Homo sapiens?

[Octarine]

Do you consider the taxonomic designation of Homo sapiens to be justified?
Some consider Homo sapiens to be a rather arrogant classification as it is merely based on a minor qualitative difference between this species and prior species.

There is of course a wonderful list of alternatives on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alternative_names_for_the_human_species

Do you think any of these are more suitable?
I happen to like Homo mendax myself, or perhaps one that emphasises our egotistical nature.

 

[Nicodemus]

From the list I would pick 'homo metaphysicus' (Schopenhauer) or, though divorced from Cassirer, 'animal symbolicum'.

'Homo sapiens' is not entirely wrong, but it is hardly a distinct quality of man to have knowledge.

 

[Elfboy]

I think that we (homo sapiens sapiens) are indeed the same route species as neanderthals (homo sapiens neanderthalensis), denisova man (new recently discovered subspecies, scientific classification pending) homo heidelbergensis (homo sapiens heidelbergensis). genetic evidence has found that non-african humans share 1-4% of their ancestry with neanderthals and that the people of Papau New Guinea share 5% of their DNA with the recently discovered denisova hominin. as the denisova hominin and neanderthals both stem from homo heidelbergensis, then that by extension should also have been able to breed with homo sapiens (they were much more morphologically similar to us than neanderthals anyway)
PS: I am implying that homo rhodisiensis and homo heidelbergensis are indeed the same species as their has been no evidence to prove otherwise. I am also taking into account homo sapiens idaltu which is undeniably homo sapiens
PS: I kinda have an addiction to human evolution documentaries. they're so fascinating

 

[Elfboy]

Do you consider the taxonomic designation of Homo sapiens to be justified?
Some consider Homo sapiens to be a rather arrogant classification as it is merely based on a minor qualitative difference between this species and prior species.

There is of course a wonderful list of alternatives on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alternative_names_for_the_human_species

Do you think any of these are more suitable?
I happen to like Homo mendax myself, or perhaps one that emphasises our egotistical nature.

I disagree with it, but I don't see how it's arrogant. simply another opinion