Franz Kafka The Line Between Humanity And Animality

The Line Between Humanity and Animality

Why have we humans put ourselves at a higher level than the rest of species? If we stand next to a chimpanzee we will notice evident external differences between us, if we compare our behaviors we will see clear distinctions as well, and if we compare our DNA we will find out that we are more related than we would have thought. If our DNA shows such a close resemblance, then what is it that makes us marks ourselves as “humans” and them as “animals?” We call ourselves “humans beings,” implying hierarchy, and instead call chimps “animals,” defining a lower level. Why have we drawn that line? Is it necessary?

In “A Report from an Academy,” a fiction text, Franz Kafka states that we, human beings, are closer to chimps than we think we are. It

Is it something innate to our cognitive capacity, or did it become more complex as time passed and we adapted to evolution changes? Culture comprises language, traditions, history, and values among many other components. For instance, we constructed social norms and conventional manners, “The first thing I learned was to give a handshake. The handshake displays candour” (Kafka). However, these are not innate to us, but we learn them as we grow up. Was Nim able to grasp a sense of human culture? Did growing up in an environment surrounded by people made him closer to “humanity” than to “animality”? Nim certainly understood basic human norms. For instance, he learned how to express affection through signs such and hugs, as well to apologize for when he had done something wrong. But, did he acquire a sense of values, morals or ethics? When he was young he killed a cat, later on more than once he attacked the researchers, and when he was old he nearly killed the woman who first took care of him. Indeed, even though Nim showed a high level of intelligence, he was far from conceiving the world from a human