When humans became humans?

[Morell]

We humans like to see ourselves as above the rest of animals, or at least as different. There is something different about us, which seems to be the case. What makes us different and what was it that made us first time different from other animals?

It seems to be accepted that humans became humans when they started burring the dead. The argument says that ti meant that we showed recognition for other people and respect for the dead. (apologies if I'm wrong, writing from my cheese like memory) Also it sometimes notes fear from death.

After thinking about it a little I have to disagree. Death was companion to humans far before they ever became humans, we were evolved predators of Africa, we saw death too often to not be used to it. And honestly, other animals are proven to mourn their dead, so that doesn't work really either. Burring of the dead was in my opinion practical. Unlike other primates we couldn't just stop going to place where someone died, it became more practical to burry the dead. Dead bodies were danger of infection, that never changed. Fear of death is religious shit, that came to make people follow certain religions. Before that people knew where they were going after death. They might have fear of the dead, maybe partly based on sickness that could be gained from being close to the rotting body, but that was not fear of stop existing or something like that, it was just way forward.

In my opinion, what made us different was ambition. We somewhere, somehow started to want more. We started to seek to become better and/or different from what we were and what we were capable of. Both physically and spiritually. That led us towards development towards who we are today. That gave us reason to seek development in things no animal would ever seek or even need. Animals are also creative, just like us they can think, imagine, create, think outside the box, but they never seek to become greater than they are. They do not seek self mastery. They do not really seek the new ways to do things without need for it. We do.

What do you think?

 

[solxyz]

we were evolved predators of Africa

Just a quibble but in our African, early hominid phase we were more scavengers than predators. The rise of hunting as a major food source doesn't take place until our first migrations out of Africa.

The three major features that seem to set early homo sapiens apart from other animals are: opposable thumbs, control of fire, and language. The 'ambition' thing you are talking about develops only much later, corresponding more-or-less to agricultural modes of life, or at least to what are called 'delayed return' societies.