Human beings Vs other kinds of animals.

Essay by -=wc=-University, Bachelor'sA-, April 2003

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Make a list of what you think distinguishes human beings from other kinds of animals. Be thorough and specific. Think carefully about your answers. What are the implications for your answers? In other words, how does the list help define human beings?

When we take a biological perspective, the human body may seem very different from any other animals. The number of genes each species has varies from one to the other. So does the form of the body, the hair that covers it and the habitat in which each lives in. Also, there are certain special abilities that each organism has. Cheetahs can run faster, giraffes can eat from higher trees, chameleons can camouflage better; but what about human beings?

What is it that gives us the power to rule the earth, be on top of the food chain, be able to build tall skyscrapers and mind blowing structures? Well, there are numerous aspects that separate us from animal beings.

First of all, the most powerful tool that we have is our mind. Although our brain might not be physically the biggest, it is definitively the most advanced one compared to our fellow animals. We have a capacity to think, to make neurological connections that no one else can. The fact that we took advantage of that helped us get a great advantage: language. We can communicate with almost any other human, to share our current knowledge and help us evolve. And with knowledge, we can ponder upon things like religion and science, helping us discover who we are, and maybe one day answer the ultimate question, "What is life?" Therefore, unlike other living things, we do not act only with instinct, but take those natural instincts to another level, by adding reason and logic.