<p>It's nice to see that such a controversial statement I made caused the creation of this thread.</p>
<p>My take on it:</p>
<p>Do what's best for the long term good (improve our ecosystem, stop global warming). If we can't control our impact on the environment, we need to take care of overpopulation.</p>
<p>It's not really our fault though... If the whole earth is wiped out in a 100 years due to global warming, it would be an inevitable fate. The shift from a type 0 civilization to type 1 is the most difficult one...</p>
<p>I think it's quite fair to say that we're more intelligent than almost all or all organisms. Intelligence is not arbritary - in fact, we usually measure intelligence in terms of what is important to all creatures, although possibly in varying amounts, such as ability to notice patterns and associations, and spatial intelligence. Of course, I am ignoring the possibility that animals have knowledge on a completely different order from humans, though given their actions, this possibility (at least to a human mind) seems unlikely. (Intelligence tests that include verbal intelligence or general knowledge aren't as accurate in my opinion, and would certainly be biased against animals.)</p>
<p>This doesn't mean, however, that we have the right to exploit animals for our own purposes in any way we want to. Animals still can feel emotions and pain.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
They are too dumb to even grasp the idea of inventing...
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Dolphins in captivity, when given a signal to "create", are known to invent their own tricks, and are able to perform these at a later time when a signal is given.</p>
<p>I was talking about animals in general, not the smartest of all animals (dolphins)...</p>
<p>Oh, ok. That makes more sense, and I agree there. Most of what we perceive as "inventions" (which are probably not really new to them, anyway) in the so-called "lower" animals are probably just results of evolved instinct.</p>
<p>I think were animals because at the end of the day, what drives us is the same things that drives animals, fear and instinct. When you look at a hot chick and think to yourself, well I gotta get on top of that, thats your biological urge to reproduce. When you get alot of fancy cars, youre trying to attract a mate or make up for a small *****. When you try to dominate someone in some way shape or form, that is your inner animal telling you that you are better than them and you can win. We are animals because or primary mode of operation is instinct.</p>
<p>^^and to above posters, we wont care about global warming after dec 21 2012 :0</p>
<p>^We have evolved from animals, and we have the same urges as animals, but we also have more complex thoughts and emotions that allow us to reason better than most other animals can at this stage.</p>
<p>Animals have the same emotions though, havent you ever cuddled with a puppy, and just felt good, like you had an emotional connection with it. And how the puppy feels all sad when you leave, Its just a more complex version, its not different.</p>
<p>Emotions are pretty basic no matter what. Our ability to reason is really what makes us different. I suppose some animals may have the ability to reason as well, but we don't know.</p>
<p>Maybe Douglas Adams was right, and rats really are doing experiments on us...<em>gasp</em>!</p>
<p>
I don't understand how you can say that with assurance. Sure, goldfish have been tested as having very short-term memories, but I don't think that we know all about every cognitive process that occurs in every animal. xP</p>
<p>
I think that what is most "important" to all creatures is far from pattern recognition, which is pretty trivial overall despite some benefits. What's important to all creatures is survival, both on the individual level and as a species. And as stone_cutter said, "If you define [superior intelligence] as the ability to survive, then cockroaches are the most superior..." </p>
<p>There are many ways that you could define intelligence that would favor humans. However, I see this as a result of the fact that we are humans and therefore almost any standard would be inherently biased. Naturally, we're "advanced" in terms of the things that we value as a species -- that only makes sense, no matter what you identify as the causation of this correlation!</p>
<p>To articulate my argument more clearly, I believe that animals would be a type of car likea 1987 honda civic, or something that is really crappy and slow. Humans on the other hand are a ferrari or some crazy fast amazing car. Even though we are ferraris, and they are civics, were both still cars. Were not airplanes, were not boats, were not space ships. We are just a more highly developed version of animals. </p>
<p>Also, animals can reason. i have seen my dogs numerous times think about how to escape from our kitchen, and they try numerous different things until they find success. once they find success they exploit it.</p>