Are We Animals?

by Satanus 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  Satanus

  The way i understand it, evolution posits that we are just a higher species of animal. If that is true, then it follows that everything that humans have invented, such as societal rules, politeness, high technology, spirituality, are just another evolutionary adaptation to survive better.

  Christianity, on the other hand claims a vast gulf, an order of magnitude division between man and beast. We are divine, although flawed. Yet, not divine to the level claimed by new age theory and eastern religions. Christianity claims that we should eradicate all animalism within us, becoming perfect in gods sight.

  And so, my subject of question is: which of mans habits/tendencies are animal, which are divine, orinating from our supposedly being imaged on god?

  SS
• 

  JanH

  SS,

  The way i understand it, evolution posits that we are just a higher species of animal.

  Indeed, evolution does not even posit we are "higher", since whatever criteria we make for being high or low are subjective to ourselves.

  There is an old joke about elephant paleontologists, who were deeply disappointed to find no evidence of progress in the fossil record. They simply could find no evidence of a general, progresssive trend in the length of the nose.

  - Jan
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  Marilyn

  The average males sex drive is animalistic. They perve over everything in a skirt. That's evolution @ work.
• 

  Francois

  There is no altruism among the beasts, just what mimicks altruism. And yes, we are animals - the result of evolution.

  But you know, our brains evolved as well, they evolved until the electrical activity they produced was sufficient to support an individualized loaner segmentation of the cosmic mind. Thus, whereas we can think and think about thinking, animals stop at thinking. Not only can we look before we leap, but we can evaluate the value of leaping and its consequences. Animals just leap. And we can learn from the leaping. Animals just bridge the gap between here and there.

  And the differences go on and on and the gap becomes wider and wider, but even then, we bear the "mark of the beast" the vestiges of our animal origin. And even these are not permanent.

  My two cents.

  Francois
• 

  Francois

  Hey Marilyn:

  What's "perve"? According to you, I do it all the time. But I don't know what it is.

  And as for you. I think you doth protest too much.

  Francois
• 

  Satanus

  Marilyn

  Perv - I thought it was an appreciation for beauty, and so a divine trait;) Seriously though, i think that sex, sex drive, materialism, competition, killing animals to eat, and the methods women use to attract men are all animalistic traits.

  SS
• 

  Satanus

  Francois

  I think about thinking a lot, and so have procrastinated quite a bit. I must be a high level being. Thanks

  SS
• 

  Satanus

  Jan

  Good point. So when people make the claim that we are 'higher' than animals, it's a type of circular reasoning. Our species' time on the earth is popularly believed to be about 50,000 yrs as compared to millions of years during which dinosaurs ruled the earth. It could be possible for us to wipe ourselves out w nuclear or biological weapons. Roaches would survive, that's for sure. Are they better survivors than we are? Probably.

  SS
• 

  Nathan Natas

  "To pose is human, to perve divine."

  When I was eight I told my newly Dubbed mom that we were animals and she hit the fan. The way I saw it, we were either animal, vegetable, or mineral. It just made sense.

  I'm an atheist and an evolutionist.

  Where did man's "higher functions" (e.g., altruism) come from? If we dismiss the "finger of God" theory we are left with one possible explanation - our so-called "higher functions are NOT unique in the world and in fact exist in other denizens of earth as well as in ourselves. Only 17th century species-ism blinds us to seeing this. Personally, I have had the pleasure of experiencing the moment when, like with young Helen Keller, a light goes on within the animal's mind. A couple of dogs, a cat, a wolf and a beluga whale. All minds work with pictures, not words.

  Compassionate professional workers with animals see it, as does anyone who has shared their life with an animal companion who has made the simplest attempt to see the world through their pet's eyes.
  These "lesser animals" have a sense of personal identity, social preferences, and for all we know, religions.

  With some species the language barrier is being broken, and someday I hope we will be able to "make contact" with cetacians or our chimpanzee cousins.

  This is not anthropomorphism, it is reality. To think otherwise is like thinking that of all the people in your neighborhood, only YOU have dreams.

  "...we now return control of your telelvison set."
• 

  Satanus

  NN

  Good points, you rebelliouth aseist (oops). I think in pictures/symbols often. I wonder, do physicist think in numbers? Would numbers be classified as symbols as well? Questions not necesarily directed at you, open to anyone.

  Your mention of dreaming brings back to mind an article i read a couple of yrs ago in the new scientist mag about my roach friends. It said that by the movements they make while asleep, scientists (don't remember their names) concluded roaches probably dream.

  SS