What distinguishes humans from animals? | DW Documentary

What made our ancestors evolve in such an extraordinary way? This film presents the latest scientific theories on how the human species evolved and looks at the shadow side of our unique abilities.
Some animals see, hear or smell better than humans. Others can find their way in the dark much better than we can. Some can fly. All animals communicate, some have excellent memories and others build complex structures and have highly-developed social skills.
So what sets humans apart? Why have humans evolved such highly developed cognitive abilities in comparison to animals? The documentary sheds light on this major question of human evolution -- one of the mysteries that has long puzzled the world of science. What is it that makes humans so fundamentally different from other animal species? And will our extraordinary abilities ultimately lead us to self-destruction?
#documentary #dwdocumentary #evolution
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[@ThaiSteffe]

I am from Sweden damn and I wish our public service was 1% as good as DW. Been subscribed for years. One of tje best documentary channel out there no doubt.

[@shivexshivute1382]

My grandmother use to say " being smarter is a great gift because some animals are smarter than humans "

[@joeblack7660]

I grew up on a farm and I have been outsmarted by cows, horses, dogs, chickens, bobcats, deer, flies, mice, ...........................

[@peacecaker5329]

They just don't have to pay taxes

[@therasiathecook]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Unfiltered-gb8vh]

Thank you for a great laugh! 🤣

[@sly5346]

😅❤

[@paulk.794]

🤭

[@stefanadolfspies]

perfect

[@johnmorris679]

"What distinguishes humans from animals?" Surely you mean "OTHER" animals?

[@Kelligirl2152]

If ANIMALS and HUMANS were the same, surely we wouldn’t have the need for one of those words.

[@huluqi3972]

@@Kelligirl2152 humans is a kind of animals, that's why we needed the new word for humans, which is 'mankind', as an update to replace the word 'humans' , for the needed survival of mankind, or humans won't exist much longer, erased selves from animals family and become stones

[@elonever.2.071]

@@Kelligirl2152 I am sure you really didnt mean that. A horse is an animal, so is a dolphin, a whale, a squirrel and a falcon yet we have separate words for each of them. Not only are we am animal we are also a mammal which is a specific kind of animal.

[@Kelligirl2152]

@@elonever.2.071 I understand your argument. I just think it is silly.

[@GeorgeStar]

@@Kelligirl2152 Humans aren't animals? What are we mineral, vegetable?

[@CONNELL19511216]

Humans ARE animals. The only things that are not animals are vegetables and fungi

[@svarog63]

And bacteria and archea.

[@vigour3899]

Tables and chairs.

[@someguy2135]

...and other types of plants beside vegetables. Seriously, good point about humans being one type of animal. Biologists use the term "non-human animals" to specify what the layman calls "animals."

[@someguy2135]

Humans are one of the great apes. A biologist wrote a best seller called "The Naked Ape" about humans. Biologists use the term "naked" to indicate being largely hairless.

[@LudwigVanBeethoven17]

Thank you for stating the obvious.

[@mincedtofu]

The title should be “What distinguishes humans from other animals?” Let’s not forget we are animals too.

[@laszlosokorai6165]

They do use the phrase 'other animals' right at the beginning of the documentary. We are animals in certain respects, and we are not in others. Refraining from black and white thinking is golden.

[@marvinmartin4692]

And we definitely do forget just that!

[@muhammadakram4303]

An extra ordinary documentary and amazingly simple about Humans. Expanding the horizons of understanding. Even a simple bloke can understand. The different learned contributers in the DW documentary explained facts, on the basis of the empirical evidence in respective fields, in plain English language without using technical jargon. Broken the old narrative of us Humans being Superior due intelligence, ability to speak i.e . Just Imagination only Brilliant. This documentary is on the level of previous documentary on " HAPPINESS " . My heartiest CONGRATULATIONS to All DW Teams for Imagining and producing such a Classical Documentary. Wishing all the best for DW People and German Nation. Thanks.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts!

