What are your thoughts on Humans being dominant over other animals?

Question

I talk to people regularly on this issue...what is it that makes humans feel that they are superior creatures? Because we can cut down trees, create air pollution, contaminate our water ways, slaughter animals by the thousands...yeah sure we have used our "increidlble" ability to reason and use tools to make our lives convenient, but the result is going to be total destruction of the Earth. So why does this make us better than the monkey or the dog in the labratory that we are torturing to come up with a medical or scientific breakthrough?

Some argue that the bible says everything is made for man...then why did everything else come first? And this God...when he sees the way we are treating his creations (Eath and it's creaures) he would not approve.
I think a dog is equal to a human...they think and feel....they have emotions of sadness and happiness. Yeah sure they probablt aren't going to sit down and come up with a new way to pollute the Earth...but I think that's a good thing

LJ..not saying I agree...just what peoples argument always seems to be...always refers back to the bible somehow. Im not a believer in that as you must know (vegan).

And 5Kids...you missed the point. Yes I am typing on a computer...but what is it benifiting really...my curiosity on a subject at the moment and that's it.

And no I wouldn't sit if my dog told me to....would you obey commands from your children? No, that doesn't mean that you are any more important than your children.

Nobody gets it...it's amazing what society does to you.

LOL can an animal take care of themselves...hmmm...yeah. And they were doing a great job before we came along...domesticated them...forced them to live like humans...and destroyed their home.

And yeah we could blow up the world...but that would just make us ignorant, not superior.

I guess this answers my question...not too many open minded logical people out there.

Yeah animals do kill eacho other...thank you so much for letting me know that! But I am not worried about a lion starting a factory farm and killing thousands and thousands of animals...make them live a hell on Earth...pump them full of steroids, antibiotics, and hormones...and destroy the Earth in the process. That's the difference....animals kill to survive...we just walk into the grocery store and pick up a steak, burger, or whatever without even knowing where the meat came from. Predators in the wild don't even touch the number of animals killed compared to here in the USA...

Oh and just to let YOU know 80% of crops in America are feed crops for factory farms....and 75% of our antibiotics are used on factory farms. Natural?...no

And just to remind you...you might have animals as "servents" ...but I sure don't!

And just to remind you...you might have animals as "servents" ...but I sure don't!

And just to remind you...you might have animals as "servents" ...but I sure don't!

lol fivekids....you still are missing the point. Yes were on a computer...and can build sky scrapers...but both are bad. They serve no purpose in our survival and are just a couple of resons our planet is undergoing mass destruction. So no your still not right...you are theone that needs to look beyond what society (USA in particular) and take a look at the big picture! Forget about ego...and who can be "big and bad" and kill and control others if they want to. And what do you have control of...really? Domination is for egotitical and self centered people...which involves most humans.

And those of you that keep mentioning god...get away from the dogma and make your own conclusions, whatever they might be.

Answer 1

Well said and i like your thought for Human Nature. Humans is the most rational creature. The only problems with humans is greed. They all want everything they want in life. Their desire for human satisfying at the expense of the Human Nature. Infact i cannot really comprehend why man are so ambitious that there is nothing on this earth that they will be contented. Everything for advancement and breakthrough without lloking back on the Mother Earth. I just hope a new generation will start not to folllow their ancestrors doing. It is really sickening. How i wish everyone has a concern on Mother Nature just like you.

Answer 2

My thoughts...
You will never convince anyone who quotes the bible (not GOD'S words), that we aren't "superior," have dominion over all other life (!) which exists only to serve us. Even without the book, many humans require this sense of superiority to bolster their egos.
I laughed after that first paragraph from fivekidsdown: "So we ARE superior. That much is settled." Really? I hardly see using computers, & comprehending--most often illogically--as superior. Those "lower" creatures have far greater developed senses, (we should learn from THEM), their behaviour (as opposed to humans) isn't motivated by greed, hatred, envy, control, mean-spiritedness & manipulation. Technology & "understanding the world," (as if we really understood it), is a great editorial comment about how "superior" we are.
jenny craig (extended & typical nasty nickname) is absolutely right, we can & do wipe out species; is this superiority or stupidity & simply indifference?
Can an animal take care of themselves, without the "help" of humans? They've been doing so since long before we arrived on this planet, & one thing for sure, we're VERY capable of wiping them out. Superior?
God put us "in charge of the earth." That PREMISE was one heck of a mistake. As well as, the earth isn't "sinning against us," as if it had a mind of its own! HUMANS are destroying the earth.
Fortunately, dogs don't "hold a conversation" in the way that we do, which is primarily biased, ignorant & full of venom.
You made some very credible, & logical points in your question. What a pity the answers were so inane.

