Animals Aren't Human

What sets us apart from the animals, our ability to laugh, to see the funny side of things. Animal lovers will always insist that their pet dog, cat, mongoose, fish or lizard is laughing, smiling or expressing angst. But, and I am sorry to have to insist, this is not true.

Leibniz, the early 18th. Century German philosopher said, “It is the knowledge of necessary and eternal truths which distinguishes us from mere animals, and gives us reason and the sciences, raising us to knowledge of ourselves..”

Animals are lovely, if you like that kind of thing, but they don’t have any sense of humour. They are, in fact, very limited intellectually. You could say the same about many of their owners, or if I am to be politically correct, keepers. Please be aware any animal nuts, that I do like animals myself, and that I have had many pet dogs, fish and even a tortoise or two when I was an ankle biter. I just don’t ascribe human abilities to the little beasts. I also don’t, and you should whisper this, hug any trees. They’re really nice to look at, but they don’t look cuddly to me.

Nietzche’s observed, “God’s first blunder: Man didn’t find the animals amusing, - he dominated them, and didn’t even want to be an animal” but he did go on to blot his record by continuing “Woman was God’s second blunder”.

Humans don’t learn to have a sense of fun and the ridiculous, we are born with this ability. There is something attractive about us when we smile, and that’s why almost every photograph you see has a smiling face in it. We look at our best when we’re happy. Animals can be happy or sad, but that is based purely on their basis needs being met or otherwise. They can’t express emotion facially or verbally, they don’t have the mental agility. Their brains simply don’t have the synapses.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others, as George Orwell stated in his book, Animal Farm, and we are the animals that are really more equal.