[@RamonMarais-k2k]

Only one thing. We are stupid enough to think we are smart, and not smart enough to know we are stupid.

[@elonever.2.071]

100% I have always said that if humans are intelligent we need to redefine the word.

[@jasonbinedell3509]

Thats deep.

[@marvinmartin4692]

Well said.

[@MalachiWhite-tw7hl]

So so "deep."​@@jasonbinedell3509

[@jvr491]

Please make more scientific documentary like this 👍🏼

[@geographerdiary8646]

Speechless about the quality, about the cinematics, about the smartness of this documentary! I didn't watch anything like this last 2 years and the best one I have watched is still from DW! "Blue Girl - Football on the Peak", which unfortunately you have deleted from online! Amazing work with documentaries!

[@DWDocumentary]

Thank you for watching and leaving us your comment!

[@TheVendor1260]

I couldn't have imagined it is the thing we do almost every day and the thing that has driven the worst of humanity; greed!

How do we know animals don't use imagination? I recently watched a doku about snakes that got trapped on a island when the ice receded and water levels rose. The snakes living there today descent from the ones that figured out to eat migratory birds and hibernate for most of the year. With humans we would call it problem solving, creativity, or using your imagination. With animals it's just adaptation, luck, or instinct. From an evolutionary point of view every animal alive today was a winner. How do we know they did not use imagination to make a place for themselves in this world?

And since I don't want to wait for the next doku, I'll just go ahead and expand a bit. For every thing we can do, once we really look, there's an animal, that can do it too or even better. But they are usually good at one or very few things, while we are jacks of all trades. Actually we've taken that to the point, where even specialization can be one of our many talents. So why did we go for multi-talent rather than specialization? Is there something about our brains, giving us more capacity to learn new things? Or could we simply be so fiercely competitive, that we want to constantly find something new to one-up the neighbors? Now, did I write this because I happened to have a little time left before bed, or because I hope to exchange ideas, or because I felt a bit competitive? 😁

[@wolfgangkrauser9735]

I saw once on TV a lion trying to get an antilope stuck in the mud. The lion deliberatily changed positions from one spot to a dryer one to get in his prey. He was successful.

[@stellarwind1946]

Imagination is dependent upon a neocortex, which is unique to mammals.

@@stellarwind1946Kinda like intelligence requires a mammalian brain? Poor, poor octopus.

[@stevenpham6734]

Thanks for speaking my own thoughts. This doc ends up regurgitating the same old human exeptionalist take on trying separating human from nonhuman animals. To say this special thing call "Imagination" without even a clear-cut definition and explanation as to why no other animals have it, seems like a rough and poorly constructed sentiment to me.

[@2Looo88]

Excellent documentary DW, thank you.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching!

[@lestatler9551]

"What distinguishes humans from animals?" Answer: absolutely nothing, since we ARE animals like any other.

[@stellarwind1946]

A human is no different than an ant? Seems a little narrow-minded.

[@lestatler9551]

@@stellarwind1946 Although certainly different, quite the opposite of narrow minded - which is not seeing that we are animals ourselves.

[@tw8464]

Humans are not as "different" as we might want to believe.

[@TheVendor1260]

What a wonderful breakfast accompaniment! It opens up my mind to a lot of understanding of people around me and reinforces my appreciation of not only of nature but also of scientists and ther terrific work. That the measure of intelligence is not in our ability to express in words what we know but in the doing it is an established fact that can never be over-emphasized. That all creatures need to experience to learn has also been established beyond reasonable doubt with animals born and raised in captivity. That other animals have political and social structures including a justice system just like humans is another equalizer of species. We really are more similar than we are willing to admit.

[@syamsudiantosutarsa4769]

We also imagine that money has value yes

[@ShakeerAkramashu]

Knowledgeable documentary thanks DW... To bring such valuable information

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@heleneloon3284]

Imagine a society where humans live in harmony with nature

[@GloryDaze73]

Sadly....we can't even live in harmony with ourselves. We have a long way to go.

