The Uniqueness of Humanity

[realunoriginal]

You have a good point Joker.

I wanted to see if ‘uniqueness’ resonates with ‘abstract thought’ and it does. In fact, many people believe that because humanity is ‘unique’, that we are somehow ‘better’ than other animals of the world or in some sort of ‘higher’ or ‘advantageous’ position. Take wonderer, in the “on the meaning of life” thread… It’s full of how people are under the impression that because humanity is ‘unique’ (as opposed to ‘different’), then it erroneously concludes that humanity is ‘above instinct’.

[Joker]

@realunoriginal

You have a good point Joker.

I wanted to see if ‘uniqueness’ resonates with ‘abstract thought’ and it does. In fact, many people believe that because humanity is ‘unique’, that we are somehow ‘better’ than other animals of the world or in some sort of ‘higher’ or ‘advantageous’ position. Take wonderer, in the “on the meaning of life” thread… It’s full of how people are under the impression that because humanity is ‘unique’ (as opposed to ‘different’), then it erroneously concludes that humanity is ‘above instinct’.

Precisely. You got it.

This is why we need some time in creating a understanding of comparitive specie relativism.

Most people however don’t like this idea because it takes “humans” off the throne of things which they don’t even realize that the so called unique throne itself doesn’t exist in the first place.

[Demtri]

I will throw out the thought that humans are unique but so are animals. I am unique from all other humans so humans are unique. Cats are unique from dogs and so on. My cat is unique from your cat. Every species is unique and every individual is unique within its own species. Therefore uniqueness is common and nothing special comes from it but our own uniqueness.

[Rocky]

@Joker

How many posts have you written saying that humans are unlike any other animals, ie. unique, by being “unnatural”, “delusional”, “hysterical”, etc.? You have no problem with the idea of uniqueness as long as it serves your ideology, as long as the unique features are negative. The reality, not coloured by your ideology, is straightforward: humans are unique in many ways, some positive and some negative.

I believe that uniqueness is a cultural delusion.

I don’t deny difference so one could say that men are different from other animals in their absurd beliefs of making themselves seem to be the center of the universe as being unique.

The word difference is different than the term unique itself.

Certainly, different and unique don’t mean the same thing. To be unique is a more specific instance of being different, that is, to be one of a kind.

If you think we are merely different from other animals in thinking we are the centre of the universe, and yet are not unique in doing so, name me one other animal with the belief that they are the centre of the universe. If you can’t, humans are unique.

I think we are unique among animals in the complexity and depth of our culture. Name me one other animal with a culture comparable in complexity to ours. If you can’t, humans are unique. Your own view that human culture is “meaningless” and “delusional” is not relevant to this discussion.