AFFIRMATION OF

THE RESOLUTION
Revised:
10/11/201
Humans are
By John
7
Peterson fundamentally different
Authored:
8/31/2017 from other animals
Table of Structure
Case Text ....................................................................................................................................... 1
1. Men have abilities far more complex than those of other animals. .................................2
a. Analytical Thought........................................................................................................2
b. Recorded History ..........................................................................................................2
c. Economics .........................................................................................................................2
d. Worship .........................................................................................................................2
e. Burial of the dead ........................................................................................................ 3
2. Equation of man to all other animals has led to systemic genocide in the past ............. 3
a. Chattel Slavery ............................................................................................................. 3
b. Native American conquest .......................................................................................... 3
Blocks.............................................................................................................................................. 5
Discussion of fundamentals .................................................................................................... 6
The most fundamental part about humanity is the way we live, not the way we survive.
................................................................................................................................................. 6
 John Peterson & Anne Greer | HFD Aff

R.W. Johnson High School 2017

North Hall High School 2017

Affirmation of the Resolution

CASE TEXT
H U M A N S A R E F U N D A M E N T A L LY D I F F E R E N T F R O M O T H E R

ANIMALS

F
or the defense of our Christian society and the truths given to us by the bible, we

are proud to affirm Resolved: Humans are fundamentally different from other

animals. To offer clarification in todays round, Id like to begin by offering some

definitions.

Animal: a living organism that feeds on organic matter, typically having specialized

sense organs and nervous system and able to respond rapidly to stimuli.

Fundamental: a central or primary principle on which something is based.

All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of

beasts, another of fish, another of birds (1 Corinthians 15:39, King James Version).

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 John Peterson & Anne Greer | HFD Aff

The thesis of our case is that the various abilities of Men fundamentally differ us from any

other animal. Unless the negative can prove that these differences are all false, you can

vote affirmative.

1. Men have abilities far more complex than those of other

animals.

a. Analytical Thought
Humans can think analytically and come up with creative solutions to

problems. No other animals can philosophize about life or reason to the

same degree that humans are.

b. Recorded History
Humans record and read their species history. Since the beginning of our

existence as a species, men have recorded what we do for the benefit of

our children, in hopes that they can do it better. No other animal has ever

done this.

c. Economics
Men make complicated transactions, and administer goods and services

under their control. God instructed Adam and Eve to take control of the earth

and "subdue" it (Genesis 1:28, King James Version). Animals do not

transact business between each other.

d. Worship
Only man can experience faith. Man, alone of all earthly creation can

worship his Creator. He alone can put his trust in the guidance and

leadership of God.

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 John Peterson & Anne Greer | HFD Aff

e. Burial of the dead

Humans are the only animals on earth known to bury their dead. The

ceremony of burial is not practiced by any living or dead species that we

have discovered.

2. Equation of man to all other animals has led to systemic

genocide and slavery in the past

a. Chattel Slavery
Pequeno, T. (n.d.). The Dehumanization of Slaves and Slave Holders. Retrieved September 14, 2017, from
http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/LITR/4232/models4/projects/proj04/rp04pequeno.htm

Without adequate food or clothing, slave children begin the process of

dehumanization. Denied blankets or beds, the children slept on the cold and
damp floor and Douglass describes with horrid detail his feet [being] so
cracked with the frost, that the pen which [he is] writing might be laid in the
gashes (1836). This painful description creates empathy for a mistreated child
whose only crime results from his birth to a black mother. In the most
dehumanizing comparison, Douglass uses animal imagery to reveal the
conditions and manner in which the children are fed. Douglass writes:

[] Our food was coarse cornmeal boiled. This was called mush. It was put into
a large wooden tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children
were then called, like so many pigs, and like so many pigs they would come and
devour the mush; some with oyster shells, others with pieces of shingle, some
with naked hands, and none with spoons. [] (1836)

Essentially, the slave children are fed in the same manner and regarded in the
same respect as animals. These descriptions create a universal and tangible
picture of the inhumane treatment of slave children and raises awareness of
the animal-like behaviors they must acquire to survive plantation life.
Therefore, the historical use of the comparison of humans to animals

b. Native American conquest

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 John Peterson & Anne Greer | HFD Aff

So, judge, as I have proven to you equating man and beast is a quick and easy ticket to
systemic genocide. The negatives advocacy is one that was made as a preliminary to some of
the most reprehensible acts that humans have ever committed.

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 John Peterson & Anne Greer | HFD Aff

Blocks
BLOCKS

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 John Peterson & Anne Greer | HFD Aff

Discussion of Fundamentals
D i s c u s s i o n o f f u n d a m e n t a l s

The most fundamental part about humanity is the way we live, not the way we
survive.
http://www.businessinsider.com/comparing-genetic-similarity-between-humans-and-other-things-2016-5/#when-it-comes-to-protein-encoding-genes-mice-are-85-similar-to-humans-for-
non-coding-genes-its-only-about-50-the-national-human-genome-research-institute-attributes-this-similarity-to-a-shared-ancestor-about-80-million-years-ago-4

Humans have genetic similarities with many other species, animal, plant, or otherwise that
could be considered fundamental. Instead of focusing the conversation of fundamentals on
the genetic and scientific similarities of Humans and other animals, we must focus the
conversation of fundamental similarities and differences to the lifestyle choices that humans
make. If we focus on genetics, Cats are 90% similar to humans. Mice and cows are between
80 and 85% similar to us. (Ramsey, 2016) How can we define fundamentals at such a
primitive level of our existence as genetics without acknowledging the faulty observations
that can come of it?

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