mousethief,

Maybe I should phrase my question(s) differently ...

Are human beings the only creatures in this universe or perhaps on this planet that have souls? Is having souls the qualitative difference you mentioned earlier? Does having souls grant us unique perception, or rights, or responsibilities?

I suspect the humans have a higher capacity for communicating and manipulating memes than the other earthlings, but am aware of no reasonable proof that a qualitative difference exists. Frankly, I don't have a problem with having humans having evolved from "lower" species, and would postulate that anyone whose thinking can't accomodate that fact has some fundamental insecurities.

... apologies for the strong language, but that red herring comment seemed insulting ...

~S~