What Defines Us As a Species?
Some people say that what sets us apart is our intelligence, and a percentage of those people reason that animals purely act on instinct. I cannot agree with this. Again, living with pets convinces me that not all their actions are merely instinctual. Still, it is clear that humans have made the largest impact on this planet out of all the different species. We’ve built skyscrapers, computers, nuclear power plants. We’ve developed modern medicine to increase the lifespan and well being of all of us, and we’ve invented weapons of mass destruction to aid our wars. I’m not sure that everything we’ve invented is of benefit to us, but invention and critical thought are definitely part of being human. I think that what makes us human is our urge, even need, to look beyond self, beyond the short span of life, beyond our world to find answers, and reason, and a sense of what is next. Whilst doing so, we look inwards at our own belief system, our morals and actions, driven by the desire for sel
