Human exceptionalism refers to a belief that human beings have special status in nature based on their unique capacities. This belief is the grounding for some naturalistic concepts of human rights.
Religious proponents of human exceptionalism base the belief on religious texts, such as the verse 1:26 in the Book of Genesis:
| “ | And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. | ” |
Some secular proponents of human exceptionalism point to evidence of unusual rapid evolution of the brain and the emergence of exceptional aptitudes. As one commentator put it, "Over the course of human history, we have been successful in cultivating our faculties, shaping our development, and impacting upon the wider world in a deliberate fashion, quite distinct from evolutionary processes".[1]
Critics argue that human exceptionalism has contributed to anthropocentrism, speciesism, and bioconservatism at the expense of the natural environment, animal rights, and individual rights.[2]
   | What Makes Us Exceptional? - spiked-science | Article | What makes us exceptional? |
| | Wikisource: Genesis, King James version - Bible (King James)/Genesis - Wikisource |
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