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It's interesting that many times we hear humans being discussed as possibly the most superior form of life here, on Earth, as we know it.  We have the consciousness to think this- we can think, and we can be aware, and we can respond to other people.  We contemplate things we think of as huge questions- how we've come to be, who we are, the philosophy of the world.. we can question things ourselves, can question why this world is what it is, what our reality is... our brains are complex, and, as we're discovering little by little, we're seeing just how they function- possibly discovering the backbone of what makes us human.  At the same time... there are two main problems as I see it with thinking that humans are superior to any other organism.. I think that our consciousness is relative- that we can be aware of some things- but there are many things, for whatever reason- a lack of receptors, lack of capability- that we aren't aware of other things.  I think that being aware, and questioning, and thinking makes us feel like we have worth- like we're intelligent, in a way- that the more questions we produce that we don't have answers to, the more we have to discover, the more possibiltiies we can see. I think that we like to complicate things to make these possibiltiies seem endless... In the Unbearable Lightness of Being, one of the characters descirbes how she wakes up, and her first thoughts are that it's early, she's tired, and shuts her eyes, but her dog, is just happy to be up, comes over, says hello, is happy.. I think that we can never really know how much a dog thinks- maybe he's happy he's still alive, maybe he's happy that it's a nice day out, maybe he's happy to be with the person he loves.. maybe he's just happy.. but..in the end, does it matter? There is the question of whether it's better to remain ignorant and happy or not.. and, while the more 'educational' answer seems to be that it isn't... maybe that really isn't true.  Maybe it's like how we question, in academic settings, but in the real world.. do we really want to question as much? It's an interesting problem.. just how much we should know- how much we need to know- for what? To live.. a happy life? A meaningful life? Whatever can define, if you can..organism superiority? Success?