What separates humans from (other) animals?
I know some people will say that humans aren't animals but we are so deal with it! But what separates us from other animals, or if you prefer, what separates us from animals?
The ability to be purely malicious. Animals may do malicious acts but it's out of a sense of survival, not simply the desire to be cruel. Humans can think through an action, know the end result, not receive any benefit other than selfish joy, and still commit horrible atrocities. We engage in wars over (and against our) religious beliefs, we murder, we hunt for sport. Beyond that, I'd be hard-pressed to find anything humans can do that no other species can do.
Intelligence level. The closest animal other animal closest is the monkey or ape. They can use primitive tools, however teaching others to use this tool is out of the question. They can learn advanced sequences to do certain tasks, but they have to learn them from humans and it tskes yearsss for them to learn.
Not really. Science actually has done studies that show that dolphins and pigs are as smart or smarter than humans. And as far as advanced sequences, slime mold can create better plans for city subway systems than engineers can, and can also learn and form memories simply based on trial and error and experience. And frankly, most things humans know are trial and error, experience, and taught by other humans as well.
Basically coincidence. We differ in the extent to which certain characteristics are exaggerated, e.g. empathy (which extends not only to our family, but also strangers, other races, animals and life in general), intelligence and creativity (advanced tool making, complicated planning, art, secondary theory of mind, etc), the complexity of our communication, the complexity of our social life, etc.
One could make the case that we can access a realm of experience (i.e. mystic states, and the likes) that other animals seemingly can't. As far as I know, we haven't recorded religious chimpanzees, so I guess we have a unique capacity to believe in something supernatural. But then again, who is to tell chimps don't believe in God?
If you ask me, no difference. Birds make nests, beavers make lodges, humans make buildings.
Humans may be better at one thing, an elephant will have stronger emotions in another. It's just because humans have the ability to ask these questions and consequently answer them, we think ourselves different. We're not as it happens, we are animals, we breed, we feel emotions, we feel the need to live, we eat, respire, we dream, we die. As do many other animals. All animals are different, and there isn't really one key difference between humans and animals, just because we made machines that fly showing we're far more intelligent than dogs, just as a dog is far more intelligent than a mayfly, yet we put them both in the 'animals' category, and differentiate ourselves
I know some people will say that humans aren't animals but we are so deal with it!
Who the hell said that? They deserved to be slapped for that idiocy.
Anyway, what separates humans from animals is mostly our level of intelligence. We not only make and use tools, but we use them to an extent that's greater than an other animal that makes or uses tools.
Which consequences are you talking about?...they don't necessarily have similar consequences for their actions since they typically have different reasoning behind it. I think it's more that humans are willing to engage in inherently violent acts without necessary/needed benefits that outweigh the consequences and do so more for self-pride and such. Am I on the same track?