What are the philosophical differences between animals and humans?

Question:What are the philosophical differences between animals and humans? Animals have the same desires and feelings as humans. They desire a mate, a family, food, shelter and to live free and happy. So why do people think they have the right to take away this freedom from animals? Murder is considered sin because we don’t have the right to take the lives of others, yet we do this to animals every day without any guilt or consideration.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: What are the philosophical differences between animals and humans? Animals have the same desires and feelings as humans. They desire a mate, a family, food, shelter and to live free and happy. So why do people think they have the right to take away this freedom from animals? Murder is considered sin because we don’t have the right to take the lives of others, yet we do this to animals every day without any guilt or consideration.

The body of man is in common with the animal.
The mind of man is completely unique, which does not exist in the animal. Therefore, if a man acted like an animal, he would be unhappy.
Any men who denied their rational sense, have denied their noble station. The animal is happy because it naturally satisfies the desires of the body; man is unhappy because he has to go through education to accomplish intellectual satisfaction.
The happiness of man is definitely not in the carnal satisfaction. It is false philosophy, or mere ignorance, which considers man as an animal.

GU-UN

Very few animals can recognize themselves in a mirror, this involves abstract thought.

We are the only animal that can play chess... Seems a silly statement but the principal is important. Humans appear to be the only animal capable of placing itself in the mind of the "opponent" in other words empathy. A key difference between animals and humans.

When an animal is dying it doesn't think to itself, "Oh no... I'm dying. So many things left to do... so many things I regret doing. If only I could have seen my grandkids grow up... if only I had loved my spouse more." Nor do animals reason out the things they do. A gazelle runs from a hungry lion not because they fear the lion or death, but because it's what their instincts tell them to do.

Here's another example. On a healthy cattle ranch (not one of those mega cattle ranches that smell like death from 50 miles off- those are horrible) a farmer goes out into the middle of his herd, takes out a gun, loads it in front of the cow and kills the cow. The other cows are so terrified of their own mortality that they calmly pause in grazing for a few seconds, then go back to it.

lets see... I don't think cats think anything but one thing at a time, or have the ability to comprehand things like we can, They rely solely and only on instinct or in some cases very very simple impulses that tell them if its dangerous or tasty.
Also animals only desire because its their horomones like just to hump another to spread thier genes thats it. Lastly if animals are smart enough to have desires why have they been dominated by humans? if you ask me their stupid and should be eaten.

.consciousness. I'd say...
Reason, language, inquiry, wonder, longing, religion, morality, aesthetics, creativity, imagination, aspiration and humour ... Apes also have it all..such intangible but fundamental qualities are by no means unique to humans Therefore, in the profound words of TIME magazine: 'No single, essential difference separates human beings from other animals'.

If you are confronted by a starving wolf in the Northern country it will not hesitate to kill you. It will start to eat you while you are still alive. Do not over romanticize animals.
Have you ever seen a tiger take down a gazelle? It does not observe cruelty to animals legislation nor does it inquire if it is an endangered species. Animals will not set up wilderness reserves for humans or promote their numbers with a breeding program (sorry guys).
We have the luxury of sitting back and scolding people who hunt for food but don't think twice about who butchers the cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. As long as we buy it is neat little white packages in the store we are above the taint of "the killers". That is just hypocrisy. We are a partner to the killing to feed ourselves. Animals do the same.

I would say we definitely under estimate the thoughts of many animals. Some animals definitely have empathy if that is the key(elephant, primates, dolphins). There is no question our frontal lobe is bigger then most/maybe all animals which is our reasoning side. But all mammals have frontal lobe and therefore one could figure they are not completely instinctual.

Just from my perspective dogs dream, my interpretation of that is that they have somewhat of a photographic memory. I say that because of vividness of dreams and how real things seem and I know dogs bark and run in there dreams so there dreams must seem real to them too.

Most people are removed from killing animals so they don't actually have to think about it. But at the same time I am no different. I am not vegan and I don't strive to be one either.

It is certainly immoral to kill animals. But we who eat meat do so because it's there and it's pretty delicious. I'm sure "long pig" is pretty good, too. So we do this [indirectly] WITH guilt and consideration. All actions can be justified to such animals with an ego like ours. We think God is in our image. How ridiculous.

Because we evolved so fast in comparison to other animals we became intoxicated with our image of living gods and masters of the earth.

A developed brain respects all animals in an equal basis because he worships kindness.