Rjh4,
Assuming that the Bible is right, one may conclude that humans are greater than other animals...
But... that's assuming it's right. I see no reason to believe it is at all.... I require very strong evidence to believe the sort of claims that are in the Bible.
As for whether 'man' or 'animal' is greater I'd say that there is no such thing as 'greater' other than each of our own personal subjective opinions on the matter. I know of no evidence for any objective values so in that sense there is no 'greater'.
I consider us to be animals because we are clearly much more genetically related to animals than we are to plants or viruses... and we are the most related to apes (very closely related indeed to Chimps and Bonobos), so I have no idea why we shouldn't classify ourselves as animals considering that's how other animals are classified (by being more genetically like each other than like plants of viruses....) I don't see why to separate us and make a distinction in the first place. It is classified through biology.
EvF
Assuming that the Bible is right, one may conclude that humans are greater than other animals...
But... that's assuming it's right. I see no reason to believe it is at all.... I require very strong evidence to believe the sort of claims that are in the Bible.
As for whether 'man' or 'animal' is greater I'd say that there is no such thing as 'greater' other than each of our own personal subjective opinions on the matter. I know of no evidence for any objective values so in that sense there is no 'greater'.
I consider us to be animals because we are clearly much more genetically related to animals than we are to plants or viruses... and we are the most related to apes (very closely related indeed to Chimps and Bonobos), so I have no idea why we shouldn't classify ourselves as animals considering that's how other animals are classified (by being more genetically like each other than like plants of viruses....) I don't see why to separate us and make a distinction in the first place. It is classified through biology.
EvF