What is it about humans that make many believe they are superior to all other an

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   Medusa13posted 8 years ago

   What is it about humans that make many believe they are superior to all other animals on the planet?
   
   With all the questions about religion lately, it makes me question why so many humans believe themselves to be such good people when there is such a lack of humility in relation to nature and how animals are treated. Why is one animal prized and/or more greatly valued while others rejected and/or squashed under the toe of one's shoe simply because it is considered ugly, not as useful, or nuisance to a human. What makes humans so superior to that of all other animals on the planet?

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   cjhunsingerposted 8 years ago

   The human capacity to reason, which is not always in play.

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      It's sad, but true. People do not use their reason wisely.

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      cjhunsingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Chelsea--The capacity to reason, I would think and even though we all possess it, is like any other talent, it is in degrees of ability. All can draw a stick figure, but few are artists, fewer still are Monet.

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I love how you put that. Very eloquent and I agree wholeheartedly!

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      cjhunsingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Chelsea--Thank you. Just read your profile. Our oldest son has a mild case of Tourettes and is now 51, married and doing just fine. Enjoyed your entrepreneurial spirit.  Great stuff.

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you so much for sharing. My son is 8 and is struggling, but I have confidence he will be a very successful adult (and he is even successful now as a child with TS, anxiety, mild AHDH &OCD)once he learns to accept himself for who is, TS and

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   celafoeposted 8 years ago

   I would suppose it is because God set it up that way and gave man authority over ALL OTHER  creatures.
   of course that does not mean they are to not be treated properly.
   and of course all are not Christians.    some people are just plain evil.   there are just  a lot off factors involved

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      God is a man-made concept. I cannot believe that if there were a god, man would be deemed any better than other living creatures. This is just another concept justified by man. However, there are many factors and many evil people, Christians or not.

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      celafoeposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      You choose what  you wish, that is your right.   I choose to believe in and follow God as I have done for 40 yrs  and  walk under His covering and protection

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I appreciate and respect your dedication to your beliefs and the respect you have for others and their beliefs, Charlie!

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      Zelkiiroposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Hey charlie, let's play a little game:
      
      Let's throw you into a small cage, unarmed and naked, with a tiger. Then we'll see which creature truly has authority over the other.

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      Zelkiiroposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Or perhaps in an underwater cage with a Great White Shark! I'm sure you'll show Jaws who's boss with your fists and feet.

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      celafoeposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      z-  you are an idiot.     I have been in similar circumstances  when  GOD put me there and He protected me, a gun in my face that would not fire but fired normally when taken from the bum.   as a game for you no way.
      only a fool says there is no God

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   TheBizWhizposted 8 years ago

   The initial question is a good one, but later in the explanation, it drifted into religion. I don't think one should be religious to think themselves superior to animals and vice versa, so that really is inconsequential. Also, by "superior" can also mean "rulers" or "stewards". I also must assume you are getting at the fact that we domesticate and eat them.
   
   To answer, this is the circle of life. Humans evolved with their domination of animals, which we did because we are more logical. If you look back at the evolution of man, you can see where we made huge advancements when we made better hunting tools and especially when we created the concept of domesticating animals. Just look at pre-colonial areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa and North and South America, which were areas w/out much if any domesticated animals.

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      It's not about the circle of life, for this I understand. It's more about the devastation humans cause across the globe, endagering animals and causing extinction. The lack of understanding of symbiosis of all living species. We are not so superior.

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      TheBizWhizposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I was talking about the history of how this attitude came 2 b, which is due 2 survival, not devastation and endangerment. U asked the question, I answered it best I could. Why ask if u r not interested n another point of view, why ask?

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I understand what you are saying and where you are coming from. I appreciate the scientific and historic aspect very much. My point does in fact relate to religion in that so many use their belief in God as an excuse for devastation and superiority.

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      TheBizWhizposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      And I understand where u r coming from. We now know better ways of being sustainable, so we should b more responsible. It is hard to change attitudes that have developed over millenniums, but we r slowly adapting

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Too true. Yes, slowly adapting!

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      TheBizWhizposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Its ironic, but yesterday when I walked out of the dr's office after my son's checkup, we saw a baby squirrel on the sidewalk, looked around & didn't c a nest. We took him home and later on my 4yr old said "I like how u r so nice to baby animals.

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      That's beautiful!! What a great role model for your son!

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      TheBizWhizposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      They say it should take about 3 months for him/her to b strong enough 4 release, so I will document the progress and write a hub about it. btw, my other son named him/her Squeak Claw. lol

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      Medusa13posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Lovely! How many would just walk by and not care, or even notice in the first place? It takes a more superior being, in my opinion, to care not only for themselves and family, but the world around them as well! I commend you for this act of humility.

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   Kenaiposted 8 years ago

   I don't believe that humans are superior to animals, in fact, I view that belief as a quite ridiculous idea. Why don't humans have 4 legs, why don't birds have hands? Well, that's because they don't need them for survival. Every animal has it's own unique way to survive, for humans, it's just a high capacity for abstract reasoning. So no, I do not believe in human supremacy.
   Great question by the way!

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