3 ms·

We used to think that humans were the only animals to use tools, but this was disproven long ago: otters use rocks to break open shellfish, birds use tools to c

We used to think that humans were the only animals to use tools, but this was disproven long ago: otters use rocks to break open shellfish, birds use tools to create their nests, etc. Then, we thought that humans were the only animals to fashion tools, not merely pick up objects from their environment. This was also disproven. Primates sharpen sticks to hunt, bend twigs to get ants out of trees, etc. Today, we believe humans' unique relationship to tools is recursive: we're the only animal ever observed to use a tool to make a tool. It's this capacity for self-referential thought that sets us apart from the rest of the creatures on earth. There's tremendous intelligence in the animal kingdom: Octopuses and crows can solve complex problems, dogs can manipulate humans, dolphins can transmit visual imagines to one another through sound. But self-referential thought is why a human built this website and other animals could not.

bl0rg 4y ago
There’s always something that sets us apart, isn’t there? Something that makes “us” better than “them”. Or so we tell ourselves as we continue to rape the planet and kill our cohabitants. The mind can be quite resourceful when faced with cognitive dissonance.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y ago
  I attended a talk in college by a guy who had measured a bunch of cultural attitudes toward animals, nature, the environment, etc. from different cultures all around the world, then ranked them from most empathetic to least empathetic. He found the #1 contributing factor to be whether or not that human population coexists with monkeys. Monkeys are the link that connect us to the animal world. Looking at the face of a creature that is similar to your own is tremendously powerful. I think it's natural to wonder about our place in the world, but you're right: we shouldn't think of ourselves as distinct from it.

bl0rg 4y ago

There’s always something that sets us apart, isn’t there? Something that makes “us” better than “them”. Or so we tell ourselves as we continue to rape the planet and kill our cohabitants. The mind can be quite resourceful when faced with cognitive dissonance.

rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y ago
I attended a talk in college by a guy who had measured a bunch of cultural attitudes toward animals, nature, the environment, etc. from different cultures all around the world, then ranked them from most empathetic to least empathetic. He found the #1 contributing factor to be whether or not that human population coexists with monkeys. Monkeys are the link that connect us to the animal world. Looking at the face of a creature that is similar to your own is tremendously powerful. I think it's natural to wonder about our place in the world, but you're right: we shouldn't think of ourselves as distinct from it.