The Difference Between Humans and Animals August 26, 2008

 

 

 

At first glance, distinguishing the main difference between humans and animals seems too simple:  Humans have the intelligence and capability to perform complex tasks (such as religion), and animals do not.  Upon deeper inspection, however, I’m not sure that answer satisfies.  While it may be a correct and concise answer, it may not be the complete answer.  For example, some species of dolphins or chimps are very able to perform difficult tasks.  While highly intelligent in the animal world, they lack a necessary component of human intelligence, introspection.  It is introspection and a craving to fill any empty feelings that lead humans to religion.  Without that introspection and need to fill intangible voids, animals are happy to just exist.   If humans could be satisfied with food, water, shelter, and loving attention, there would be no need to seek higher answers.  So maybe the main difference between humans and animals is merely that people have more needs to be satisfied than animals. 

Goodbye Summer Hiatus! August 22, 2008

It’s that time of year again.  Kmart and Wal-Mart aisles are an explosion of mechanical pencils, loose-leaf college-ruled paper, and Hannah Montana lunch boxes.  Little boys throw tantrums that they can’t have the overpriced Power Rangers book bag.  Little girls cry, because they wanted the sparkly-glitter pencils, not the brown ones.  While every college student, boy or girl, weeps at the cost of text books for the next semester.  My books will run me about 500 big ones.  That’s a lot of sparkly pencils.

Though the total cost of my school books is more than a months rent and utilities combined, I did find a gem of wonderful information in the required reading.  Nudged between the daunting Statistics book and overstuffed Physiological Psychology book is the tiny Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction. 

Classes don’t start until Monday, but I’m already immersed in the book’s small, yet magnificent pages.  Not only does it explain the beauty of the religion, but it also analyzes whether it is a religion at all.  Author Damien Keown attempts to answer the question: What is a religion?  That, perhaps more than anything, peaked my interest.  The answer is brilliant.  Ninian Smart explains religion by breaking it down into 7 groups (1. Practical/Ritual  2. Experiential/Emotional etc.)  He says that all parts of the religion make up a whole.  Some religions have more belief in a higher power than others, but that absence doesn’t make a belief atheistic.  Pretty cool, ay?

So while I’m still wiping my tears over my dwindling bank account, I have some rather fascinating subjects to keep me occupied.  Regardless if my world religions class is good or bad, this is one text book I won’t be selling back at the end of the term.