The difference between human animals and nonhuman animals is the ability to make decisions based on more than just instincts. Nonhuman animals base their actions purely on pleasure or survival while human animals make decisions based on morals along with pleasure and survival. Nonhuman animals goals are to survive and reproduce while human animals' goals are more complex. Human animals' desires are endless and can range from making friends to getting a job promotion. Nonhuman animals' decisions lack reason and their desires are simplistic. Nonhuman animals react based on pure instinct and have no discretion. Human animals are able to make decisions based on outside forces like society or morals. Nonhuman animals have simplistic goals than Human animals.
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Shani Gardner claims that NHA soul purpose in life is to survive and reproduce. While the more advanced HA make decisions based on reasoning, morals, and what would be most pleasurable to them. In Mendl and Paul's article they explain the results of a study done by Hampton. The study sets out to answer the question; can rhesus monkeys reflect on past information in order to make a correct decision in which the monkey would then be rewarded with a peanut? Before the matching test the monkey could opt not to take the test if they felt their memory was not at its best.(If they choose not to take the test they were rewarded a monkey pellet--a reward but not as favorable as the peanut.) Hampton concluded, "These findings suggest that monkeys can monitor the quality of their memory and use this information to moderate their behavior in a memory test." (Mendl, Paul 74) According to Hampton's research this species of monkey is not purely living off instinct, they have memory abilities that they can recall and use in everyday situations. However, Shani is correct in claiming that there is no proof of NHA making decisions based on morals and the monkeys memories were not always at there best which suggest that they may not be on the same level as HA. But to say NHA live purely off instinct is not completely true according to Hampton.
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