>>11
If by "A soul" you mean the traditional idea of the intangible, and as yet scientifically undetectable/unverifiable non corporeal manifestation of an individual human existence, unique to humans alone, then please get off of the Science and Math board and go read some more books on the subjects. Fucking primitive.
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Anonymous2009-04-16 18:18
The species Homo sapiens (humans) is defined by:
1.) "Humans have a highly developed brain, capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection and problem solving."
2.) All living Homo sapiens can only successfully breed with other members of said species.
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Anonymous2009-04-21 5:23
We, humans, are separated from all other animals by one distinct individual state.
That is, each of us can contemplate our own inevitable deaths, and even commit suicide because of or in spite of it.
If you really want to know what I believe it is? The answer is we are self-aware of choice...though many humans get to a point in their lives where they actually choose to feign ignorance and that leaves us with the world we now live in. Sad to say, but meh, that's life.
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Anonymous2009-04-22 3:13
>>14
>2.) All living Homo sapiens can only successfully breed with other members of said species.
PERHAPS THE SAME COULD BE SAID OF ALL SPECIES
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Anonymous2009-04-22 7:23
>>16
I demand this claim to be tested experimentally. Until people have slept with every species, several times, on fertile days for the female (if applicable), we just won't know. There could be some rare bird or fungii somewhere that's compatible. Hell, we discover new species of beetles all the time, and each and every one of them could potentially hold the key to breeding a human/insect hybrid.
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Anonymous2009-04-22 10:25
different evolutionary path. nothing more
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Anonymous2009-04-22 10:47
We are the smartest animal.
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Anonymous2009-04-22 10:52
I demand this claim to be tested experimentally >>17 sure, I'll get right on that...
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Anonymous2009-04-22 10:52
I demand this claim to be tested experimentally. >>17 sure, I'll get right on that...
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Anonymous2009-04-22 11:10
>>16
yeah, obviously faggot, but I needed to mention that to affirm that Homo Sapiens are indeed a unique species.
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Anonymous2009-04-22 11:12
>>17
we don't need to. we know it is physiologically highly unlikely.
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Dropout !!jVn+iJJ8AItvDJv2009-04-22 12:36
Self awareness.
Srsly.
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Anonymous2009-04-22 16:31
>>24
Other species exhibit behavioral characteristics of self awareness.
In this context, dominion is not meant to convey any religious connotation.
It's just the only answer I can think of, and the only good one I've seen in this thread so far. Except for >>15
By the way, >>2, memetics applies to anything with a brain.
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Anonymous2009-04-23 1:30
A higher level of self actualization, allowing us more and better brute frocing second for second when contemplating future events. Better meaning better range, accuracy, and speed.
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Anonymous2009-04-23 3:10
>>28
Okay, before you post a serious post; graduate from kindergarten first. Otherwise, you must be joking.
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Anonymous2009-04-23 3:56
>>28
srsly, graduate kindergarten before you become a comedian, cause right now you are a hack. Prepare to be heckled.
Woops...2late.
Nothing makes us unique. Other animals build houses/ have some sort of culture/ use tools etc. Unique is too vague. Theres nothing we do fundamentally different from the rest of nature.
>>32
>Theres nothing we do fundamentally different from the rest of nature.
we are uniquely different enough to be our own species.
perhaps fundamentally we are the same, but saying nothing makes us unique is incorrect.
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Anonymous2009-04-28 11:12
We communicate with one another better than any other species. We can solve complex problems and pass knowledge on to others. Sure chimps and other animals can do this but none of them are as good at it as humans. We're not unique, just better.
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Anonymous2009-04-29 2:17
>>35
Christianity and Judaism aren't unique religions. Christianity is simply better at conforming to the Bible.
The vast majority of Christians haven't even READ the Bible. The ones that have cherry pick a few passages and twist them out of all context to support their own bigotry.
I would say your typical Jew conforms better to the Bible, even though they only recognize half of it as canon. At least they tend to try to conform to the somewhat sensible parts and stress the overall messages of peace and harmony.
It also depends on WHICH bible you're talking about. I would assume you're arbitrarily talking about the KJV, but that is notoriously one of the poorest editions in terms of editing, translation, manipulation, etc, so there's no real pride in conforming to it.
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Anonymous2009-04-30 6:39
What makes us unique is that we can retain the awareness of what we require in order to survive and can choose to partake of a necessity before it becomes a requirement. No other animal in the whole of this world can do the same.
The funny thing is that some (most) humans actually allow themselves to wait until the necessity becomes a requirement. What happens next is either impulsive motivation to indulge obsessively or to act compulsively without regard for future consequences.
can you deny this? Do so at your own peril. The latter is a form of animalism, the prior is a form of transcendentalism. To strip away choice from our parts and make them our own choices. It is for us to take control of our bodies. If not, we are no better than beasts of the fields, and we deserve the same fate as so we have chosen to do so. What Will be will be; that's life.
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Anonymous2009-04-30 9:37
...we can retain the awareness of what we require in order to survive and can choose to partake of a necessity before it becomes a requirement. No other animal in the whole of this world can do the same.
What necessities are you talking about? Plenty of animals, for example, find food and save it before eating becomes a "requirement".
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Anonymous2009-04-30 14:00
I posted earlier (32) but have since revised my answer. We can leave earth gravitational field and go into space. Which ever way you slice it, animals cant do that. It is a by-product of our language/reasoning/co-operation skills granted but its still a unique trait. Birds are unique in that they can fly unaided but thats still a by product of their wings/chest muscles. I reckon space travel is the same thing.
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Anonymous2009-04-30 22:58
Holy fuck the posts in this thread are fucking retarded. Science and math board? This inane bullshit I've read in this thread proves to me that this board contains mostly 10th grade friendless nerds that think they know everything because they read a Brian Greene novel at Barnes and Noble.
That's a loaded question. What makes you think humans are unique? What do you mean by "unique"? The only absolute criterion by which humans are truly unique is that only humans are of the same species as the one who presented the question.