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RE: Could Humans Translate Alien Language?
We apply the opposable thumbs theory probably because it's something we've realized applies to us and declared, this is a mark of superiority. Aliens might teach us someday that it's not that great of an evolutionary feat.
That's probably true as well. Hell, even tentacles seem a lot more useful to me. Octopuses are famously effective escape artists and object manipulators. I didn't branch out to this here, but I think the way we treat animals greatly affects the way we treat one another. As long as we can justify not extending empathy to thinking, feeling beings, we can justify hurting each other.