• Question: What are humans?

    Asked by jordanmurraay to Alison, Artem, Caroline, John, Gunther on 19 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Artem Evdokimov

      Artem Evdokimov answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human

      It’s a very nice summary of some of the features that define us as Human. Basically in a few words we are bipedal mammals endowed with language and the capacity to use tools and conceptualize abstract solutions to problems. We are self-aware, rational, and sapient.

    • Photo: John Short

      John Short answered on 20 Jun 2012:

      Humans are basically an advanced, more successful form of ape or primate.

      Compared to other animals of similar size, we have colonised many of the frontiers of this world, with exception of deep into the arctic and Antarctic and the ocean – although the ocean is a huge place we haven’t successfully lived in – we use the ocean for the success of our species such as we can hunt using boats, diving and can use the ocean to transport ourselves – submarines etc .

      We are a super predator, able to hunt anything and most things to extinction and able to defend ourselves through the creation of new tools and guns etc. Even with disease we fight back using drugs, antibiotics etc and can even use viruses to help us fight cancer.

      On a slightly different note, you ask what are humans? I would also say that humans are idiotic, and are just another species of animal – although we have the capacity for logic and reasoning we are just like other animals when we attack other nations (ants attack other ant colonies and so do apes attack other tribes of ape), many people rape, many people steal etc just like what happens in nature. What species on earth also devises ways to torture each other? Above all, we are idiotic because what species on the planet destroys the environment so much that we put our own health, sources of food etc at risk with pollution, forest devastation etc?

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