(March 9, 2010 at 10:33 pm)AngelThMan Wrote: As I stated, different species of animals have individual traits of intelligence, but man has them all. The intelligent traits exhibited by animals are all geared towards survival. Man has a grasp of art, language and understanding like no other animal. Can we talk about the significance of man's superior intelligence rather than the limited intelligence of animals, please?
Man has them all? We're judging intelligence by how close animals are to us? Do you not see how intelligence could be advantageous for survivability? We have come to the point that as a whole, we cannot survive with the animals naturally. We'd go extinct pretty quickly without tools and intellect. Understanding of art, emotion and other traits you attribute to intelligence is very present in other animals, particularly mammals, some are smart enough to recognize and acknowledge the concept of their own mortality and how their actions affect others. We are not far off from that.
We are at the point where we can destroy our own species and our environment. This could either prove very productive or disastrous, as we still have some very primitive instincts that don't translate well when you're dealing with high powered weapons. We have small frontal lobes and an over-active adrenal gland, which makes us easily irrational and agitated, much like a chimp with a hissy fit. Most enjoy conformity and find solace in having things decided for them. It's funny that most people denying evolution are the ones who exhibit traits of more primitive species.
Mankind is but a flash in the pan when compared to all the life that has been on the Earth. The very argument that we are so intelligent that it had to have been a divine creator that willed us into existence is an argument from ignorance and personal incredulity. It ignores the facts of where the species actually originated, and proposes a magical explanation because it coincides with a certain groups' beliefs.
It's quite sad.
