Humans And Animals

Question 1

What are the differences between humans and animals?

Answer 1

• animals instinctual- no free will
• only humans have religion and culture
• humans have complex language
• animals not self aware
• humans can build
• humans make fire
• animals don’t have soul
• humans have morality

Question 2

What are similarities between humans and animals?

Answer 2

• elephants recognise their own reflections- self aware
• language- monkeys make different noises and taught sign language - mating calls and dances of birds
• animals can feel pain
• animals show intelligence- pigs can play simple computer games- tropical ants co-operate to build bridges- apes use simple tools
• animals have emotions- dolphin mothers portrayed guilt and trapping, starving themselves when children die- wild apes will take in orphaned and captive apes and other animals for interest

Question 3

Arguments against difference

Answer 3

• how can we know the minds of animals to judge their intelligence, emotions or similarities
• 97-99% similar genes between humans and apes
• other animals potentially have less advanced forms of reason and language
• robots and androids are made in our image- feelings and self awareness not defining characteristics
• there are not just distinctions between human and animals, there are people that don’t measure up to definitions of humanity
• evidence for self awareness and other human qualities in animals calls for a change in our cultural habits
• Sartre and de Beauvoir claim that there is no human nature

Question 4

Arguments for difference

Answer 4

• Descartes- ‘ I think therefore I am’- self awareness human nature
• one should possess ‘personhood’ to count politically
• Kant- treat every rational being ‘ never merely as a means to an end’- yet this categorises into either a person or a thing