The book Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, provides an exposition about what made homo sapiens different from other animals. While that does not answer the question of what make humans different from machines, it is in that direction. Homo sapiens were once just like other animals until they developed the ability to believe in things that w…
The book Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, provides an exposition about what made homo sapiens different from other animals. While that does not answer the question of what make humans different from machines, it is in that direction. Homo sapiens were once just like other animals until they developed the ability to believe in things that were made up, presumably due to genetic mutations. Now, things that are made up are extremely important like laws, money, borders, and national identity. Fictions are what can unite people at a large scale to take collective action. Animals cannot do that.
The word “sapiens” reminds me of a passage written by Kurt Vonnegut’s fictional writer Kilgore Trout. It goes something like this: There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are so stupid they didn't catch on for a million years that there was another half to their planet. These people call themselves “homo sapiens” which means “wise man.”
There is also the ability to imagine and create things that have no previous existence in mind or in nature. This is non-trivial creativity, which is nothing like imitating a picture or writings. These objects and ideas, are invented, tested, and modified or replaced with improvements/alternatives. These benefit from recognition of both immediate, near term, and long-term problems. Theory of mind and recognition of differing values also allows for deal making.
The book Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, provides an exposition about what made homo sapiens different from other animals. While that does not answer the question of what make humans different from machines, it is in that direction. Homo sapiens were once just like other animals until they developed the ability to believe in things that were made up, presumably due to genetic mutations. Now, things that are made up are extremely important like laws, money, borders, and national identity. Fictions are what can unite people at a large scale to take collective action. Animals cannot do that.
The word “sapiens” reminds me of a passage written by Kurt Vonnegut’s fictional writer Kilgore Trout. It goes something like this: There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are so stupid they didn't catch on for a million years that there was another half to their planet. These people call themselves “homo sapiens” which means “wise man.”
There is also the ability to imagine and create things that have no previous existence in mind or in nature. This is non-trivial creativity, which is nothing like imitating a picture or writings. These objects and ideas, are invented, tested, and modified or replaced with improvements/alternatives. These benefit from recognition of both immediate, near term, and long-term problems. Theory of mind and recognition of differing values also allows for deal making.