How are humans different than animals and how do we prove that to others? I had a debate with an atheist and we kept getting stuck on whether the freedom to make decisions was distinctly human, or if humans too were controlled by instinct and natural selection.
May I start with some specific differences between humans and animals. Some examples.
The difference between a beaver dam and the Hoover Dam, Colorado River. The difference between a bird flapping its wings to fly over a lake and sitting in uncomfortable seats in an airplane. The difference between a twenty-story apartment building and an eagle’s nest. The difference between walking on the moon and baying at the moon.
This post is a simple strategy for gaining control of the turf. Explore the differences. No need to get hung up on it. One can go back to differences in the middle of comparing rational thought between a border collie and a teenager.
Concede that monkeys can quickly learn and then decide which button to push to get the hotel elevator to the kitchen floor – where there are friendly humans who like to see monkey antics in exchange for food.
Find the similarities. For example. The instincts of a mother bear and a human mother regarding their young. When walking in Alaska, don’t ever mess with a mother bear.
Natural selection is a common factor in the survival of any species. The immune system in vertebrates is a general example of the survival of the fittest and in the human species the additional survival of the smartest. Smartest survival is a way to later differentiate the rational tools of a human and the sentience of an animal. Keep in mind that the only extant species in a line of similar anatomical Homo ancestors is the human species.
It is o.k. to step into the world of atheism which is limited to the natural material physical realm of animals and the decomposing anatomy of humans. And then step over to the amazing spiritual realm of human capabilities. If the material factors of blood and guts, skin and bones, do not equally produce rational thought in all species
What happened?
If the above is interesting, I will look for my old notes on using free will as the distinguishing mark between humans and animals. The example of a raging fire works both ways regarding humans and animals. Thus, it can be tricky depending on the discussion partner’s comments. I am traveling so I am not sure how quickly I can find my notes. Also, as I recall, I did not get very far with my original thesis. Too many life interruptions. And as I honestly think about it – maybe I would not have been able to demonstrate free will adequately. On the other hand, maybe the journey is worth more than the destination. Maybe someone smarter than a cranky granny can get over the potholes.
Already there are some great posts regarding research, etc. One of my favorite “intelligence” research papers was to compare the mathematical abilities between college students and a species of monkeys. Just the thought of that tickles my sense of humor.
Seriously. As my Irish mother would say. “There is more than one way to skin a cat.”
What I have presented above is another way you and your discussion partner can talk about the topic. However, the above only works when one has deeply studied the ideas in the light of the Catholic approach to human nature starting with Genesis 1: 26-27. One does not have to vocally refer to Catholic doctrines. One can gently acknowledge the vast intelligence of some highly sentient species and then point out that the “knowledge” is not built upon as dramatically demonstrated by the rational tools of a human person.
