human vs animals

8/11/2019 Human vs Animals

1/6

1

Human Mind vs. Animal Brain Why So Different?

By Bradford G. Schleifer

Human beings possess a capability far beyond animals. Many ideas exist to explain the mind. Knowing the truth has vital

implications!

Both evolutionists and religionists agree there is something about mankind that differs from animals. Each offers explanations,

certain the other side is wrong.

How can we know which is correct?

What is the human mind? How does it relate to the brain? Why do we not see animals with minds? Most people do not

understand the plain answers that have been available for thousands of years.

The argument can be summarized as the mind-body problem. It has been recognized that the physical characteristics of the

human brain do not warrant the extreme creative and processing power that defines human ingenuity.

The answer is either physical or spiritual in natureit can be explained no other way.

Unique to Humans

Consider just a few of the qualities man possesses that are unique among all living creatures. Many attributes are so common

and assumed that few give them much thought. Yet it should become clear how special human beings are.

Ask yourself: Why does man have so many distinctive characteristics?

Humor:No other creature is able to appreciate, create and express humor. Not only does it require creativity, but humor also

requires the ability to detach oneself from ones surroundings to see the odd, surrea l or ironic.

Appreciation of beauty:Man is able to appreciate all kinds of beauty. This can be as simple as a sunset, a work of art, or the

intricate design of aflower .

For example, take someone to see New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art, and he will likely feel emotionally moved by the

seemingly limitless number of paintings and sculptures on display, dating hundreds of years. Take a dog to the same museum,

and it will be more excited about thetrip and seeing the crowd of art lovers than anything else.

Self-consciousness:Beyond a simple recognition of self (as seen in a few animals), man can step back and become a spectator,

critic or admirer of the world around him. He is able to see his place in the greater picture and analyze what needs to be done to

affect his role.

Awareness of death:While animals have a survival instinct, man is able to consider that he will one day die. Aware that his

days will not last forever, he has a deep respect of his mortality. In fact, nearly all cultures perform some form of funeral ritual.This is not found in the animal world.

Understanding time:Animals are only able to relate time to themselves; they have no ability of relating time to third parties.

Humans can wonder, speculate and search the annals of history for lessons, and apply those lessons to goals far into the future.

Connections between words: While animals can understand simple words or tones, they do not comprehend syntax or

communicate in complex sentences. Human beings have created hundreds of languages (and thousands of dialects), even

though they are born without any way in which to communicate.

Meaning of life:The simple act of asking about lifes meaning and purpose makes man unique. No animal contemplates its

reason for livingnor would it be willing to live or die for specific values and ideals.

Malleability:Humanity is able to adapt to its surroundings. We wear clothes, build shelters or modify our environment to suit

our needs.
http://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.htmlhttp://realtruth.org/articles/090806-002-science.html


2/6

2

Lack of harmony with nature:When left to its own devices, nature will reach balance and harmony. Only man disrupts that

natural balance: deforestation, changing the course of rivers, pollution, over mining for resources, etc.

A sense of morality:Animals always take the path of least resistance. They do not have a conscience or sense of right and

wrong. On the other hand, mankind will go so far as to control his thoughts based on what he considers right or wrong.

Character:This is the ability to know right from wrong, and turn from the wrong and do what is right, even in the face of

pressures and temptations. The desire to build character is only found in man.

Free moral agency:Unlike animals, man can deviate from his course of thinking and living however he sees fit. Animals react

through instinctprogramming.

Capacity for wisdom:Without the ability to place themselves in time, animals are unable to weigh situations with previous

experiences. While animals are able to develop behavioral patterns based on positive or negative stimulation, they are

completely unable to analyze actions before they are performed. This ability, known as wisdom, is unique to human beings.

Desire for worship:No matter what part of the world or his culture, man exhibits a desire to seek, follow and worship a higher

power. Animals do not.

Love: While some animals form lifelong relationships for the purpose of reproduction, none exhibit a parallel with the human

characteristics of love, in which a couple shares experiences, goals, dreams, hopes and aspirations.

The mind-body problem is a towering issueone that dramatically separates us from the animal world. There must be a reason

for why the human mind is different from the animal brain.

