Why does it seem like people forget humans are animals?

Question

why does it seem that people forget that humans are still animals no matter how intelligent? we seem to think of humans and the rest of the animal kingdom as two separate things and even call people who act badly animals. why do people seem to forget this?

Answer 1

Some people belong to faiths (Christianity being one) who do not believe in evolution, and believe that humans were created separately from animals.

Also, since other animals are so inferior in intelligence and lacking the propriety of behavior humans possess, many humans would prefer not to be lumped in with them.

Answer 2

Because it's so comfortable to think of oneself being superior. Such a good excuse for bad behaviour. You beat your dog/donkey/cow? It's "only an animal." People who commit atrocious acts are called beastly and compared to animals, who in fact seldom do anything "wrong". Yes, the "bad wolf" killed the cute reindeer calf. What would you have the wolf do? Starve to death? Become a vegetarian? The behaviour of most animals is better than that of most people, all things considered. So, yes, I'm an animal, and I'm proud of it!

Answer 3

People do know, all you have to do is observe that each have body parts.  Heads, eyes, feet. etc. The separation must have come about when it became accepted that humans should not kill other humans. Well to get this idea across there had to be a reason not to do it. We don't do it because if you kill one person then that person's family is going to kill you then your family will kill and it just messes with society. This isn't a strong enough reason so we had to let it be because a supreme being didn't want it and would take revenge. Living things for the most part eat living things so we had to continue to kill animals and the two worlds drifted apart.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe in a supreme power that talks to us thru situations like this.  I think one day people will stop eating animals, also.

Answer 4

I am not sure this is a matter of forgetting as much as it is a desire to be special or an act of willful denial.  Even anthropologists tend to believe that there is some value to ennumerating characteristics which separate us from other animals, though they are careful to avoid saying we are not animals (usually).

Also, in common parlance, the term 'animal' does not have the same meaning that it has in scientific discourse. Even though I have never seen a dictionary whih included this definition, many people if not most commonly mean something other than human when they say "animal".  I am not defending this practice - merely pointing it out.

Answer 5

We are animals, but we are also very different from other animals in a lot of ways. We're humans. We don't call dogs "cats" because they both have tails. I don't think we forget it as much as we are more apt to emphasize the differences. That's what taxonomy is largely about, right?

Answer 6

Part animal, part god.

Answer 7

Because it's much easier to fantasize our lives as being outside of physical laws & limitations...

It's actually our mental weakness, denying reality...

That's why animals don't need to go see a "shrink"!

Answer 8

I use to discuss cosmology with my brother's dog but all she did was give me a funny look. Nice dog otherwise.

Humans aren't animals...we are created by God in His image. The human brain is more complex than the rest of the universe combined. Haven't found any animal yet that I can discuss this with.

Answer 9

Yes, we often forget that very basic biology.

Luckily, the fact that we still carry traits from our subhuman, less evolved, smaller-brain form is reminded to us by brute, greedy, dyslexic political leaders. Should I name some names? Would be a nice anthropological study.

Answer 10

The same reason that people classify other people differently - makes it easier to kill them without guilt.

Answer 11

Yes we're animals,but the intellectual humans, the vain humans, and the ones that think of themselves as more than that, that they're holy spiritual beings, or some gods or something, they aspire to be MORE than they are.

And so, they forget that they still have to eat sleep procreate and expunge wastes from their body, in favor for their illusions.

Answer 12

We are just smart apes.

Answer 13

because humans are evolved therefore in a class of their own if you will. this is what seperates us. but animals are also more advance to us since their able to sense things way better than humans can and stuff lik that =)