Homo Sapiens - the species that manipulates energy

What is distinctive about humankind?

Tools
Language
Brain size
Thumb
Intelligence (sapience)

The ability to manipulate energy?

I would say the most special thing about us is: imagination. Animals can dream when they are asleep, but we can also dream when we are awake.

Manipulating energy - maybe that is just what characterizes life.

I read the article.

Certainly there must be something more ethereal that separates us from “lower” forms of creatures.

I dont see why "there must be something more ethereal" to separate us from other organisms. Nietzsche's view was that man is simply a very clever animal. Man just differs in the complexity of his behavior in reacting to the environment when compared to other organisms. Those reactions range in a continuous spectrum from an amoeba moving in response to water temperature to, say, Martin Luther King bringing about a social revolution.

Moreover, I dont see how "manipulate energy" couldnt be reduced to another use of tools. Our tool use just being much more complex and rich than Koko's or one of Darwin's finches.

Webber is just begging the question in the traditional philosophical sense. His article begins by assuming that there does exist some thing that separates humans from ""lower" forms." The rest of the article attempts to find that thing without justifying the need to do so. Just look at those first few sentences. At the start he rejects a definition of human that's biological. He's basically saying, "Isn't it mysterious how - if we reject the definition of species as a possible answer - we can no longer explain what makes a particular species different from another?"

But it's clear Webbter isn't really talking about species or really attempting to reduce us to energy manipulators. What he seems to mean is that we're conscious in how we manipulate energy - and that opens up a quite different discussion.

All I can say is photosynthesis. Until we can come close to matching that level of energy manipulation we're way out of the game.

Current best effort maybe 5% of plants efficiency.

We had a long runnign debate about what if anything makes humans unique on one of he religion groups a while back. The most unique thing anyone could manage was the passing of information to non-related individuals through time.

Hardly a glowing tribute to hummanities uniquness.

The most unique thing anyone could manage was the passing of information to non-related individuals through time.

It's all how you look at it, I guess. What one person sees as unique and as different in kind, another sees as just more complex behavior.

Here's a complex form of tool use that might be more inspiring: Humans are the only organisms that have taken control over their own evolution.

Self-destructiveness.
Slaughter for reasons other than food.
Madness.
Cruelty.
Leisure.
Sex for pleasure not just procreation.
Awareness of the supernatural.
Snack products.
Beer.
The ability to destroy the entire planet.