Henry Imler February 23rd, 2007

Spear-wielding chimps snack on skewered bushbabies

In a revelation that destroys yet another cherished
notion of human uniqueness, wild chimpanzees have been seen living in
caves and hunting bushbabies with spears. It is the first time an
animal has been seen using a tool to hunt a vertebrate.

Man is a rational animal, is he not? Rationality has often been how
we have separated ourselves from the animals, justifying our use of
them. After all, animals only work off of instinct, whereas us humans
with souls are rational. So, what do we do if animals are seen to be
rational as well? Since rationality has been the evidence of souls in
humans, would we then need to graft souls onto animals?

I don’t think one can hold to the “Man is a rational animal” as a
distinction between humans and their rights and aminals with their
lesser rights.

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