What separates us from the animals?

Question

Besides biologically. In essence, even humans can be beastial. But what separates us from the other creatures?

Answer 1

We question, we think. We're logical beings who usually think before we do something, instead of running purely on instinct.

Answer 2

The essential physical difference (and this may violate your condition about biology) is the human genome. No other creature, animal or plant, has the genetic combination that WE do. Notice, I said "combination," for in fact, many have the same genes that we do. But the degree of separation genetically is tiny compared to what we see physically. That just goes to show you the BIG impact a small change can have.

But genetics is what makes every living species different from every other; I think you want to know what phenomena, what behavior separates us from all the others. I'll give you five that come to mind, and one respondent has already named one of them: logic, the ability to reason. The others are:

1. Humans are the only species with a brain that thinks about itself. And thinks about itself thinking about itself.

2. Humans are the only species that has the capacity of faith.

3. Humans are the only species that is aware of it's own mortality -and plans for it.

4. Humans are the only species that uses tools to make other tools.

True enough, the above distinctions are often employed in such a manner as to emulate lower animal behavior -which shows how genetically close we are to the lower animals. We've learned what they do -and we do it ourselves -only more so.

The above if offered for discussion; challenges cheerfully received.

Answer 3

our ability to reason

Answer 4

we ask daft questions and give worse wikipedia answers

Answer 5

logic.

Answer 6

logic which is actually due to our genes... the genes we have express differently and they're more too... tha's what makes us human... oh! another difference issmiling and laughing... noone knows why we laugh and why we act like we do when we laugh or hear sth funny... it has to do with the brain... no other animal can do that.

Answer 7

Starbucks.  Automatic toilets.

Sense of humor.

Answer 8

Imagination - seriously; hummin beans are the only creatures that try to predict "what if?"

Answer 9

Two by fours; insulation, drywall and vinyl siding is what really separates us from the other animals.

Answer 10

logic,smile,social life,family,religion clothing

Answer 11

Well, the most obvious difference is that humans use tools, however, there is a far more interesting difference:

Every creature on the planet has a brain optimized for a given size of social group. All animals follow this optimization, and rarely live in groups that are any smaller/larger. The Human Brain is meant to have a social group of 150. This means that humans should e living in communities with a population that is no greater then 150. As we know, most people live in massive cities with millions of people. Humans push their brains to the edge, and, thus force it's evolution. Our intelligence is because we force our brains to adapt to a challenging environment. The larger the social group, the more intelligent the animal, and the more that creature pushes it's social group, the more intelligent the creature.

Answer 12

Hmmm, what makes Humans unique from the other animals, lets see...

within mammals:

reduced hair size in our folicles... Pigs

tool use... even Otters use tools

upright walking... done frequently by the proboscis monkey

fatty subcutaneous layer... Seals

self recognition... Chimpanzees

use of vocalizations... Vervet monkeys

a brain capable of complex gramatical language... Bonobo

forward shifted female genetalia... Elephants

breath control... Crab Eating Macaques

abstract thought and a understanding of space and time... Bonobo

bisexualism... Japaneese Macaques

eccrine sweat glands... Patas Monkey

large head to body ratio... squirrel monkeys

use of pharmeceticals... Chimpanzees again

Oposable thumb... Orangutan

diving reflex... Dolphin

brachiating arms... Gibbons

tailless... Gorilla

culture... even capuchin groups develop different traditions

understanding death... Bonobos and Chimpanzees

emotions... Bonobos and chimpanzees

PREMEDITATED MURDER... Elephants and Chimpanzees share this dubious characteristic with us.

What is unique to humans:

acne

back problems

hernias

All that is left to be so proud about...

numerous unique osteological features (forwar shifted foramen magnum, pelvic bone, bone morphology of our heals etc)

We still have the largest head to body ratio, sorry squirrel monkeys

The ability to study and understand our own biology

complex vocalizations

elaborate cultures which often war with each other... but even Chimpanzees war with each other so nothing new there.

THE ABILITY TO CAUSE THE EXTINCTION OF THE OTHER MARVELOUS ANIMALS IN OUR WORLD....

We have this unique ability uncontested

Answer 13

Verbal speech.  Art.

Answer 14

Alfred Korzybski said it was that last quarter inch of cortex that made the difference.  It's the ability to reason, to use logic, to communicate fine and detailed concepts to each other.  Birds might be able to say, "Follow me to some great berries", but humans can describe the berries, give details about the berry's structure, best planting practices, recipes on how to make preserves, history of cultivation, and even modify the genetic make up to get a bigger crop.

That little extra cortex is pretty impressive stuff, isn't it...

Answer 15

Our stupid ignorant belief that we are the chosen superior being. We think we are the only animal with logic or an ability to deduce or the ability to reason or the ability learn or the ability to .....

Funny how most other mammals just live, travel their worlds and enjoy the wonder of it all. It took a lot of logical reasoning, learning and development to understand that a good healthy life for a us humans is to crowd as many of ourselves into the smallest areas possible, to build homes ever smaller and smaller and the higher we stack ourselves ontop of each other the better. It's good to feed ourselves mass produced processed long life foods and develop wars to occupy oursevels revelling in the fear of dying and we will then all logically reason and learn and develop our understanding so that each next generation will get better at it. And we must not forget that it is with great knowledge acquired from logical reasoning that we understand that it is good and healthy to grind away doing it all over and over again, bigger and better the following time . It is definitely most gratifing to stand in awe of buildings, infrastructure, art, writing etc., than relaxing and enjoying the wonder of a natural world.

Answer 16

The ability to think in the abstract & convey these thoughts in a complicated syntaxial language is the only difference.

Animals can cooperate in some fairly complicated exercises as evidenced by packs of canids,  prides of lions & groups of chimps.  Some evidence of a crude religion among some groups of chimps exists (Thunder Dance) but is open to much debate.

Chuckle... our civilization rests upon duct tape & WD-40. "If it moves & shouldn't, use duct tape & if it don't move but should, use WD-40."