@alexkidd Said
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)
I think the factor which has allowed humans to reach the population and level of technological and cultural advancement that they have, which is far in advance of any other species, is consciousness (or "sentience", or whatever you want to call it). The ability to visualise objects and events and use introspection leads to creativity and articulation which allows humans to design tools, organise themselves in a complex manner and plan activities long before executing them. We can think about things at a conscious level and express feelings through complex communication in the forms of language and art.
No other animal is capable of using creative language. This is a huge division which is basically a matter of luck for humans; we have the cerebral apparatus as well as the vocal organs necessary for language. There are some other animals which display sentience: apes, some monkeys, cetaceans, elephants and possibly some birds. But humans have the highest brain mass to body mass ratio of any species on Earth; the sheer quantity of grey matter we can devote to purely cognitive tasks makes us the most intelligent creatures around.
Arguably the most important aspect of consciousness is that it allows us to use empathy. We can imagine other people's thoughts and feelings, predict their behaviour and reactions to our own behaviour. This allows extremely complex social structures to develop, and has also meant that every society on Earth has its own moral code and values intended to create some kind of stability and consensus. Without empathy, we wouldn't understand suffering and happiness in other individuals, and so would only be motivated by genetic preservation instincts like most other animals.