Are Humans and Animals Quantitatively or Qualitatively Different

There is no denying that humans and animals are different, but the question remains - what is it that makes these species so different? There has been an ongoing debate for centuries regarding what makes humans and animals differ so greatly. While some scholars suggest that animals and humans are comprised of different components all together, others suggest that the two share different amounts of the same components.

Quantitative theories that suggest humans have a different amount of the same components are more closely related to the scientific evidence for evolution. The evolution of humans is similar to that of other species; we evolved through the use of natural selection. Natural selection can be described as the people that are best fit to survive at a given time will survive, carrying on their genetic traits and therefore enhancing the future generations.

Julien de La Mettrie, a French theorist, was one of the first to argue that the differences between animals and humans were purely quantitative. His beliefs were rather simple- all natural objects are comprised of the same things, matter and motion. However, these claims were not simply accepted. Aristotle, an Ancient Greek philosopher, was among those who disagreed. Aristotle had previously argued that humans have traits that animals are unable to possess, such as motivation, emotion, and memories. However, upon further research, studies have shown that animals are in fact able to do things that were once thought to be a separating factor for humans. Animals have been proven to be able to make meaningful connections; whether it is with their offspring or a spouse (some animals are capable of mating for life).

A simple, yet effective way to support this notion would be to look at pets and their owners. Pets are able to recognize their owners after large amounts of time being apart, they also form bonds with their owners and feel excited emotions when they see them. Other factors that are considered to be a separating factor between humans and animals may include communication, ability to use tools, strategies or rational thinking.

While animals may be considered to be fuelled by their “appetitive psyche”, they are able to formulate calculated plans in order to catch their pray. Some species even work together to trap their pray; animals are able to complete such tasks through their own form of communication. In addition, animals such as apes, elephants and many more have been proven to have the ability to use simple tools. With proper teaching and training there are number of things that animals are capable of, there is simply a different degree of difficulty when compared to humans.

The creation of humans and the way in which we evolve is extremely similar, if not the same as animals, so why is it that people struggle with the idea that there is not a great divide between human and animal kind? Humans have been groomed to believe they are superior by a great divide but the fact of the matter is, when considering the evidence, humans and animals share similar qualities. The differences between the two are simply quantitative, in that humans and animals have a different number of the same components.

References

Walsh, R. T., Teo, T., & Baydala, A. (2014). A critical history and philosophy of psychology: Diversity of context, thought, and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.