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It is often bad tone to assume some (more or less unethical) motives behind a contrary view. Why would you do that? is it because of <insert something bad>? The

It is often bad tone to assume some (more or less unethical) motives behind a contrary view. Why would you do that? is it because of <insert something bad>? The technique seldom lends itself to a balanced discussion and will tend to deteriorate into ad hominem type arguments (I know, I used to do it a lot :-/ ...) . Anyway to your point: I find it probably that all species will find themselves more special than others, and I could easily imagine a conversation between dogs find that they are the most special of all creatures: tell me who can smell as good as we? Eagles would claim to have better eyesight than most etc. Either we as humans can claim to be better than everyone else at everything (clearly false), or claim that we are best at being us, something we share with every other species. A third position, which evaluates species from species-neutral characteristics doesn't seem to exist. And so the modest attitude which you criticize could at least be said to be guided by logic, not misanthropy at all.

meri_dian 9y ago
I only wrote what I did from what I've seen in my own life. It's an anecdote but common enough for me that I'd imagine it applies to other people too. And you're right. If other animals were self aware enough to recognize their own exceptional qualities I'm sure they'd be proud of them. Humans have an awful sense of smell. Our vision is good, but animals have better vision. Same for hearing. But we are extremely good at thinking and cooperating with other members of our species. We're special because we form a highly dynamic super-organism like an ant colony, which amplifies our individual exceptionalism.
- stareatgoats 9y ago
  Great, so we agree to some extent. And I agree that we are right to be proud of our special qualities. It's the assertion that humans are exceptionally special in any objective sense which I don't agree with, and which would require some super-specie value system to be logically valid. Religion or some similar belief can obviously be such a system, but I personally find such incompatible with what I can reasonably infer from established facts. I guess we can leave it at that.

meri_dian 9y ago

I only wrote what I did from what I've seen in my own life. It's an anecdote but common enough for me that I'd imagine it applies to other people too. And you're right. If other animals were self aware enough to recognize their own exceptional qualities I'm sure they'd be proud of them. Humans have an awful sense of smell. Our vision is good, but animals have better vision. Same for hearing. But we are extremely good at thinking and cooperating with other members of our species. We're special because we form a highly dynamic super-organism like an ant colony, which amplifies our individual exceptionalism.

stareatgoats 9y ago
Great, so we agree to some extent. And I agree that we are right to be proud of our special qualities. It's the assertion that humans are exceptionally special in any objective sense which I don't agree with, and which would require some super-specie value system to be logically valid. Religion or some similar belief can obviously be such a system, but I personally find such incompatible with what I can reasonably infer from established facts. I guess we can leave it at that.