Answer 3

I am going to have to quote the whole book of Genesis. It talks about why we as humans are the dominant species. Another thing is can an animal take care of themselves? Can an animal survive on its on without the help of humans. I know that there are animals that do, but animals cant take care of a country or this earth. I do know that humans aren't doing so good with taking care of the USA but hey we're trying and that's all that counts.

Answer 4

we have a concious and God put us in charge of the earth, like you said... He gave US a way of communicating with Him. but yes, we aren't taking very good care of the earth. if people just all decide not to treat the earth so badly then it wouldn't be a problem. God has a plan for this, we just have to try as hard as we can to be friendly to the hom He's given us.

Answer 5

God doesn't like us torturing animals, he loves our creatures. But remember that he had his people burn sacrifices of animals. He made them....and he made us. He made us dominant over them. That's just how he made things.

Animals kill each other, just to remind you....

Perhaps thier more innocent but they don't have the ability to do a lot of the GOOD things humans do. They're kind of here to serve us, and we should treat them with love in respect.

Answer 6

Technology means that millions of us get to live past the age of five years old and millions of women get to have children without routinely dying in the process.
The answer to pollution is better cleaner technology and not getting down and dirty with the other animals.

Answer 7

i dont think we really should be, we area ll the asme and can be just as easily killed as a fly by nature. Maybe god saw humans as the alst installmenmt on his project of creating earth.

Answer 8

Genesis 1:26. And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth.


P.s. I dont think god wants us treating his creatures with cruelty but yes we do have domination over them,

Answer 9

Well humans are superior. We've seen that we have much better powers of reasoning. Well look at what you're doing right now; you're looking at a computer screen that was designed by a human, sitting in a chair (or whatever) created by human minds and built by human hands (opposable thumbs, baby!), and you're looking at, and seeing, and comprehending, words and phrases. And you've done this without too much effort; the few monkeys or other animals that have been documented to even coming close (and by coming close, I mean coming close to an infant's mental capacity) to humans' understanding of the world took years of EXTENSIVE training and studies... oh by the way the training of those special animals was done by (gasp!) humans.

So we ARE superior. That much is settled.

Now just because we're superior doesn't mean we have to be jerks about it. But we should do what we have to do to further our race and to make our lives better; that's only natural. What people like you tend to see as "unnatural" is again only visible to you because of your "natural" ability to understand the world. So how can what we do, whatever it is, be unnatural?

And about dogs... I loved my dog (RIP Shamus...) but nonetheless, I knew I was the superior being. I didn't sit when he barked at me, it definitely went the other way around, although I did always make sure to ask him nicely ;-)

Edit: I beg to differ, madame. I hit the point entirely too accurately, is what you meant to say. Your (as a human) ability to understand, build, and use computers makes you superior. How can you possibly not see that... we're not perfect, but we're better. My dog has a better sense of smell than I do, but I can see colors better than he can. ANd if I can't, I can build glasses, or better, rely on other members of my species to build devices to help me correct my vision. Reliance on others in our species is one of the things that makes us superior to animals. More examples: Birds can see farther than I can, but I have enough intelligence to build a scope or radar that can see farther and better than birds. Its our ability to adapt and overcome anything that makes us superior. Honestly, how could you possibly believe any animal has dominion over us humans, as you sit here comfortable, and unafraid of any animals coming to kill you. Why do you think horror movies that use animals are so scary... the animal or monster never presents a threat until it surpasses humans and our ability to rule the world, and after all, what's scarier than loss of control?

And psychic cat, you're clearly deranged. Again, if cats were so great, how come they aren't the ones typing on the computer? I only bring up computers so much because that's sort of where you and I are at the moment; if we were standing in a building, I'd say "How many cats can erect a skyscraper?" If we were driving a car, I'd say "cheetahs top out at 70 miles an hour, but humans can make Jaguars do 150 mph." But we're typing over the Internet, so I bring that up. Fact is, I could point to anywhere or anything and ask you, fairly, what animals have contributed to it, do they understand it, could they duplicate it. And you would answer "Nothing, no, and not a chance". And then you would whine "but that still doesn't make humans better or have more understanding of the worrrrrld" and my head would explode from your logical inconsistencies.

Also, the only reason animals operate IS greed and self-survival. Why is it ok for a strong animal to kill some food and allow others who did not contribute to the animal's death to eat it, but it is not okay for humans to kill food and allow other humans to eat it?

You can't just think in the rosy, happy, sunny, overgeneralized terms your society taught you to think in, you need to actually get BEYOND that to think about the REAL world and what's in it.

Answer 10

natural instinct given by God! God said man is to multiply and subdue the earth.Read the book of genesis. God gaves man control over his creation.