Evolutionary Answer?

The mind is one subject most evolutionists will not engage. Simply put, the physical differences between the human brain and

that of animals are insufficient to explain the horsepower described above. Three aspects of the human brain demonstrate

this point.

Weight:Human beings do not have the heaviest brains in overall weight, or even weight in proportion to their bodies.

Anatomy:Correlations differ between mans brain and that of animals.

Cerebral Cortex: The nerve center of the human brain is only slightlymore complex than that of animals.

No physiological explanation exists for mans mind! Biologists have no irrefutable evolutionary evidence. Psychologists are

stupefied by the human brain. And evolutionists are left with only one answer: There is no scientific answer to the mind-body

problem!

An Immortal Soul

If the differences between animals and human beings cannot be explained by physical means, we must look for a spiritualexplanation. Most professing Christians would quickly agree there must be a spiritual aspect to the human condition. The most

common attempt to offer explanation considers the non-physical component an immortal soul. Those who support this

approach try to use the Bible for proof.

Certainly, if man had an immortal soul, this would help explain the immeasurable capacity of his mind. But what does the Bible

state?

The word soul appears in Scripture over 400 times, and for a variety of reasons. The first instance occurs during the

description of mans creation. NoticeGenesis 2:And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his

nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (vs. 7).

The wording here is important. Note that man becamea living soul. The Hebrew word from which soul was translated is

nephesh, which means a breathing creature. This passage states that man became a living, breathing creature.
http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/


3/6

3

However, was the soul that man received different from that of animals, in that it was immortal?

Again, lets allow the Bible to speak for itself: The soul that sins, it shall die (Ezek. 18:4, 20). If a soul dies, then it cannot be

immortal! How can so many believe that man has an immortal soul when just two passages from Gods Word prove this to be

absurd?

If the immortal soul does not come from Scripture, what is its origin? Even the briefest look at the historical record makes this

plain: The belief that the soul continues its existence after the dissolution of the body is a matter of philosophical or th eological

speculation rather than of simple faith, and is accordingly nowhere expressly taught in Holy ScriptureThe belief in the

immortality of the soul came to the Jews from contact with Greek thought and chiefly through the philosophy of Plato, its

principal exponent, who was led to it through Orphic and Eleusinian mysteries in which Babylonian and Egyptian views were

strangely blended (The Jewish Encyclopedia, Immortality of the Soul).

Early Catholic writer Tertullian (A.D. 155-220) details where the immortal soul doctrine has its roots: For some things are known

even by nature: the immortality of the soul, for instance, is held by manyI may use, therefore, the opinion of a Plato, when he

declares, Every soul is immortal (The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Chapter III).

If the mind-body problem cannot be solved by professing Christianitys immortal soul doctrine, then what is the answer?

The Spirit in Man

A biblical answer exists to the mind-body question, which has been missed by the masses. There is a spiritual component to man

that elevates him above the physical.

Notice a passage in the Old Testament: The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, says the Lord, which stretches forth the

heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him (Zech. 12:1). This clearly states that God

created a spirit inside you.

Proverbs 20:27 sheds some light on its purpose for this spirit: The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the

inward parts of the belly.

God uses the spirit in man as a way of interfacing with humanity. This is further expounded in the book of Job: T here is a spirit

in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding (Job 32:8).

Putting these two passages together clarifies that God uses the spirit in man to impart u nderstanding. Through this spirit, God

is able to teach physical man a degree of spiritual knowledge. However, he is spiritually incomplete; he needs anotherspirit.

Physical and Spiritual

Man is a physical being with a spirit component. For centuries, mankind has experienced awesome progress and advancement,

butat the same timecontinues to suffer ever-worsening and appalling evils, troubles and ills. This is because mans problems

are spiritualin nature.

Great leaders have recognized the link between humanitys problems and the need for spiritual answers. General DouglasMacArthur, while attending the signing of imperial Japans surrender, Sept. 2, 1945, said, Men since the beginning of time have

sought peaceMilitary Alliances, Balances of Power, Leagues of Nations, all in turn failed leaving the only path to be by way of

the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative. We have had our last chance. If we do not

devise some greater and more equitable system Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and

involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless

advance in science, art, literature and all material and cultural developments of the past two thousand years. It must be of the

spirit if we are to save the flesh (The Reports of General MacArthur).

