<p>haha okay whatever. i said earlier that apes are the most similar to humans out of all the species? </p>
<p>do you seriously think there is no difference between us humans and a fish? or a cricket? or even a monkey? you honestly think theres no difference…? like really you guys are saying we’re all the same?</p>
<p>Look into “reciprocal altruism”</p>
<p>We are the same only more evolved.</p>
<p>hey im just voising my opinion. the dictionary deffinition for “different” is not alike in character or quality…</p>
<p>last time I checked we were the ONLY species on the planet that is capable of all this. Look at us we are discussing on an internet page on computers…do you think any other species is anywhere even remotely close to being able to make computers nontheless actually hold a conversation on the internet…</p>
<p>last time i checked, when i drove a car to school or a super market i encounter a lot of things that only humans are capable of. The fact that we are able to drive, and even contruct, a car, sets us apart from a freakin ape. thats “difference” if you ask me. and i can explain millions of other things that only humans can do</p>
<p>saying we are the “same” means literally, we do the same things, have the same customs, and are at the same point in evolution. </p>
<p>if you really think we are the same as an ape…then okay
and yes im only in high school. so i guess i have to study up a lot more because of all that competition…don’t want an ape to get into Stanford over me?</p>
<p>The fact that we are able to drive, and even contruct, a car, sets us apart from a freakin ape. thats “difference” if you ask me.</p>
<p>That is only a matter of degree- but what I am looking for is the INTRINSIC difference between species.
As Donna pointed out isolated societies have differing banks of knowledge . Someone on the island of Ulithi, is going to have different values and a different skill set than someone on the island of Manhattan.</p>
<p>So what quality is in common with ALL humans that is different from all other mammals?</p>
<p>haha thats not a good point the people on the island of Ulithi just so happened to be born there, and therefore were indoctrinated to that way of life. if that exact same person was born in Manhattan they would be perfectly capable to learn, understand, communicate, care and think like every other person in Manhattan</p>
<p>my point is, every single human is capable of these things. every single human has a highly developed brain no matter where they are born (and dont even try pulling the “well some people have mental problems” thing). Apes, and every other species, do not even have the capability to think at a more advanced level. even if the ape is born in manhatten…its level of knowledge and understanding does not differ from one born in some remote location</p>
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<p>Actually, their hair is quite long. It just doesn’t show because their follicles are so very, very deep.</p>
<p>“we aren’t the only species who uses language for communication”</p>
<p>Yes, we are. We aren’t the only species that uses abstract sounds for communication. There are even a few species that have an elementary sort of syntax. But every human language is immensely more malleable, complex, and figurative than that. It really is special.</p>
<p>okay…mantori.suzuki…smartass…they look bald. and if you showed a picture of a monk to anyone they would say hes bald…okay so i dont care about their follicles…monks are bald to me. mmk</p>
<p>and Hanna 1. thanks for proving my point that the language humans use is distinct from the communication methods of all other species and 2. okay “we aren’t the only species who are able to communicate” thats what i meant to say. happy? good god</p>
<p>Dogs are the species I interact with most often (other than human). Things I have enjoyed observing about dogs:</p>
<ol>
<li> I love watching dogs dream. (Little barks and whines, and twitching of feet.)</li>
<li> Dogs can get jealous of other dogs, they can tease and annoy other dogs just for fun, they can detest or take care of other dogs.</li>
<li> Dogs love to play–with humans or other dogs; they’re very good at it.</li>
<li> Like humans, some dogs have a good sense of humor, and can laugh at you.</li>
</ol>
<p>To me, humans are different in that they are always seeking to organize their world–to make systems. They also build big things.</p>
<p>^^^^Many experts claim that dogs only understand tone of voice and some body language. </p>
<p>However, if I use the same tone of voice and posture, and I say:</p>
<p>“I’m gonna get that ball!” - my dog runs and finds his ball.</p>
<p>“I’m gonna get that chewy!” - my dog runs and finds his chew toy.</p>
<p>“I’m gonna get that tail!” - my dog just runs away.</p>
<p>Seems to me that he has an understanding of a few English words. He also understands “go potty,” “time to eat,” and “go get in your bed,” among other things.</p>
<p>Isn’t that cool! My dog, a cocker spaniel, understands, among many other things, any form of “get down”, meaning off the furniture. Sometimes just to irritate my wife, I will walk up to the dog as he is laying on the couch, and I will calmly say in a low voice, “Excuse me, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to use the couch for my own relaxation now. Would you be so kind as to get down so that I may be seated?” And he does! I try not to put any special emphasis on the word “down”, but he always gets it.</p>
<p>these dogs that were @ the park yesterday were so funny, they were playing tag- running around until one caught up to the other- then they reversed direction.</p>
<p>My neighbor also taught her dog left and right- through spoken commands.</p>
<p>“Sometimes just to irritate my wife, I will walk up to the dog as he is laying on the couch, and I will calmly say in a low voice, “Excuse me, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to use the couch for my own relaxation now. Would you be so kind as to get down so that I may be seated?” And he does! I try not to put any special emphasis on the word “down”, but he always gets it.”</p>
<p>That’s hilarious! I just say “move” and it always works but I think I may try your approach and say, “Pardon my interrupting your nap but would you kindly move your furry self so that I may sit?” </p>
<p>So, to attempt to answer the question of what makes us different: manners?</p>
<p>I have this thing about being polite to the dog. I never just say “down”; about the most direct command I give him is “get down please”. My wife thinks it’s silly, and I suppose it is, but it makes me feel nice. Then again, maybe I’m just trying to assuage my guilt about all the times I’ve called him an idiot.</p>
<p>I always thought we were “higher” than other animals. </p>
<p>And then I went to a college town bar. We’re no different than those in the forest, I assure you ;). </p>
<p>I think that technology-wise we are more developed. But we’re the only ones destroying the planet on a large scale, overproducing to the point that we’ve WAY overloaded the Earth’s threshold for humans, and I’m pretty sure we’re the only ones who will kill one another based on who we worship. So are we really “better”?</p>
<p><em>shrug</em></p>
<p>And FWIW-I would rather be around a pack of dogs than a pack of people any day. They’re much more enjoyable IMO.</p>