Our Inimitable Nature

What makes us distinctively human? What is it in our human nature that separates us from all other animals? To begin with, let me refer to the dictionary for the definition of one’s nature: “the innate or essential qualities or character of a person or animal.” So our nature is what makes us us; the unique qualities that distinguish me from others—whether that be from my brother or we humans from animals.

There has been an enduring belief that we humans have a nature that is fundamentally different from the rest of the animal kingdom. Our religions and our myths often tell us this is so. But science has increasingly challenged these ideas by demonstrating that many of the differences are not nearly as stark as we once thought. I've written in this blog several times about how there is often little or no meaningful gap between us and animals—it's just a matter of degree.

But we really are different, aren’t we? Maybe we're not as special as we once thought, but surely we are distinct among the animal kingdom. But how? “New Scientist” magazine has recently listed six ways in which human nature is unique—six characteristics that are shared by all humans, which they say animals mostly lack. Again, some of these we differ only in degree, but that degree is relevant. 

1.     Being playful—although animals definitely play, they don't pursue as wide a variety of entertainment, or spend as much time enjoying themselves. We have more free time for play and we willingly congregate with unrelated strangers for entertainment. Our imaginations are very lively.

2.     Being scientific—we are inclined to sort, categorize, predict, and test our ideas. We do so in order to understand the world around us; we are innately curious. Our drive to ask “why” about phenomena is unique.

3.     Being legislative—all human societies form and operate by rules, and those rules can become complicated, and are often associated with taboos and etiquette. We are obsessed with kinship—to ensure rights and inheritance. Our rules are used to create marriage, family relationships, and incest taboos. We create elaborate rules of conduct.

4.     Being epicurean—we don't simply eat, we make a meal of it. We cook, having long ago realized that cooking food provides more calories for our enlarged brain. But we also make rituals around our meals, as we gather to share them.

5.     Being sexually clandestine—while animals engage in sex in front of each other, we do it in private. Unlike animals, women's ovulation is also clandestine, so they can be continually receptive to sex.

6.     Being gossipy—our language is far more complex than that of animals, so as we spend a lot of time talking about others, we enjoy sharing information about them. Gossiping for humans is rather equivalent to primate grooming, in that it can strengthen bonds. It oils the wheels of social interaction.

No sooner did I encounter this list of six qualities of unique human nature, than I found myself wanting to add a seventh: our relationship to death. We humans know that we will someday perish. It's inevitable; we can't escape death. Being able to look into the future we know it's coming. All animals are possessed with the urge to avoid death—the drive to stay alive is powerful. For animals, however, this drive is mostly manifested in the moment—simply that they do not wish to expire right now.

Not being able to project into the future, animals do not suffer from the anxiety of death that we do. We humans peer into the future and realize that death is coming and we can do little about it. We frantically try to push the thought further down the road, so we won't have to face it today. We try to tell ourselves that death is an unfortunate event that befalls other people, as our brain can literally shut down, when faced with our own death.

We have this propensity to shield ourselves from mortal truth; when we think about death, our brain can even tell us that the information is unreliable—which is a type of denial. We struggle to rationalize our brain's thoughts about death, despite the reality of death all around us. Death comes to others, but not to me, because I refuse to accept it.

So we fear death. We place sick people in hospitals and stash the elderly in nursing homes, so we don't have to face death. When we refuse to face it, we come to fear it even more. One common way we escape thoughts of death is to dive into busyness. We work long hours, party after work, constantly check our smart phones for messages, and buy stuff—all to help distract ourselves from facing the reality of death... or sometimes just the mundaneness of daily life.

So I would guess that there could be even more than these seven ways that human nature is unique among animals. It's a debate that will continue—shifting from time to time, as science offers new insights.