Blog
Are human beings inherently special?
Tuesday 1st July 2025
Mike Mullins
A number of people have said to me recently that human beings are special. Whilst asserting the specialness and dignity of human beings, their being made in the image of God, has had tremendous benefits in promoting compassion and human rights, the belief in human exceptionalism can also have harmful unforeseen consequences.
Let's explore both the evolutionary and spiritual perspectives that argue against the idea of humans being inherently "special" or having a unique cosmic purpose above other creatures.
Evolutionary Argument
From an evolutionary, atheistic, standpoint, humans are one species among millions, the result of the same natural processes—random mutation, natural selection, genetic drift and adaptation that shape all life. From a religious point of view though one might say the divine works through evolution and her purpose is to express her joy through the act of creation, an eternal becoming, by emptying herself (kenosis) into becoming all beings.
1. A divine purpose wider than just humans
In atheistic terms evolution has no foresight or end-goal. It’s a mindless process responding to environmental pressures. So, the idea of humans being a “pinnacle” or purpose of evolution is a teleological fallacy (projecting purpose onto a purposeless process). Mystics would dispute this and say that from their direct experience of the world the divine’s purpose in creation is to share her joy in becoming with the beautiful diversity of all beings, throughout time, since the dawn of life and not just us. Homo sapiens, we, appeared very late in the story of life on this earth, 300,000 years ago (at 23.58, two minutes to midnight, if the life of the 4.5 billion year old earth was compressed into 24 hours.)
2. Contingency of human emergence:
If you rewound the evolutionary clock, humans—at least homo sapiens as we know them—might never have evolved. Many evolutionary biologists (e.g., Stephen Jay Gould) emphasized the role of chance and contingency in evolution. This undermines the notion of humans as inevitable, or privileged outcomes. We also need to recognise that....
3. We’re not that different biologically:
Genetically, we share 98.8% of our DNA with chimpanzees. Many behaviours (tool use, empathy, grief, cooperation, self awareness, reflection) once thought uniquely human are now seen in other species. Our intelligence is quantitatively different but not necessarily qualitatively distinct. Before Homo sapiens, several other hominin species (members of the human lineage after the split from our last common ancestor with chimpanzees) played key roles in human evolution. The most important ones were Australopithecus afarensis, 3.9–2.9 million years ago. Homo habilis 2.4–1.4 million years ago. Homo erectus 1.9 million–110,000 years ago. Homo heidelbergensis 700,000–200,000 years ago. Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) 400,000–40,000 years ago. Homo floresiensis and Homo naledi 100,000–50,000 years ago (H. floresiensis), 335,000–236,000 years ago (H. naledi). Neanderthals were 99.7% genetically similar to us. Homo erectus and earlier Homo species likely to have a 97–99% similarity. Whilst Australopithecus is estimated to be 95–97% similar based on morphology and evolutionary distance. How do we know we’re special compared to these hominems? Perhaps they are just our older sisters and brothers in the divine family? Equally loved and special to the divine.
4. Species egalitarianism:
From a biological lens, all species are equally evolved for their niche. A bacterium, a dolphin, a redwood tree. They’ve all “succeeded” in evolutionary terms by surviving and reproducing. No species is in that sense is "higher" or "lower." Evolution is dendritic (tree like) its not a hierarchical pyramid.
So, from evolutionary perspective, there's no justification for human exceptionalism, just species-specific traits shaped by environment and chance.
Spiritual/Philosophical Argument
Some spiritual traditions often affirm human specialness and superiority. For example Christianity speaks of humans being made in the image of God and this has a lead in a very positive way to the notion of human dignity and human rights. Other strands of world spirituality and mysticism actually reject the notion of humans being uniquely special and above other creatures.
1. Non-duality and interconnection (Eastern traditions):
In Hindu Vedanta, Buddhism and Taoism, the self is not separate from the rest of existence. They have a non dualistic outlook. All beings share the same fundamental essence (e.g., Brahman, Buddha-nature, Tao, or in Christian mysticism the divine spark or “isness”). Seeing humans as uniquely important and separate because of their “uniqueness” or "specialness" creates ego, illusion (maya) alienation, ultimately suffering, the othering and exploitation of nature.
2. Life centric spiritualities:
Indigenous, animistic, and Earth-based spiritualities (e.g., many Native American and African traditions) emphasize that all life is sacred. Humans are part of a web, not above it. Animals, trees, rivers all have spirit, agency and purpose. These spiritualties talk about our kinship with the other than human, a family model, rather than a patriarchical hierarchy: God, angels, man, woman, animals, plants soil etc.
3. Mystical humility:
Many mystics (e.g., Meister Eckhart, Hildegard of Bingen, Rumi, Laozi) stress humility before the divine mystery. The idea that humans are the universe’s central concern is seen as arrogant. Spiritual maturity involves realising our smallness, our humility, not our centrality. Though just because we are not central doesn’t mean we’re not loved, adored by the divine. The last child in a large family isnt loved any less for being last. Likewise the world does not revolve round us because were the last child in the family. We’re part of a wider family of all sentient beings in which all are in the image of the divine and loved by the divine. As the Roman Catholic Franciscan and mystic Richard Rohr says “God love all things by becoming all things”.
4. Ecological spirituality:
Thinkers like the Roman Catholic Thomas Berry, and Buddhist Joanna Macy, and Deep Ecology philosophers argue that viewing humans as special justifies ecological exploitation and destruction. Spiritually, this mindset is disconnected from the sacredness of all beings and the Earth.
So, from a spiritual perspective, the belief in human supremacy can be seen as a form of spiritual ego, a barrier to enlightenment, harmony, and deep reverence for life.
From a purely atheistic evolutionary angle humans are the result of blind processes with no privileged status; they are not the sole goal of evolution. From a religious point of view one might say the divine works through evolution and its purpose is to express its joy through creation, an eternal becoming, emptying herself (kenosis) into becoming all beings.
Spiritually seeing ourselves as "above" other lifeforms feeds an illusion and ego which can be manipulated to justify the objectification, exploitation and destruction of nature. Many religious traditions affirm the unity or equal sacredness of all life.