Serious question on morality for ATHEISTS?

Question

How do you determine in the social order that humans are on the top (or at least above animals)?

It would be through our intellect and complex thought process that elevates us above animals, right?

Which means "smart" people are more valuable than dumb ones?

True/False? Why?

Instead of making hollow statements (as atheists I know ur beyond that) please EXPLAIN your reasoning.

Answer 1

true to some extend , but not totally .

animals dont go all the way donating food or help to other starving animals in enemy territory , human does , to some extend .

animals seldom help other animals of other species , seldom , exist but seldom . i heard of hippos trying to save a deer , gorrila protecting human , dolphin savings human who are drowning and so on . but usually it's due to their instinct to protect the weak and it seldom happens.

human on the other hand have intelligence that give us technology and when use wisely , it could benefit every other single things on Earth .
we have humans saving and curing animals of disease on a daily basis.

and there are social animals too , such as chimps (if i am not wrong) and certain other animals.

instead of the usual fighting to determine who to be their alphamale , social animals have 'voting' whereby it doesnt necessary need violent to elect their alphamale , the one with more to their sides will be elected as their alphamale even though he couldnt overpower the ' opposition ' in a 1 v 1 fight
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why do i say smart people are more valuable than dumb ones to some extend ?
they could contribute more ... and help the society.

i know this kind of decision is selfish , i know , but if situation arises , smart one are usually the first one being saved.

just like in a flood or other disaster , or perhaps maybe world wide disastor and only limited number of people could be saved. when this happen , they would have to made the hard choice such as saving the fertiles one , instead of old people.

i strongly agree with the answerer below me , that all life are sacred. if there's even a small chance to save someone , even if his IQ is 0 , people , due to their instinct , will most probably save them , even if it endangered their own life.

edit :

if there 2 person , and you can only save 1 , no matter who you save , there will be those who think you make the wrong choice , maybe even yourself.

Answer 2

False. All human life has the same objective value. Some lives are more valuable to us because they belong to people we personally value. Not a moral judgement. Smart vs Dumb? Less intelligent people often have more valuable skills than more intelligent ones and usually cause less disruption. Herodotus said, "Count no man happy until he is dead." By the same token, we can't be sure in people's lifetimes how valuable their contributions will be.

As for human superiority, I'll let Mark Twain deal with that, from "The Descent of Man from the Higher Animals":

"If you take a dog off the street, feed it and make it prosperous, it will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

From the same essay.:

"I left a Lion, a lamb, a tiger and an Elephant in a cage with plenty of food and water and went away for the weekend. When I came back, they were all fine. I tried the same experiment with a Frenchman, a German, an Italian and a Pole and the results were too horrible to describe."

Wolves can't balance quadratic equations, but then neither can most people. But wolves can survive in the forest. Drop the average MBA into one and he'll starve to death in the midst of plenty.

Value is a judgement call and who you're asking has a lot to do with it. Who's more valuable to stockholders? A dumb janitior who does his job, or a smart executive who gives himself a bonus for bankrupting the company with his compensation package?

Answer 3

I don't think human's are at the top.

But certainly, at this point in time, I would say we are at the top of the food chain.

From everything I have read, animals do not have a true conscience (but I think my dog does, when she pees on the floor, she sure looks guilty).

As for, is my life more valuable, (I don't think so). I try to eat vegetarian as much as I can, and for that very reason. I cannot stand to see an animal suffer or any other human being for that matter. I feel way to much for them. I am a very emphatic person.

I cry, cringe and close my eyes, every time I see a child fall. And I can't even watch those sports blooper shows (that everyone loves), because I just feel their pain.

Answer 4

I don't quite see us as being above other animals...we are animals ourselves after all (and people sure do act like it sometimes), though we have however basically taken over to try to rule the world.

And yes, true enough, even if humankind doesn't like to say it out loud...in the chain of command in ANY species, there are always those that are above you and those that are below you. It's just a part of nature.

Doesn't make anyone more or less valuable as a *person*, but there is a value of greater or lesser to humankind and society as a whole.

Answer 5

Everything has an equal place in this universe. I am not more important than a retarded person, nor am I more important than a deer or a tiger. It does not matter what it the organism in question is--we all live, we all eat, and then we all die.

However, by our pointy canines, nature has told us that we were meant to eat meat to properly sustain ourselves. As omnivores, we have as much right to consume a cow as a lion does an antelope. That puts us above other animals on a *food chain*, but that does not mean we are more special than, say, a rabbit. More intelligent? Yes. More important? No.

Answer 6

As an atheist, I don't believe in any way that we are elevated above the animals. That is strictly a religious claim. Insects and rodents will be here long after we're gone. Do you know what are far superior to humans? Viruses. Viruses, insects and rodents are far more adapted for survival than we are. Are we morally and intellectually superior than they are? I can't call it, can you?

Answer 7

Humans need to make room for animals and pets. Otherwise, there will be nothing to eat. Or it will become more limited and expensive.

Who decides which person is smater?

Who is more valued? Doctor, engineer, lawyer, teacher? Politians? Actors or athlets have no advanced math or technical training.

Who gets paid the most?

If you were building a society, who would be more valuble?

Answer 8

In some ways, humans can be so compassionate and help their fellow humans in need. Yet, in other ways, humans can be so low, that we are the only species that kill each other for strange reasons (not for food or mating rights).

I don't see humans as that much superior to other species.

Answer 9

What seperates us is thought. All human beings have the same capablity, the same wiring. Of course there are several people who are different, in terms of mentality. Some are sick, disease or even hard drugs. But for the most of us, we all have the same brain, the same DNA.

Answer 10

So what is the question on the morality? I only see a question on self-worthiness.

Now, after you had seen my answer, do you think you are less valuable then me? I don't think so.