Humans, What makes our species unique?

I look at our species and am just amazed by the complexity of how evolution made us essentially "us". We make art, listen/make music, and build complex buildings. Even though we might be called a cancer to the planet, and while that may be true. We are so more superior to other animals. (In ways to manipulate objects with our hands). What other animal listens to music, or develops different languages in different parts of the world?

What makes us unique?

reply to post by Maddogkull
Our intelligence makes us unique, also some say aliens perhaps the annukai made us who we are today. We are a physically unimpressive species, but knowledge is power and using our imagination, intelligence, and creativity, we are the dominant species. Although we are killing our Earth each other and everything on it, so I don't know if were just toooo intelligent, also we are the only species capable of destroying the whole planet.




XxRagingxPandaxX





[edit on 6-6-2010 by XxRagingxPandaxX]

I think what makes us unique is that we have hands that can manipulate object. Who knows what would have happened to other intelligent mammals and reptiles had they had the ability to manipulate their environment.

Were nothing special.. were just a bunch of monkeys.. highly advanced monkeys .. but still monkeys.
www.youtube.com...


[edit on 6-6-2010 by E-ville]

reply to post by Maddogkull


V. S. Ramachandran on the Uniqueness of Human Consciousness




Are you still unable to watch videos Maddogkull ??

Sometime's I see it but mostly I can't it's an egotistical question at this point. We're no different than a virus. We might have feelings but everything we have learned to disrupt ourselves and our surroundings. So if their is some sort of awakening then maybe their would be hope for us. A prophet said "Your decision, your path" and he drew humanity's direction after the event. One showed an era of peace and unity another path was destruction death and an extended period of delusion. If you want to change the world you all better get started. People watch other people we are very empathic being's. I do however fear for the worst.

[edit on 6-6-2010 by PositivelyDetermined]

Our consciousness makes us truly unique!
We have self-awareness, the ability to reflect ourselves in this reality.
Our intellectual capability is a consequence of this self-awareness.

I don't agree that we are animals at all. Yes, our bodies are similar in functionality, but look at the human face! Each human face is unique, which I believe is a projection of our complex individual mentality. We are not animals! WE ARE NOT ANIMALS!

In terms of consciousness we are as different from animals as animals are different from plants. Today mankind is researching the world around, but some day we will switch focus and start the journey into our consciousness. I'm sure that this era is coming in our lifetime.

Very important thread! S&F.

It is certainly that. Our level of consciousness. The end.

That we evolved to be able to wiggle the fat finger on the inside of our hands.

Complex reasoning

Tool creation and use

Language and the ability to record it (written or other wise)





Etherguide: You don't think every monkey has a different face? Its been proven they have different fingerprints... ? I see what you're getting at, and I agree that a chronological "hierarchy" of evolution is at play. But I think its a bit rich to say we are as different to apes (or even cats) as they are to plants. We might be able to say that one day, but its definitely not the case at the moment - and to suggest so is ludicrous in my opinion.

Originally posted by ghostsoldier
Tool creation and use

This is the big one.

We're also the first primate adapted for water activities.

reply to post by traditionaldrummer


Other primates and crows are capable of tool creation and use also, but our complex reasoning and cognitive faculties have taken it further than they.

True language, without which we would not be able to transfer what we learn to subsequent generations. Thus our knowledge and ideas grow, mature, and adapt far quicker than we do biologically.

Here's a theory I heard once, back in the early 80's.

The homo sapien was the world's only semi-aquatic primate. It developed its overall structure (the buttocks, the opposible thumb and its large frontal lobe) as a result of many millenia of residing next to the coast (swimming for its food, like an otter or seal which caused the buttocks to form due to the leg kicks used in swimming), grabbing fish and other marine food (forcing the development of the opposible thumb), and having no natural predator enemy (allowing the frontal lobe to develop with the absence of survival stress over thousands of years of evolutionary deveopment).

This also explains why the homo sapien's concentration of protective hair (head and genitalia) is located where it is (to protect the exposed head from the damaging sun's rays and to warm and protect the genitalia) while the rest of the body is relatively hairless (better for cutting through the water).

Newborn babies are actually able to swim and to keep from inhaling water as soon as they pop out of the womb. This has been proven many time by people in California who are part of a sub-culture that gives birth to their babies in salinated birthing pools. The babies slide out and swim underwater immediatly. The swimming movements are instinctive.

Homo sapien is the only primate that floats and the only non-marine mammal with a blubber layer attached to the skin. Our sweat and tears are saline replications of sea water (relatively speaking, of course) and humans instinctively bathe. In fact, the only period of time that modern humans didn't regularly bathe was during the Dark and Middle Ages when the Church forbade bathing as a sin of immorality.

The homo sapien ventured from the shoreline to the interior of the land masses, and that's when they started showing up in the bone records along with all the other primates. Looking for "the missing link"? You won't find it. You also won't find the earliest homo sapien remnants. We buried our dead at sea. Where else would we have buried them? Hell, we walk upright because we started out in the shallows of the coastline.

We're different that most mammals, but some mammals remember us. Dolphins, whales, porposes and seals, they all remember us. When they generally act so friendly to us, and we're amazed, they're probably wondering where the hell we took off to so long ago.

[edit on 9-6-2010 by NorEaster]

Well...I won't post some self loathing "we shoud all feel guilty for living" kind of post....that's just dumb.

Its our love of sports....yes....that has to be it.

(the duality of my post is intended)

[edit on 9-6-2010 by wdkirk]

reply to post by Maddogkull


90% of humans are murderers, no other animal murders there own species just for the sake of it. The other 10% have to live on this planet with these people for no reason.

Originally posted by star in a jar
I think what makes us unique is that we have hands that can manipulate object. Who knows what would have happened to other intelligent mammals and reptiles had they had the ability to manipulate their environment.

They would have ended up like this:
www.nlcnet.org...

"We are like prisoners... We do not have a life. Only work."
-Teenaged Microsoft Worker

I would have to agree with NorEaster on the aquatic ape theory , though I also believe something tampered with our genetic make up. For the people here saying we're animals , speak for yourself. I'm a metaphysical being on my journey back to the source. If you're an animal and not a higher being you should be treated like one , else have some self respect.

My take is that we can choose to be either animal or divine , as did Buddha , when he went from a selfish pleasure seeking prince to become the peaceful , at-one , divine Buddha. look at Mother Theresa , JESUS and then Look at Ted Bundy , Charles Manson , Stalin , the Bush's. I think it would be easy to spot the animals from the divinities.

I also think it is our higher cognitive abilities and our special physical adaptations. Intelligence , opposable thumbs , sweat glands , marathon running , forward and color vision , language , creativity etc , the whole shabang.

we are as unique as every living being no matter what species it is.

the specialness of humans is for sure our intelligence and the ability to use it.
but also our compassion - the ability to feel, to feel for others, to feel with others
to share our emotions to share our love

we are also unique because of the ability to use language in speech and in writing.
our sense for history - hopefully the more or less advanced ability to learn from history and our faults.

we are unique in our creativity
art and the recognition of esthetically things
we know that we are - a certain egoism
and the knowledge that we are unique.
we know that we are single beings

and we know from the moment that we are single beings who are able to think that we are going to dye some day in future!

hopefully we are also unique in realizing that we are not superior to other species.
each has its own purpose