This is problematic. Animals do not have sophisticated thoughts -- in fact, linguistically, the thought level of a non-human ape (e.g. Nim Chimpsky, Washoe....) at near adulthood cannot express thoughts that are displaced, i.e. separate from themselves in any capacity (past tense, future events, actions other people take...) while a human child at the age of 18 months can. This literally means the animals that are considered closest to humans are completely egocentric and don't think about anything other than themselves (or, suppose others in the survival sense -- a mother feeding her baby-- but this is an innate desire that 1) humans have too and 2) basic empathy isn't sophisticated).
So how can an animal be capable of cruelty? How can an animal be racist, sexist or phobic in any social capacity if they are solely concerned with themselves? Humans are quite literally the first (as far as we know) to have this higher level of thinking -- not just displacement, which also concerns itself with abstract thoughts-- and quite literally we are the first species to be dealing with the *ethics* of survival of the fittest, of being omnivorous, of concerns of which are are result of becoming the apex predator and actually making it to the top of the food chain. We are still young as a sentient species and we are still alone. Could we say having these thoughts and still being very self-involved in regards to vegetarian/veganism isn't a natural animal thing to do? Is it okay that we are making mistakes, forming opinions, taking sides as a development as a sentient species?
What are the latter evolutionary stages of being a sentient creature like? Being the only sentient species and growing up as one by ourselves -- does this mean we will go mad? Will we develop strangely from "childhood" to "adulthood"? There's no dialogue for us as a species. We can only scream out into space or pretend that animals can understand us. Or talk with ourselves. And here we are.
~and the hairy bear gets philosophical~
on that note about the real time growing beards -- i'm just going to say, if there isn't a redengine3 beard simulator 2015 made as a parody of the witcher universe, I'm going to be incredibly disappointed in the modding community.So much potential.
...we share something like 50% of our DNA with bananas so are you thinking what I'm thinking....?
