What constitutes the fundamental difference between man and beast? Is there a single differentiating characteristic between them or are they essentially the same? Does our perception of man as a higher creature grow out of hubris rather than truth?
Decades of research indicate that animals may in some sense be RATIONAL creatures - that is, they seem to learn in a way that may not be merely Pavlovic; they're clearly EMPATHIC as this video of a dog watching The Lion King demonstrates; they are unarguably INTUITIVE as they anticipate storms, earthquakes, seizures, labor, and even illness well before we do; they're COMMUNICATIVE with both their own and other species in a variety of tongues/languages.
It remains up for debate whether "decisions" - such as where a beaver builds his dam and the specifications of that dam are driven by simple instinct or whether some level of evaluation and reasoning are involved. Most pet owners I know assign a wide range of human attributes to their favorite companions.
However, I have yet to encounter convincing evidence that beasts can engage in complex reasoning and language. It's also unclear whether animals experience a sense of wonder, or longing, or humor. Do they create from an intrinsic motivation other than need? They don't appear to create music, poetry, art, technology, or any other thing that isn't strictly utilitarian. The useful things they make are often beautiful, but are not created for the sake of beauty.
I suggest that the differentiating capacities between man and animal, may stem from a single characteristic: IMAGINATION. From imagination springs the possibility of inquiry, scientific theory, argumentation, a Bach Sonata, a Caravaggio masterpiece, Donne's Holy Sonnets, infinite varieties in fashion, along with dozens of other activities and millions of artifacts that belong solely to the human realm.
Apart from imagination, there is no such thing as Open Bionics.
Apart from imagination, we would have no Star Wars.
Apart from imagination, there is no Hagia Sophia.
I could do this all day, but I'm sure you get the idea! We humans take our creative acts for granted because those acts are inherent in who we are. Think of all the daily activities that you engage in that animals never do - even such routine activities as getting dressed and preparing a meal. You might be surprised how long that list grows. Then consider how many of those activities are, at root, works of imagination. Even behaviors we typically think of as "rational" (such as planning a meeting), require us to anticipate, and anticipation is an act of the imagination.
Imagination fuels the possibility of even our simplest routines! But why would man be the unique possessor of it among the creatures? I believe the reason is made clear in one of my unalterable tenants of faith: Imago Dei.
