Re: thoughts on Jesus

On Fri, 23 May 2008 08:08:57 +0100,
alwaysaskingquestions <alwaysaskingquestions@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Mark Isaak" <eciton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:pan.2008.05.22.21.31.17.24169@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Thu, 22 May 2008 10:42:09 +0100, alwaysaskingquestions wrote:

"Féachadóir" <Féach@d.óir> wrote in message
news:6ag934l12f0hecv9ejmncr9mv7arvl09f4@xxxxxxxxxx
Scríobh "alwaysaskingquestions" <alwaysaskingquestions@xxxxxxxxx>:
Féachadóir wrote:
Scríobh "alwaysaskingquestions" <alwaysaskingquestions@xxxxxxxxx>:

[...]

Your subjective assessment is irrelevant. There's nothing unique about
your abilities. You might as well argue that blue whales are special
because nothing else is as big. We're at the end of a spectrum, not in
a class of our own.

A spectrum suggests a series of graduated points with some overlap,
not the massive leap from say chimpanzees to Man as opposed to say
dogs to chimpanzees (examples only, pick whatever comparative species
you like)

I do not accept the assertion that the leap from chimp to man is
massive in comparison to the leap from dog to chimpanzee, but we'll
let that slide.

If you want more fine grain between chimp and man (or rather from our
common ancestor to us both) spend a little time learning about your
closest relatives. You know, H Neanderthal, H Erectus, H Habilis, all
those Australopithecines....

The problem is comparing those in terms of cognitive development. The
only available indicator is tool use. [...]

You mean that skill which chimpanzees do so well?

That damned chimp next door, keeps borrowing my screwdrivers and spanners
and never brings them back ....

The difference, once again, is in degree. A chimp uses a stick to get ants.
That's tool use. That suggests a fairly high degree of cognitive ability.
Yes, it's not as impressive as a carpenter's tool set, but still, the fact
is that the rudimentary neural hardware is there. The same applies to
language. The same applies to culture. The same applies to social
hierarchies. No one is arguing they are our equal, that's your own little
bit mocking hyperbole. But what we are arguing is that our "specialness" is
one of *degree*.

--
Aaron Clausen mightymartianca@xxxxxxxxx

.

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