Over half a century has passed since General MacArthur uttered these words, yet problems worsen. Man is desperate for

spiritual knowledgea solution to his problems. He must turn to God to learn how to resolve his deep-rooted problems. Again,

man is spiritually incomplete: he needs another spirit: For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is

in him? Even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God (I Cor. 2:11).

Gods Spirit, when combined with our spirit, enables us to know the things of Godand to build holy, righteous character.
http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/


4/6

4

The spirit in man also records the events, experiences and lessons in the life of each person, and then returns to God when we

die: Then shall the dust *man+ return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it (Ecc. 12:7).

God stores the vital ingredient of man until we are resurrected.

The human spirit allows man to reason, analyze and create. We are able to greatly exceed the capability of animals because of

this special, unique spiritual component.

Why are Humans More Intelligent than Animals?

Author: Hsin-Yi Cohen BSc, MA, MSt - Updated: 2 September 2014 | Comment

Darwin once famously said there is no fundamental difference between man and the higher mammals in their mental faculties

he firmly believed that the difference between human and animal intelligence was one of degree and not of kind. To illustrate,

he cited various examples which showed that non-human animals had similar cognitive traits, such as curiosity, wonder, long-

term memory, the ability to imitate others, to pay attention and to reason. In fact, he stated that any animal that could not learn

would be killed off by natural selection thus, only intelligent genes would remain in the gene pool and the overall

intelligence of each species would gradually increase over time, as has occurred in human evolution.

Most of us, however, would argue that there is a distinct difference between human and animal intelligence and that humanbrains are arguably superior. In fact, many believe that humans are the most complex and intelligent animals on earth. For

example, no other species matches our ability to use language. We are also believed to be more advanced in the areas of

abstract thought, self-awareness and self-expression.

Differences in Human Brains

It is natural to assume that our superior ability in several areas of mental function correlates to distinct characteristics of the

human brain that are not evident in other animals, in particular those of our closest evolutionary relatives, the primates. One of

the key differences is the size of the human brain there is ongoing debate over the usefulness of brain size in understanding

intelligence as research has not produced any significant evidence of a relationship between brain size and IQ. However, there is

some support for the theory that brain enlargement leads to an increase in neuron connections and this is the crucial factor. The

number of brain cells actually remains relatively constant across different species but there is significant variation in their degree

of interconnection as well as the complexity of the neuron networks.

Therefore, while we dont have the largest mammalian brain, we do have the largest brain mass relative to body mass. And this

is especially pronounced in the neocortext, a region of the brain accounting for 76% of the total mass and involved in

consciousness and language. Furthermore, scientists agree that the development of a greater number of folds in the neocortex

is a significant step in human brain evolution and intelligence increase. It is logical that the greater number of folds enables a

larger surface area for the organisation of complex behaviours. For example, greater folding would lead to an expansion of the

prefrontal cortex which in turn leads to an increased capacity to relate internal and external experiences. This translates into an

enhanced ability to identify inner feelings and relate them to those of other beings, as well as a greater ability to relate past,

present and future and thus lead to the development of anticipation and choice.

Another unique feature of the human brain is the lateralisation of brain function which arises from the division of the cerebrum

into 2 halves. The left half controls digital functions such as rational, verbal, analytical and perceptive thinking while the right

half controls analogic functions and enables creative thinking. Human brains can combine the two types of functions in order to

enable us to execute complex sequences of behaviour, such as those required in language production.

