The notion of defining what a human being is had plagued philosophers and theologians since the species evolved. Our notions of “language creator” or even “having a sense of humor” all vaporized as scientists explored animal behavior. Koko, the famous western lowland gorilla trained in a series of experiments and known to most school children, learned approximately 1,000 “signs” in American Sign Language and even participated in an online chat on AOL on April 12, 1998 (Wikipedia). Yeah, Koko had a sense of humor. The notion of the “animal who uses tools” also died hard; the December 14, 2009 science.com tells us that there are at least fourteen animals know to use tools including chimps, orangutans, octopi, crows, elephants, gorillas, sea otters, dolphins, Macaques and a whole passel of rodents.
For those preferring a more abstract definition, Nobel Laureate and author of the theory of relativity, Albert Einstein has this definition: “A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Of course, just about every organized religion has its point of view as well. A Catechism of the Catholic Church (number 362 to be exact) states: “the human person, made in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual.”
Well, there’s a new school of thought that seems to think that since it appears human beings are the only creatures on earth who “enjoy” the pain of eating really hot chili peppers, we are simply the chili-eating animal. Evidence finds people chomping down on this stinging delight from as long ago as 6,000 years, but animals avoid the super-hot vegetables; you can use the stuff even to repel grizzly bears! The September 21st New York Times explains: “There’s no evolutionary percentage in preventing animals from eating the peppers, which fall off the plant when ripe. Birds, which also eat fruits, don’t have the same biochemical pain pathway, so they don’t suffer at all from capsaicin [the chemical that causes that hot taste]. But in mammals it stimulates the very same pain receptors that res pond to actual heat. Chili pungency is not technically a taste; it is the sensation of burning, mediated by the same mechanism that would let you know that someone had set your tongue on fire…
“No one knows for sure why humans would find pleasure in pain, but [Dr. Paul Rozin at the University of Pennsylvania] suggests that there’s a thrill, similar to the fun of riding a roller coaster. ‘Humans and only humans get to enjoy events that are innately negative, that produce emotions or feelings that we are programmed to avoid when we come to realize that they are actually not threats,’ he said. ‘Mind over body. My body thinks I’m in trouble, but I know I’m not.’ And it says, hand me another jalapeño… Other mammals have not joined the party. ‘There is not a single animal that likes hot pepper,’ Dr. Rozin said. Or as Paul Bloom , a Yale psychologist, puts it, ‘Philosophers have often looked for the defining feature of humans — language, rationality, culture and so on. I’d stick with this: Man is the only animal that likes Tabasco sauce.’”
While chilies can lower blood pressure, kill microbes in food and clearly can cure a bland diet, most of the experts think the whole reason we eat chilies is between our ears. Well, whatever the reason, it’s chili-roasting time (the famous Chimayo pepper) all over New Mexico, and you can smell that wonderful fragrance all over the state at this time of year, particularly in the northern highlands where they are harvested. Red or green or combine the two and say, “Make mine Christmas!” After all, it’s only human, and if you hate spicy food, think of the ramifications on whether or not you really are a human being!
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