Man or animal?

Man or animal?
Is such a question valid?
In all religions and beliefs I have ever observed man is described as a higher being, the number 1 prime super being in the universe to which all other things are made to serve in some fashion.Are we really so different? Or are we just another variation of life that has developed the ability to walk on two feet, therefore having free limbs that’s sole purpose is to manipulate the environment, therefore being able to gain knowledge more ably than other creatures, therefore becoming more advanced and complex and developing this high opinion of ourselves.Do we have a higher purpose or are we just as constrained to the earthly purpose of further propagating our own species as all other creatures are?Has mans ego grown so much as to say that the universe was created to be our playground, that we are the very images of the supposed creator of the universe.Any thoughts?

What do YOU think on the questions you are posing?------------------
-chris

My take on this, Lucid, is that we're all so swell more because of our big frontal lobes and good communication skills (though bipedality may have had a lot to do with us developing same...) It seems to be the religious texts that are so big on humans dominating everything else on our planet. So-called "primitive" religions tend more toward thinking that 1) we are part of the whole system or 2) the rest of our surroundings is out to get us.
The "higher purpose" that I think we should choose for ourselves is to make much more of the present and future world a place where we would like our own grandbabies to live.

I'm not out to get you...I just don't like you.------------------
Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!

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In all religions and beliefs I have ever observed man is described as a higher being, the number 1 prime super being in the universe to which all other things are made to serve in some fashion.

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Was it Socrates or Aristotle who pointed out that if cows and horses could talk their gods would look like cows and horses?

Aristotle did say BookII Chapter 2 by a SELECTIVE printing from Cornell Profs (Aristotle Introductory Readings by Irwin and Fine) "This is why all plants as well seem to be alive, since they evidently have an internal potentiality and principle through which they both grow and ecay in contrary directions. For they grow up and down and in all directions alike, not just up rather than down; they are continually noursihed, and they stay alive as long as they can absorb nurishment. This can be seperated from others, but in mortal things the others can not be seperated from it. This is evident in the case of plants, since they have no other potneitality of the soul. This principle, then, is what makes something alive. What makes something an animal is primarily perception; for whatever has perception, even without motion or locomotion, is said to be an animal, and not simply to be alive. Touch is the primary type of perception belonging to animals, and it can be seperated from the other sense, just as the nutritive can be seperated from touch and the other senses. The part of the soul that belongs to plants as well as animals is called nutritive; and all animals evidently have ths sense of touch. Later we will state the explanation of each of these facts. For now let us confine ourselves to saying that the sould is the principle of the we have mentioned - for nutrition, perception, understanding, and motion - and is defined by them."

You seem to be producing too many messages of this nature.AM------------------
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Sometimes I think we are maggots.That when the big one hit the Yucatan,what resulted was a crippled and dying environment.Human Beings came into play much like maggots to finalize the destruction of the once great planet Earth.Hell our destructive existence which revolves around destruction in the name of financial gain is rather maggot like.......The theory is that one day we will sprout wings as full grown flys and fly away to a mythical Dumpster in the sky.

Ok ill try and narrow down what im trying to say.
It is my belief that man is no greater in importance than any other form of life, be it plant, bacteria, whatever, we are simply animals. But this supremecy opion is endemic in religion, that we are made in the image of god, that all other life is made for use by man. This attitude I deem extemely arrogant and typical of man. It seems to me that religion does not pay much attention to the world around us, it focuses more on the opinions of men.I’d like to hear a christians perspective on this. What happens to a dog, a cat, a virus when they die. Are they judged on their deeds in life, on their sins, can they sin? It seems as though the rest of the world is forgotten when it comes to salvation.
Im hoping this is clearer?

Oooh, we're getting into sticky theological ground here...I think eventually we'll evolve into gods, if we survive long enough. 'Nuff said.The Rock Hound

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I is my belief that man is no greater in importance than any other form of life, be it plant, bacteria, whatever, we are simply animals.

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This is one of the saddest things I have ever read. What is the purpose of your life? Do you have any goals? If we are simply animals then why are we INTELLIGENT. How are we able to invent, to have culture, to communicate on a higher level then anything else, how can we follow religions and not live simplisticly. We are not simply animals, and by saying that we are on the same level as our pets is ignorance. Not only that, but it is sheer stupidity!

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But this supremecy opion is endemic in religion, that we are made in the image of god, that all other life is made for use by man. This attitude I deem extemely arrogant and typical of man. It seems to me that religion does not pay much attention to the world around us, it focuses more on the opinions of men.

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I'm sorry if I come off as arrogant but it is obvious that humans are superior to all other life forms, as I hope you can see.

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I’d like to hear a christians perspective on this. What happens to a dog, a cat, a virus when they die. Are they judged on their deeds in life, on their sins, can they sin? It seems as though the rest of the world is forgotten when it comes to salvation.
Im hoping this is clearer?

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Other life forms do not have souls, they just die, and when they die that is it.------------------
-chris[This message has been edited by messenjaH, 10-13-2003][This message has been edited by messenjaH, 10-13-2003]

I'm sorry, but I don't see how humans are superior to all other animals. Could you point out how we are?Me, I think that nothing is "superior", everything excels in one way or another. Sayong that humans are innately superior to everything else seems to me like it could produce people saying that certain humans are superior to other humans. After all, didn't that happen with the Nazis?------------------
Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!

Words like "superior" and "important" convey nothing in and of themselves. They need to be placed in some sort of context, e.g. superior intelligence, important for functioning, etc.So saying man is more important or superior than animals is really a vague, possibly meaningless, sentence.JustinCps. Quetzal, thanks for the references about violence.

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I think eventually we'll evolve into gods, if we survive long enough. 'Nuff said.

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Screw evolving into gods. We're not extraordinarily far away from nailing down genetic engineering (or computer programming, for that matter) to the point of being able to create an entirely new form of life.What other qualifications would we need in order to qualify?[This message has been edited by Dan Carroll, 10-13-2003]

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I'm sorry, but I don't see how humans are superior to all other animals. Could you point out how we are?

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Reading the entire post works. Thanks.

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Me, I think that nothing is "superior", everything excels in one way or another. Sayong that humans are innately superior to everything else seems to me like it could produce people saying that certain humans are superior to other humans. After all, didn't that happen with the Nazis?

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This is humans and animals not humans and humans, stop twisting my words. No that didn't happen with the Nazis. They believed in certain "races" being superior to another. There is only one race, the human race.------------------
-chris[This message has been edited by messenjaH, 10-13-2003]