Differences in Human Thinking

The key differences between human and animal cognition arise in four areas:

The ability to recombine different types of knowledge and information to gain new understanding

The ability to generalise apply a rule or solution for a known problem to a new and different situation

The ability to create symbolic representations of sensory input and to easily understand them The ability to detach raw sensory and perceptual input from modes of thought.
http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://www.aboutintelligence.co.uk/why-humans-more-intelligent-animals.html#Addcommenthttp://www.aboutintelligence.co.uk/why-humans-more-intelligent-animals.html#Addcommenthttp://www.aboutintelligence.co.uk/why-humans-more-intelligent-animals.html#Addcommenthttp://www.aboutintelligence.co.uk/why-humans-more-intelligent-animals.html#Addcommenthttp://void%280%29/


5/6

5

In particular, animal intelligence is more like a laser beam, applying specific solutions to specific problems whereas huma n

intelligence is more like a floodlight which enables us to use our thought processes in innovative ways.

This Organ Separates Humans From Animals

ByRichard Dawkins

Human beings are animals. We arent plants and we arent bacteria, we are animals. Among animals we are apes, specifically

African apes. The other African apeschimpanzees, bonobos and gorillasare closer cousins to us than they are to the Asian

apes: orangutans and gibbons.

So, one way to understand what makes us human is to ask: What makes us different from the other apes, and from the r est of

the animal kingdom? What makes us special? For instance, unlike all the other apes, we walk on two legs and this frees our

hands to do all kinds of things that other apes cant do. And (perhaps the two are connected) we have much bigger brains than

the other apes.

Theres another way to interpret the question What makes us human? which I wont be dealing with, although it is important. What makes us humane? What are the qualities that we admire and aspire to: qualities that make us human as opposed to

brutish?

We have big brains. Other species are marked out by other qualities. Swifts and albatrosses are spectacularly good at flying,

dogs and rhinoceroses at smelling, bats at hearing, moles, aardvarks and wombats at digging. Human beings are not good at any

of those things. But we do have very big brains; we are good at thinking, remembering, calculating, imagining, speaking. Other

species can communicate, but no other species has true language with open-ended grammar. No other species has literature,

music, art, mathematics or science. No other species makes books, or complicated machines such as cars, computers and

combine harvesters. No other species devotes substantial lengths of time to pursuits that dont contribute directly to surviv al or

reproduction.

Our uniquely big brains evolved after our habit of walking on two legs. We can now trace our ancestry through a prettycontinuous series of fossils, and are confident that our ancestors of three million years ago were members of the genus

Australopithecus. The best-known australopithecine is Lucyso called because the camp record player in Ethiopia was blaring

out the Beatles Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds when the fossil hunters returned to camp with the momentous news of her

discovery. Lucy had a chimp-sized brain but she walked on her hind legs. It is probably no accident that our brain started swelling

like an evolutionary balloon after our hands were freed from the burden of walking and could concentrate on carrying food or

manipulating tools.

But human beings have only recently shown how very special they are. Fifty thousand years ago we had the same bodies and

brains as today and we probably had language. But we didnt have much by way of art, and our artifacts were limited to the

functionalstone tools for hunting and butchering, for instance.

That changed around 40,000 years ago, when the archaeological record shows a sudden magnificent flowering of art and evenmusical instruments. Cultural evolutionwhich outpaces by orders of magnitude the superficially similar genetic evolution that

had given rise to our big brains in the first place went into overdrive. Next came the transition from the hunter/gatherer to the

settled agriculture way of life, soon to be followed by cities, markets, governments, religion and war. The Industrial Revolution

expanded cities to megalopolises, propelling our species to worldwide (and potentially disastrous) domination, and even to

reach out to the moon and planets.

Simultaneously, the human mind has reached out to the wider universe, and far beyond the time constraints of a human life-

span. We now know that the world limiting our ancestors brief lives is a tiny speck orbiting a small star among some hundred

billion stars, in an average galaxy among some hundred billion galaxies. We know that the world began 4.6 billion years ago, and

the universe 13.8 billion. We understand the evolutionary process that generated us and all DNA-based life.

Theres plenty that we still dont understand, but we are working on it . And the urge to do so is perhaps the most inspiring of all

the unique qualities that make us human.
http://www.newrepublic.com/authors/richard-dawkinshttp://www.newrepublic.com/authors/richard-dawkinshttp://www.newrepublic.com/authors/richard-dawkinshttp://www.newrepublic.com/authors/richard-dawkins


6/6

6

human vs animals

Documents