[@MalachiWhite-tw7hl]

That is always true, even in the present.

[@zzzT.]

That did happen. In lost ancient times of the Satya Yug. 🤠

[@IanHumphreys-s9d]

Ironically, many animals have far more compassion to their fellow tribe than humans do

[@KevinN-df8eo]

It's certainly not intelligence based on some of the people I've met and had to deal with. It's not sociability for the same reasons.

[@BC-cx9mx]

What I think is missing in this analysis is the intersection of how the primate body configuration intersects with intelligence to enable the expression of intelligence. If a crow could hold two sticks or a stick and a stone simultaneously, how much more intelligence would we attribute to them?

[@paulcook6024]

Cruelty? Greed? Stupidity?

[@crissiv8853]

👏👏👏

[@octavianpuric9897]

If you use Disney Channel as your knowledge base of the animal world, then yes!

[@xahba8210]

😂bro has to visit some national park and see the cruelty there

[@paulcook6024]

@xahba8210 animals are not deliberately cruel or greedy. Or stupid enough to destroy the planet. We spend trillions building nukes when people are starving to death. People kill, rape, torture and abuse eachother and animals. We destroy thousands of species each month due to our greed. Do you not watch the news? Animals do none of those things other than fulfilling their role in the food chain or the odd exception. The planet would be far better off if we had never evolved.

[@Video2Webb]

Fabulous documentary. My strong congratulations to all those who made it. I would like to insert the idea that imagination grew out of the experience of being social, first of all without words, then with words, and this sharing of mental and emotional insights/statements/questions/feelings is what drove imagination to become the key element distinguishing us from other animals.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@anoktirlapur8135]

Hot Damn!! Another classic from DW.🎉

[@khalidbinasim6942]

I'm really great full to your organization or your legends or pioneers to show me such a beautiful and very informative documentry. Can I use some parts of this as a proof in my research work? Thanks 👍

[@khalidbinasim6942]

Thanks for this exclusive knowledge about the species. This will play a very important role in my research work. Thanks

[@WellbeingToPeace]

Fascinating topic, much obliged. How can humanity assist in supporting the evidence that collaboration, all forms of intelligence, and learning for the collective evolution of all species, could eventually assist our peaceful survival on earth? For example yoga was invented by humans - yet through the study of positions which animals adopted. May we understand them better🙏

[@sorinancuta3934]

Selfdestruction?!it.s more than enough to look at earth.s state;)

[@cuongtkong58]

Well, some "other" animals just look a lot cuter in human clothes than most humans do in their own clothes.

[@ali.abdi.ke.]

Thank you DW for this! CAPTION THIS: What distinguishes humans from OTHER* animals?

[@stefanscicluna2799]

Crazy driving with heels

[@Conservator.]

In some cases, not much. 😬

[@new_skyspirit]

*in a lot of cases

[@Conservator.]

@@new_skyspirit 😉

[@marvinmartin4692]

I find it amazing that we so easily forget that we are also part of the animal kingdom. We are literally just hairless ape’s! We seem to separate ourselves from the nature without realizing that we are all a part of the animal kingdom.

[@truthnationet8926]

Just perfect! Thanks DW!

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching!

[@ShawnRitch]

Without being able to create the things we imagine, we wouldn't be able to imagine the things we create.

[@top10craziest56]

But are we really special? I don't believe we are in any real sense. We're, of course, special as human beings; but only to other humans. I don't think we have got any right to declare ourselves absolutely special, that is to say 'superior', until we've heard what all the other animals have got to say in the matter. It's like man to always place himself in the center of the universe.

[@MalachiWhite-tw7hl]

The very fact that we CAN state it is was makes us unique.

[@zzzT.]

Man is the center of the Universe. There is nothing else. Wake up@ 🤠

[@ShahgShahg-ot1yv]

Very informative

[@youtubeurevil]

The opposing thumb is a great help!!!

