Human/Nonhuman Animals

I feel that there are several characteristics that distinguish human animals from non human animals. The first major difference, and probably the most obvious, is physical appearance. Humans have a unique physical structure that is different from any other animals. While some animals may possess a few human physical traits, no animal can match the human structure. The second difference is mental capacity. I do not know a lot of information about animal's brain capacity, but from general knowledge I can assume that human's are more intellectual. Human's have developed this little thing called technology, which has enabled them to do so much. Without technology humans would not have been able to accomplish half of the things they have. During this week's reading of Animal Ethics, we learned moral agent and moral patient. This is another difference between humans and animals. I believe that all humans are responsible for their actions and are therefore classifiable as moral agents. Animals on the other hand do not know what is right and what is wrong. They lack moral understanding, which is why they are classifiable as moral patients. I believe that another difference is subject of a life, another topic we learned in this weeks reading. All humans are subjects of a life because they possess the characteristics that define the term. For example, humans have beliefs and desires; sense of the future; and perception and memory, just to name a few. Not all animals are subjects of life because not all animals possess these characteristics. For example, do bee's, ants, and snakes think about the future? In conclusion, I think the main differences between human animals and nonhuman animals are physical structure, mental capacity, accountability, and subject of a life.