Verified answer

Descartes bases his claim off the reason of the human being; human being are capable of logic which other animals aren't.

This isn't dogmatic as nameless says; this isn't subjective as he pretends... it's a purely observable, provable and objective claim.

To defend his claim is easy... how many animals put under any given term to set out for the ideal of perfection; how many endeavour to define and follow some moral standards? Not a single one. The human being is the only one who considers ethics, who tries to act well beyond his physical needs.

Now, the nameless, I've read your erratic and unsound claims... how many time will I need to prove that there are only two possible options - nihilism and absolutism - and that the first one implies that nothing exist beyond the mind of the thinker? You could be some kind of post-doctorate freak in philosophy that I wouldn't be bothered the least bit: my argument is irrefutable, undoubtable, inexorable. The self-exclusion paradox leads to the inevitable and indisputable conclusion that what exist is self-inclusive, that anything you dare existing must be seen, thought of and understood as being absolute and can be known truly only with objectivity. This is a paradox and I don't ever see a single being refuting me on this one because truth cannot be refuted. Your claims, however, can. It's just a ridiculous mould of subjectivity; a pile of insulting relativist fallacies that endanger humanity.

Tell me my dear friend: if everything is true, is the sentence "nothing is true" also true? And if nothing is true, is this sentence also false? And if nothing can be known, how can you know that we cannot know? There are already three paradoxes left in line waiting for your answers.

It cannot be successfully defended either scientifically (something of which Descartes had no understanding) or philosophically.

"Claims that humans are fundamentally different than other animals" can be defended 'religiously', however, as the concept does exist as 'belief-thoughts'. ('Thought' is the same thing as 'ego'!)

All sorts of things exists in 'belief-thoughts'!

Everything exists! All inclusive!

Reality is all inclusive!

Truth is all inclusive!

One!

'Omni-!'

'Self!'!

Even thoughts/beliefs/image-ination... exist, as their 'content'; so FSMs and talking snakes and Jesus and dreams are all features of an all inclusive Reality/Truth just as are hamburgers and galaxies!!

As 'thoughts' exist, even ones that we are "different than 'other animals', thus it is true! Thoughts are real features of Reality.

Besides, from another Perspective, every 'animal' is 'different from every other animal! Even withing the same species! Every horse is different than every other horse! Every person is different/unique than any other.

"Perhaps it is the curvature of space that, like a fun-house mirror distorting our own reflection, we imagine strangers." - Mythopoeicon

And we are all, every unique Perspective, every moment of existence, One! 'Self!'! 'Omni-'!

We are all, all inclusive, One! 'Self!'!

tat tvam asi ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tat_Tvam_As%E2%80%A6 )

So in that sense, his claim is correct..

And incorrect...

And both true at the same moment!

It's ALL True!!

we are the only living beings that know death awaits us all.