[@khumbelobele6674]

Keeping animals in captivity is just wrong if we have to be honest with ourselves...

[@ThaiSteffe]

Amen brother.

[@MalachiWhite-tw7hl]

Dogs too?

[@jeremiasrobinson]

There is nothing that distinguishes humans from animals. Humans are animals.

[@Hans-k9j]

Right!

[@elonever.2.071]

We are inherently self destructive while animals on their own are superb ecologists and environmentalists by advancing the health of the environment unlike humans whose activities bring chaos and damage to it.

[@vladdumitrica849]

​​@@fspg3207Ants also go to war. I think war is an attribute of social behavior

[@kennethhammond4028]

Hats, no animal wears them.😅

[@oldmare444]

Nothing distinguishes humans from animals. We are animals; get used to it. We have different species characteristics but that is all.

[@fbn2884]

Yes, we are all waiting for the gorilas space program

[@oldmare444]

@@fbn2884 why would a gorilla even bother to go into space?

[@fbn2884]

​@@oldmare444 They probably can't even understand any form of rudimentary concept of that cosmic reality, let alone go there (and, unlike the Dinosaurs, maybe, research and develop a way to avoid another mass extinction event). We are all animals; we have a lot in common; we are not more "important", or precious than them... we are all one family in a way....yet, for good and ill, we are truly, truly unique. The day other animals perform something like a developing a civilization, including their own space programs, then, we can really say something like "Nothing distinguishes humans from (these specifics) animals."

[@Radhaugo108]

One hour later… we don’t know why, but trust me bro. Except that it is clear that the belief in God is what leads to human evolution.

[@markschuette3770]

your title is incorrect- we ARE animals.

[@grouche777]

The concept that life is ultimately meaningless. Okay, I've saved you an hour.

[@martinboersma763]

Thanks for nothing , what am I supposed to do now with a spare hour up my sleeve 😳

[@duphatnug2564]

I watched the whole hour while stoned I loved it

[@bensonkunda58]

The spirit is everything

[@bakerkawesa]

Anything that learns from experience is intelligent. And that includes computers.

[@WilliamCamargo-e2g]

Nothing, WE ARE animals indeed.

[@fleachamberlain1905]

Nothing distinguishes humans from animals. We are evidently animals.

[@boryman2999]

Ability to harness and transform energy to do work and increase productivity.

[@mohdnorzaihar2632]

Capacity to observe produced progress. ❤Love the way Al Ghazali describe "the self".

[@galfrano]

"Imagination"... What a silly and disappointing answer. Reminds me of those people that say that dogs can't dream, like, how you ever met a dog? Control over fire moved us to the top of the food chain and written language boosts culture expansion and preservation. These are traits that arose however, not inherently human.

[@madsen0000]

I was disappointed too! Seems along the same line of thinking as the previous incorrect assumptions

[@Caldeira198]

Communication is the skill that transfers most of the knowledge from one to another and continues.

[@dianahill5116]

Humans don't have control over fire. Humans learned how to use fire.

[@moonbohara8610]

two times watch 😱😱

[@bruceylwang]

Our extraordinary abilities ,Selfish and Greedy imginative mind, will ultimately lead us to self-destruction!

[@BlueBerryGtag-Official]

Humans are the only animals who ask questions.

[@LowenKM]

Good point, though perhaps that illustrates an even more important ability... our _capacity_ for adaptation and _'change'._

[@somerandomfella]

We're the only animals dumb enough to destroy our own habitat.

[@SSJfraz]

We're the only animals who ask questions that we'll never know the answer to. Other animals aren't that stupid.

[@CadyCadwell]

@@somerandomfella no, that would be virus. we're closer to virus than animal.

[@MalachiWhite-tw7hl]

Sort of true.

[@lanloca7687]

We're totally the same the different is only WISDOM

[@davidfromamerica1871]

Nothing. They are the Wild Life. WE ARE THE ANIMALS.!!!

