 5

Animals act purely from instinct.  Humans have the ability to reason and to make decisions not based on instincts.

Animals quite often do kill each other in fights, and it is a natural instinct for them to pick on members of the same species who are weaker than they are.  it is natural for the strong to dominate the weak.

And while animals may not have nucleur warheads or electric chairs, neither do they have hospitals where they can cure the sick, or homes where old people can be looked after, or orphanages, or help for people who are sick or disabled or handicapped in any way.  nature is pitiless, and has no compassion for the weak or the sick or the disabled.  'Might is right' is the law in the animal world.

Humans have a capacity to do great harm, and also a capacity to do great good.  They are capable of greatness, which animals are not.  No animals could have built the Pyramids, or the Parthenon, or Westminster Abbey or Chartres Cathedral or the Great Wall of China, for instance.  No animal could have composed Beethoven's symphonies or painted the Mona Lisa or the Night Watch or the Birth of Venus or the Luncheon of the Boating Party, or written Hamlet or Pride and Prejudice or War and Peace or Huckleberry Finn.

No animal could have discovered penicillin or invented immunisations or blood banks, or plumbing or central heating or dentistry or any of the other things that make our lives more comfortable or agreeable.

And to say that speaking Spanish is equivalent to a dog barking is just ludicrous.  Anyone can learn a foreign language if they apply themselveds to doing so, but nobody can tell what a dog is saying (if anything) when it barks.  You can tell the mood of a dog (angry, happy, sad), but you can't identify any coherent language.  if there is one, it remains a mystery.

The instinct to kill is an animal instict, and human being are at their worst when they give in to their animal instincts.  They are at their best when they rise above them.

Answer 6

are abilty to adapt to other surroundings and are abilty to able to speak words

Answer 7

We humans always talk of ourselves as the most "intelligent" and civilized out of all beings. We're too high on that sh*t that we can't see the truth and the fact that we are the least intelligent , and the most cruel and savage creatures to ever roam the planet. I have always said that and always will. We're the only ones to kill for the sake of killing or out of greed. We wage needless horrifying wars against each other and commit acts of barbarism that NO other species "beasts" would do in a billion years. We steal, lie, kill, hit, hate, abuse, discriminate and enslave others because of the color of their skin... sell poison to others so we can profit...well, the list never ends, then we call animals "beasts" !

I know some smart one -of course they're not smart if they say it- will say that there is good in humanity and that it's wrong to paint all of humanity with one brush blah blah blah... Yeah there's good in humanity but over all evil RULES and not good. Look as far back as you can at the history of this evil wicked race -humans- and you'll see nothing but killing and evil. I think evil outweighs good and has a far more lasting effect. How can you justify the killing of about 100 million people (in wars) since the turn of this century alone ??? If after all this you still want to call the human race good then I don't know what evil is.

However, taking the life of an SOB criminal or murderer isn't savage or uncivilized. On the contrary, leaving this  criminal element roam the streets free unpunished is what would make us uncivilized. So, it is the exception in this case that I do believe in killing -the death penalty. So I have to disagree with the asker.

Answer 8

Everything is politically incorrect dude, don't add to it.

And if you need to know "GOD", bible, and animals kill eachother all the time.  and it's not just for safty and food.