Elissa T. answered • 01/15/24
Experienced Harvard Grad for Biology Tutoring
Hi Hailey! Generally, when humans are talked about as "animals" that is not to say that humans are non-human, instead that is using the word "animal" to mean a member of the kingdom Animalia. (Here I'm using the word kingdom as in the second largest taxonomic class after domain.) Humans and other animals are classified together in this taxonomic group based on characteristics that all animals (including humans) share. These characteristics include things like being multicellular, lacking cell walls, and being heterotrophic (meaning we have to eat food for energy rather than harvesting energy like plants do with photosynthesis). Our evolutionary relatedness is also why animals (including humans) are grouped together. I hope this helps!
Elissa T.
That is right. The first two definitions of the word animal from Merriam-Webster might be useful: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/animal. The first definition is how animal is used when humans are classified as animals, and the second is how animal is used in everyday conversation as you described.01/15/24
Hailey P.
So it’s not saying a human is a dog or another form of an animal but that humans share similar characteristics with other animals and thus are grouped together like that?01/15/24
Hailey P.
So it’s not saying that humans are animals by the same definition of the word animal that we use in everyday conversation to refer to non-human animals like dogs or cats?01/15/24