[@jasonbinedell3509]

Does anyone else think that Felipe is a goddamn legend!! 😂😂

[@moh_Alashwal]

splendid

[@GeorgeStar]

We're the only creatures cursed with the knowledge of our own demise and it drives us mad.

[@EyeoIsis]

WE ARE ANIMALS, just highly evolved ones.....

[@violetberlin7663]

What is the ability animals show when improving their world around them by creating a tool? They would have to deduct and concoct a solution in their mind and then execute their idea. Aren’t they showing they’ve imagined a better way to do something when they alter or improve their tool so it fits a changed scenario like a different food’s properties? If that mental exercise isn’t imagination then what is it? And, if it is imagination, is this just a matter of humans having a more advanced ability? If that’s the case then you could point to every other category in the documentary and say it’s the same situation as with those abilities. So, is imagination solely human, or is there just a larger gap in our ability to imagine when compared to the other abilities? I don’t know what else to call what the chimp does when she thinks about how to improve her world and then creates a tool to accomplish the improvement. She had to envision the tool in her head, and she also had to envision a way to update it when necessary. Isn’t envisioning something in your mind that doesn’t exist and then creating it exactly what imagination is?

[@dangavel1283]

The biggest difference between us and other animals ? Our stupidity levels are far higher than those of animals.

[@Chris-op7yt]

silly title, as humans are animals. the faulty old view was we were not animals

[@marymacleod3027]

Humans are animals.

[@stefanscicluna2799]

I think therefore I am

[@ΓΙΑΝΝΗΣΧΑΤΖΗΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΥ-κ9δ]

The English philosopher, mathematician and Nobel prize winner Bertrand Russell remarked upon the value of wondering in revealing 'unsuspected possibilites'. The use of the imagination, obviously, has been central to this task, and this documentary is right on target. Ecxellent work on the part of those who produced it. And it sends an explicit message to all those involved in the field of education: imaginative thinking must become an indispensable accompaniment to everything that is taught and learaned in schools worldwide. For it may very well be the solution to our current predicament as human beings. Kids who will be deliberately and intentionally educated in imagination - not simply in an imaginative way - may very well solve at least some of our current problems.

[@naomilovestoplay]

The only difference between human beings and animals is that human beings have intuition and compassion.

[@GloryDaze73]

Are you drunk? Have you learned nothing about animals!

[@zzzT.]

Haha no. Way off. Try again. 🤠

[@carladenizepadilhaparzia-kc4wv]

Although there is a lot of sense and logic, I still would consider a different word than imagination. Take for example an animal that foresees a way to trap a prey or a beaver that builds a dam.

[@akshaypatyal3228]

So good❤

[@snehasarkar8345]

IMAGINATION is the answer guys.

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

It was a wonderful documentary shared by an amazing (DW )documentary channel .documentary about what distinguishing humans from other animals

[@DWDocumentary]

Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@Bash_coope]

I wish there will be a day when where human can move without a boarder barrier across the globe

[@indricotherium4802]

But what if we're only imagining that it's imagination that has made us different from other animals? After all, we have a history of showing ourselves well capable of faulty imagination.

[@SydalaTristan]

Beatiful. Me encantó!

[@rontomsethman4366]

well most animals do not have hands. so they couldnt advance much if they wanted too

[@JJ-fr2ki]

Answer: Prof. Fuentes almost has it. What distinguishes humans is what distinguishes Austrians from Germans: a particular historical trajectory, not a skill. Our humanity is our historical path, one that allowed us to overtime develop attributes, learn, and develop into our ascendant status. What is the difference between a ultra-smart polymath and Warren Buffett: history, neither is smarter. Whether superintelligences soon dominate is depends on their future history. Will we control AI or not?

[@dansumigawa1414]

All animals talk, but only humans talk about talking!

[@theomardell5430]

We do.

[@stefcas]

The difference is: animals don't act as beasts except when they have no choice; human act like beasts by choice.

