I agree with most of what you said about humans, but I think we have a tendency to downplay our natural abilities and senses in the natural world. Often we compare individual characteristics of ours to animals who have specialized in those specific areas and beat us out easily in them, but they also lack significantly in other areas that were are very well rounded in. I think how generally well rounded we are as a species is something I very much appreciate, it gave us the natural tools necessary to become intelligent beings who could use tools, build, and create things. One sense we have that is particularly impressive is our sight. Most animals tend to have subpar eyesight, in one way or another. Either they lack any good resolution, like insects or ocean animals near the surface, and some lands animals; or, they are only dichromats rather than trichromats like us (having only 2 sets of cones rather than the 3 we have--then again, of course, a few animals have 4 sets of cones and are tetrachromats), or they have primarily rods to help them see in low levels of light rather than in well lit environments. For examples, kitties don't have eyesight that is all that great in the levels of light we see in, and they can't even see things up close really at all; it's why their whiskers furrow inward when they're hunting, because they are sensitive enough that when something touches them, it essentially makes up for not being able to see their prey up close. Of course, I'm talking about kitty cats, not big cats. This holds true for all cats that have slit pattern eyes, if I remember correctly (which are basically anything in the same subfamily of felinae, of the family felidae, which include the domestic cat, lynx, and the puma, but there are a few exceptions with round pupils even in this subfamily I believe), but not for large cats with round pupils.
Sorry for going off on a tangent there, I just wanted to point out that we're often quite critical of our abilities, and often seem to subscribe to the belief that, if not for our intellect, we'd never make it in the wild. Well, perhaps no one would go quite as far as to say that we'd die out--obviously we didn't. I just think it's natural for us to admire the best qualities in other animals and compare them to our worst qualities; this is an often times detrimental habit we seem to have even when interacting with each other.
I definitely share your love for science. It's always been my goal to try and understand most of what I come across, at least in a scientific sense. I might not always try and learn advanced programming and coding or something, for example. There's always so much out there we see and wonder about, and we've discovered that we can come up with incredible answers by using a method we stumbled upon using logic and reasoning. It's also something that unifies us as a species, and as people. It's something many of us enjoy studying or even just reading and learning about, and what's more it's one giant collaborative process. All that we know is the combined effort of thousands, hundreds of thousands, perhaps even more people than that, that have come before us and left their individual contributions. It's a marvelous testament to what we can achieve by agreeing to work together, and even take part in a bit of healthy competition (although when you talk about technologies built as a result of an arms race, I suppose it's not quite healthy at all). Just trying to understand the progress we've made in such a short amount of time, how we've improved all our lives, the quality and length of them, it's awe inspiring. Not just 100 years ago the majority of people were using horses and wagons, and streets were made only for walking, and the first planes had just flown. We didn't even have internet before 1969, and it didn't even become mainstream or accessible in the home until the mid 1990s and early 2000s... just ~20-25 years ago.
I personally can't understand a person who isn't wowed by or appropriately appreciative of any of the accomplishments or the knowledge we've accumulated as a result of science, the scientific method, and the wisdom of the people that began the type of thinking that led to such strides. It's even more impressive considering that, at the time, humans being the ignorant and fearful bunch we were then, would often be afraid of what they were being told and deny it. People, as I'm sure everyone here knows full well, could and would be punished regularly for the kind of work that went into making discoveries like we do regularly today. It's truly a shame things were ever that way, but it's not something that surprises me, even just looking at how people react to science today. Many of the religious fear evolution so much that they flat out refuse to acknowledge evidence, and many people in America (I don't know about other countries) for a time had or still are not giving their children vaccines because a single, debunked study mistakenly linked them to developing autism. Many people still buy into concepts like Astrology, psychics, tarot cards, homeopathic medicine (how on earth do you think something can be a powerful medication if it's diluted to the point that all you're taking is water??? They might as well not even include the supposed substances in the solution on the ingredients on the back, it's just water, lmao), or pseudo-profound bullshit the likes of which are spread by people like Deepak Chopra as a scam for your money.
Eh, I've ranted enough for now. Hope this thread gets some responses, it's a good thread OP.
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