I saw a quote that made me smile. It said “Man is rated the highest animal, at least among all animals who returned the questionnaire. ~Robert Brault. Brault is apparently a freelance magazine writer and has been for over 40 years. I think what the quote means is that people consider themselves superior animals because they are the only ones who can communicate this superiority to each other. People consider themselves superior because there is nobody to tell them they are not. It strikes me that highest is a vague term and people could use their own determining factors to make this true. People are the best at math or they speak a complex language which makes them the highest, but skills they do not possess do not make animals higher. Being fastest is not important enough to make one the highest animal. I am assuming that man means all people and highest means best and superior. Another quote I’ve heard that draws attention to the egotistical perspective humans often have is from Ambrose Bierce and refers to God creating the Earth for human beings. It says, “Ocean: A body of water occupying two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills.” I do think there are egotistical qualities to humans that make them want to view themselves as superior. This is especially clear in religions that preach that the Earth was made for people or that people are sparks of the divine but animals have no soul.
Do you think religion tends to be egotistical?
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