Is knowledge of death what truly makes us human?

Question

Death is related to self-identification, something humans, with our very advanced brains, have moreso than any other being. Chimps and other primates close to us can only recognize themself in a mirror, unlike any other animal; but they cannot recognize, when they witness the death of another being, that they will someday die themself. But, we can. Is our advanced knowledge of our inevitable coming death what makes us capable, and is it not the best way to, self-realization?

Answer 1

Yes. Your question is more thoroughly explained in Carl Sagan's book; The Dragons of Eden. He writes; " Fear and worrying about the future is the price we pay for our high intelligence. " I didn't quote it perfectly.

Answer 2

Maybe death is realated to self Identification, but it's not the sole criteria that makes us human. Animals do realize understand death, and that's why they do try to evade it, they try to survive the same way as human beings do. But I don't know whether they realize the fact that death is for sure.

We can study the behaviour of animals but withi a restricted scope. We compare them with ourselves as to how we react and how they react under some particular circumstances. We as human beings have the polwer to choose. Animals, utilize their environment to serve their purposes, and we have the power to modify the environment. Unfortunately we choose to alter the environment. What we call the sixth sense of the animals could possibly be their intelligence.

I believe the animals too have the power to choose. I've seen few animal documentaries showing how a particular animal is discarded by the herd if it behaves in a manner that is against the insticntal behaviour of that particular species. However, we human beings have the power to forgive. Some use this power generously, and some use it rarely. And a lot of us expect others to forgive us. This is where we are very different. Animals, just do what they are supposed to do, and we have expectations. We manipulate our actions with reference to the expectations. We'll be sweet to a person when we expect him to be sweet to us, we'll show kindness if we expect kindness from others.

The other major difference is efficient communication. We can communicate, and that gives us the power to spread knowledge - Good or bad. We choose to absorb either one of them. And when you are saying about advanced knowledge, I don't find anything advanced in it. If we really had good knowledge, we would have formed a homogenous structure of society. But instead, we have different social groups, a lot of them extremely contradictiong in their actions and beliefs. In fact we have very little knowledge. Or maybe we at a point of time chose to ignore the knowledge that could be beneficial to the whole globe. We concentrated more on what's beneficial to us in individual terms.

Nature follows strict rules, animals follow them too. And we don't. Because we have the power. And we forgot that great powers bring in great responsibilities. As far as being respoinsible is concenred, we don't even wanna be responsible for our own selves. We want more of worldly pleasures, something that we created, something that is not offered by the mother nature. We rely on nature for resources, but we create our own luxuries. Yet the essence remains of being a part of nature always remains within us. That is why, we find the cool breeze in the country-side, better than an air conditioned chamber. Because that's our true instinct. We are still a part of nature, and we must realize that we gotta contribute accordingly to save the mankind.

When we do something wrong, we realize it, but yet, we tend to justify ourselves in the pretext of freedom or liberty or equality. I believe we are human beings no more, we are just biological more efficient species - homo-sapiens.

To be a human being we gotta first identify ourselves as an integral part of this world. And as the integral part, we have our own rights and our own duties. What really makes us a human being is the realizatrion of the right and wrong. When we choose what's right, we can be titled as true human beings, and if don't then we are not fit enough to be a part of this world (just ilke a paralysed or diseased part of our body).

All the best...

:-)

Answer 3

Aces and Kings and Queens are there in a p.c.. of enjoying cards. they have precise values. Is there any certainty in those values. everybody is a genius, cognizance of the Self brings interior the potential of source interior each persons. Intelligence is in basic terms a textile definition and partial expression of the characteristic of airy presence interior.Intelligence is the potential to comprehend one from the different as no longer this no longer this and not this. To be extra lucid, a table as we call it somewhat is no longer the empty area, a vacuum as we call it or the air as we call it or the ambience as we call it around it. So this table isn't that. So that's no longer that or no longer THIS no longer this, is the only discovering technique. Intelligence is defined by utilising the the two ignorant ideas comparing lower back this dullness with that sharpness by utilising understanding that this dullness isn't that sharpness. generally each thing which people do are foolishness with the aid of fact they're physique unsleeping, and physique awareness build ego and compartmentalise one from the different and alienate one from the different. the place the disparity between the This and THAT turns into wider Chasm.

Answer 4

As a species, we do like to think highly of ourselves. We don't know what other animals think. We think and speak English, or other human languages.

Since other animals have the same experiences as we do -- depression, anxiety, etc. it is likely that they have a conceptualization, but they lack a common form of language to share that information.

Knowledge of death doesn't make us human or intelligent -- it only means that as a species we are fearful and anxious.

Answer 5

I disagree- and if you have ever seen a deer in the headlights or watch a gazelle run from a lion, you would know that animals do recognize the potentiality of their own deaths. The author PK Dick believed that empathy is what makes us human. How do you feel about that answer? Pax - C.

Answer 6

consciousness and active powers of reason


we're rational animals
at least, we suppose that we are.


there are other examples of things that we would know but, say, dolphins or primates would not.

these other examples would be of the sort which can only be identified through the use of reason

Answer 7

How do you know all this about chimps and primates? Such a fallacy! Where's your concrete scientific evidence?

Answer 8

Yes darling, truely. I face death a few times before. Life is only once but there is an afterlife called resurrection, recarnation, reborn. heehe...
Be good and your life is much better in next life. :P
Because soul never die unless sold to devil.

Answer 9

interesting question actually. i don't know about chimps and primates, but i know a bit about humans. knowing about death and realising what death are two different things. knowledge about death is theoritical. we can know about it from books,people, or through any secondary medium. but when a person himself/herself realises about death...realises what death takes along with it...then only a person realises the true meaning of life. Death is a great teacher. it teaches the person who dares to realise it.
for example...lemme see....take gautam buddha for example...he was a prince...he must have known about death...like each one of us know...but when he saw the actual suffering death causes in form of his people...he wanted to realise what exactly life is.
getting over the realisation of death is extremely difficult, once you get over it. one realises what life's true form is.
this is what my personal opinion is. opinions may differ!
take care! :)

Answer 10

For me, it's the knowledge of life, the day-to-day experiences, and our interrelationships with others, that truly makes me human...