[@ronbolejack1803]

I totally disagree hopping spiders have imagine how their attacks will play out in order to plan them. It our ability to remember and pass on long form information

[@collinsanyanvoh7988]

Why is evolution presented as fact? Even when mounting evidence suggests otherwise.

[@worfoz]

No there is no mounting evidence suggests otherwise. Why do you lie? Is it because of your religion?

[@johnishikawa2200]

You can't tell me that those gorillas aren't pumping iron to get those builds .

[@samhobo107]

The Answer: inability to imagine that somebody except humans can have imagination .

[@AdolinJonathan]

@DWDocumentary, do other animals dream like we do? If, no then I belive it's our ability to dream rather than our imagination, unless we are considering dream as a form of imagination. Dreams can be more vivid and sometimes carriers sever emotions. In the dreamland our mind creates things and worlds beyoud our imagination. Unless we are willing to see one of them-Imagination and Dreaming as passive and active forms of our innate simulation environment, a spring board of our creativity.

[@justicewillprevail1106]

Ability to unite and tackle problems?

[@manipurihunabopa]

Remarkable documentary of the quest to find distinction between humans and aninals. I like watching and learning from such documentaries because many viewrs also get a chance to comment and shares their valuable insights which i love reading. Let's delve into the topic now. What is it that distinguish us from the animals that can't tame the nature to the extent we can. I think, Yuval Noah Harari put it the right way, " The ability to cooperate on a large scale." I think this statement holds water because, we don't know each other yet we come to learn from each other, interact and do business. So, the fruitful quest would be to figure out what enabled us to cooperate on a large scale. Is it foresight, Intelligence, our hand shapes, flexible vocals that produces so beautiful sonds, even sweeter than birds, memory, or all of that combined? Honestly, i don't know for sure. However, i think it can be love because we can sacrifice unimaginable things for the sake of our love.

[@DWDocumentary]

Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts! We appreciate you taking the time to comment and are glad you like the documentary. :)

[@manipurihunabopa]

​@@DWDocumentarya feedback I can provide. The ideas and opinions shared in this video, could have been more inclusive. I mean, it could have included more researchers from other countries as well. It seems like only Europeans researchers are sharing their ideas. You could have considered taking in more opinions from asian countries, African countries as well

[@manipurihunabopa]

Imagination is also unique to humans. However, imagination is not enough without large scale cooperation.

[@perttiheinikko3780]

What is imagination - mathematics is imagination too.

[@charlesbrown1365]

Other animals : language or symbolic communication.

[@christophergame7977]

Experience in the mode of symbolic reference is hardly hinted at in this KZbin. The problem is the habit of putting the extraverted attitude first.

[@fellsmoke]

The idea humans are not animals is seriously stupid.

[@bluex610]

Lol no need to get pedantic over the title. We can all agree we're all animals but we also differ from the rest of the animal kingdom... 😅

[@fellsmoke]

@@bluex610 yes we do...sperm whales do too

[@oorzuis1419]

we are specialized tool makers

[@banderson6221]

Once you accept that humans are “smart” only as a survival capability, and we’re no “smarter” than any other animal using their own special survival capabilities, the world makes a lot more sense. Humans have gigantic egos, that may be what makes us remarkable…

[@maktiki]

Only 1 difference, cooking food with fire.

[@stuartcalow737]

It was fire and cooking. Imagine that.

[@survivingthetimes]

The stock market!

[@leonardomotta4613]

What? So humans are not animals? What are we then?

[@GolDFish-if1ov]

We are aliens 👽

[@zzzT.]

Meat popsicles 🤠

[@albertchehade9916]

we don't have fur-skin

[@arturoquintanar4078]

All is good and dandy, but can we imagine a better world for all species on the planet in which our culture, our intelligence, and whatever we think set us apart from the rest of the animal planet? I posit that most of us can, but somehow, and there lies the real enigma; we don´t know how to turn off the big capitalist devouring machine we have imagined and created for the last 300 years.