Dear Burgy,
I do not think ascribing human actions to those of animals makes them akin
to us. I suppose it is a question of assumptions, since we cannot
communicate with animals, that animals cannot reason nor conceptualize
"non-existing," abstract objects or beings. We cannot say that a cat smiles,
or lioness love their cubs. I think that animals are sophisticated
computers, we are not!
Take care,
Moorad
>From: IN%"johnburgeson@juno.com" "John W. Burgeson" 12-FEB-2000
12:38:24.92
>To: IN%"asa@calvin.edu"
>CC:
>Subj: More on humanness
>Original-recipient: rfc822;alexanian@uncwil.edu
>
>Moorad wrote: "Moral decisions is what distinguish man from beasts and
>things. Your actions either glorify God or not. There seems to be no
>middle ground."
>
>OK, let me, for the sake of argument, accept that.
>
>Does that make a dog who rescues his master from a burning building
>(surely a "good" moral decision) part human?
>
>How about the elephant (see WHEN ELEPHANTS WEEP) who rescued a baby hippo
>(a different species) from a mudhole, even though the baby hippo's mother
>tried to interfere?
>
>Sorry -- I can't see enough to make a clear man-beast distinction here.
>
> Burgy
>
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