Human-chauvinism

When debating with folks about evolution, invariably I get told that humans are somehow unique. That perhaps we really aren't just highly evolved animals. In many cases, the person making that assertion insists that humans are the only animal that does this or that thing. Sadly, it seems for those who hold that opinion that there are fewer and fewer things that we do that other animals don't do. New Scientist has an interesting article and a video on this (sadly you need a subscription to get to all of it).

Furthermore, this argument even seems to come from more skeptical people when debating what could lead to intelligence "elsewhere" (i.e. not on earth). We seem to be so stuck on our one data point that we forget that nature only managed to get to our state of being through many fits and starts. And we aren't very well put together either. As I said in a previous blog, evolution has no goal, aside from propegating a particualr species. The ones that do it well survive, those that don't end up extinct.

So, the point of this blog? Don't be such a human chauvinist!