Blurring the Lines Assessing the Human Animal Border cid 127 Where s the line cid 127 Othering At what point do humans and non humans differ cid 127 making self or another stand apart from what is considered normal in a given situation centers around self definition The Great Chain of Being scala naturae began with Plato and Aristotle all beings are linked Hierarchical deities at the top humans animals plants at bottom The role of Charles Darwin origin of species 1859 all life is related Common Ancestor Natural Selection Controversial animals that are most similar to humans are ranked higher over time humans constantly trying to separate themselves from animals How do we define the border Religious Perspectives Judeo Christian humans are the caretakers Islam animals exist for human benefit Hinduism and Buddhism humans are superior to animals but no harm should be done Native american humans and animals share a spiritual kinship respectful use Janism total nonviolence toward animal life cid 127 Westerm Perspective Animal rights animals deserve the same rights as humans animal welfare animals should be treated humanely seasonal subsistence and sport hunting livestock farming pet keeping zoos conservation Non Western perspective tlingit people raven as deity Divisive Categories turkic people their people were descended by wolves ancient egyptians worshipped cats saw them as deities mummified their bodies Biological multicellular eukaryotic carbon based growth independent movement sexual reproduction animal kingdom Emotional connection with young beyond puberty mourning the dead laughter Lingual grammar dialects written immortalized history Social family culture religion modesty which traits are uniquely human or animal Human government pet keeping religion music art creation destruction symbolism shopping clothing Animals and humans culture dolphins don t interbreed with other cultures passing down fish eating traditions agriculture fungus growing ants feed it food specialization Learning from animals cid 127 Mythology tales of valor or downfall Folklore groundhogs day used to explain the world around us usually involve an animal real or imaginary can be used to explain the unexplainable often teaches a lesson represent valor and loyalty mentality Religious Symbolism christian idea of lamb represents innocence hinduism had elephant human hybrid jewish lion and 10 commandments lions cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 racoons in trash bear on road animals learn that being closer to humans can gain resources wouldn t have access to otherwise horse back riding pet training and tricks Alex the parrot lyre bird uses human noises in his song imitates car alarm camera shudder Learning from humans Crossing the Lines Animal Heroes animal friends animals that seem human horse and goat dog and deer cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127