Humans Are MORE Than Mammals
The New York Times dedicated to undermining human exceptionalism, publishing such subversive advocacy regularly.
Today’s example, by English professor (of course!) Randy Laist in the Sunday Review section, says we should identify as mammals rather than humans. From, “Why I Identify as Mammal:”
In a world of conscious beings, identity matters. Self-perception plays a vital role in behavior, so the question of how human beings think about themselves in relation to the world is more than simply one of semantics; ways of seeing lead, directly and indirectly to ways of acting.
Given all that, I choose to identify as a mammal.
Well of course, Laist is a mammal biologically. So are all of us.
But we are far more than that. We are human beings, and only we can “identify” in the sense that Laist is describing. That makes us exceptional any way you look at it.
More than that, we are the only truly moral species in the known universe. Only we have duties–to ourselves, each other, our posterity, animals, and the environment.
The more we recognize that essential aspect of our natures–integral to human exceptionalism–the better our lives will be in community with each other, and the more enlightened animal husbandry and environmental practices we will adopt.
Read more at NationalReview.com…