What makes Humans Human?

Do you believe there is an intrinsic property in humans that seperates them from animals?
A soul perhaps?

Is the difference between humans and 'animals' over some such unique ability or quality or is it simply a matter of degrees, us being much better but not that different?

Basically what do you think humans can do but animals cannot?
Animals can use tools, communicate with eachother, display emotion partake in complex social behaviour,many have equal and in some cases better memory.

(for clarification, i recognise that humans ARE animals, but you know what i mean)

We're not as cute or cuddly..
And we have the ability to lie for no good reason.

looking at some people its hard to say what makes us human

ummm I honestly think its just that we are top of the evolutionary heap. So much of our behaviour can be compared to animals. I was about to say how humans can talk but then even birds have methods of communication so sophisticated.

I could go for the opposable thumbs thing, but animals feed and clean perfectly well without them.

I think the only thing humans can do that animals dont is f*** up the planet really

Language,critical,logical and iventive thinking,the opposable thumb and upright bipediality!

Oh wait wait, perhaps it is that we have the most skills.

What i mean is some animals can do certain things but not others, whereas humans can do a vaster range of skills although, not all animal skills.

We are more complex minded.

Self awareness

Our personality is shape shifting.

Actors can do this really well

We can realize ourselves & animals cannot 8)

animals can act, my cat gets embarrassed to, so he is aware of himself

That is about it. We also demonstrate this in some rather unique communication modes but beyond that, I can site a sub species that does, to some degree, any and all that man does, including contemplate the world in an abstract and worshipful way... as the crystal gazing Southeast Asian macaque do. It was once thought among the brotherhoods that only mankind "transcends" to higher planes of consciousness. They do even that and have distinct "holy" shaman. The bazaar thing is that, given where the behaviors are prevalent among these primates and our own worshipful attitudes towards them going back into prehistory, we likely owe our own direction in evolution of culture and civilization to aping them.

Oh, you better believe animals can act...and they can use it with a wicked sense of humor. Have a horse no other can trust like that. Sweet as the world with any other but myself or a child on it...but look out...you are in for a fall if Bob is not up for your notion of things. And he will make it seem your own fault. Biggest, "well I'll be" eyes you ever saw.

maybe animals need to be trained to Act different

Besides monkeys- Monkey see monkey do

Gosh...hope that one did not become a shoolmaster...because...don't know where you quoted that from, but it most certainly isn't true.

Personally I think it has to do with our ability to 'imagine' scenarios and find solutions to problems outside of trial and error, which animals rely on.