--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem with this game of special…" description: "\"“The problem with this game of special characteristics is that non-humans can never win. When we determine that parrots have the conceptual ability to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/francione-gary-l-55542_animal_the-problem-with-this-game-of-special-ch_2755561.jpg" --- # The problem with this game of special characteristics is… ![“The problem with this game of special characteristics is that non-humans can never win. When we determine that parrots have the conceptual ability to understand and manipulate single-digit numbers, we demand that they be able to understand and manipulate double-digit numbers in order to be…” quote by Francione, Gary L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/francione-gary-l-55542_animal_the-problem-with-this-game-of-special-ch_2755561.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/francione-gary-l-55542_animal_the-problem-with-this-game-of-special-ch_2755561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/francione-gary-l-55542_animal_the-problem-with-this-game-of-special-ch_2755561.jpg) > ““The problem with this game of special characteristics is that non-humans can never win. When we determine that parrots have the conceptual ability to understand and manipulate single-digit numbers, we demand that they be able to understand and manipulate double-digit numbers in order to be sufficiently like us. When a chimpanzee indicates beyond doubt that she has an extensive vocabulary, we demand that she exhibit certain levels of syntactical skill in order to demonstrate that her mind is like ours. The irony, of course, is that whatever characteristic we are talking about will be possessed by some nonhumans to a greater degree than some humans, but we would never think it appropriate to exploit those humans in the ways that we do nonhumans.”” [Francione, Gary L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francione-gary-l/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We set human standards that non‑humans can never meet, yet some animals surpass humans in those traits, revealing a double standard. **In simple terms:** We demand human‑like abilities from animals, but ignore when animals exceed us. Key Takeaway Recognize and correct biased expectations toward non‑humans. Themes ethics animal rights human exceptionalism bias comparative cognition Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - research ethics - animal training - policy making - public discourse Key Concepts moral philosophy anthropocentrism speciesism Questions to Reflect On - How do our expectations shape treatment of different species? - What criteria should define moral consideration? A Different Perspective Human standards are arbitrary and often unfair to both humans and animals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee/) [Chimpanzee Indicates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee-indicates-3131948/) [Like Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-chimpanzee-3131949/) [Nonhumans Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonhumans-greater-3131951/) [Parrots Conceptual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parrots-conceptual-3131950/) ## Related quotes > [I still write in long hand. I type like a chimpanzee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-still-write-in-long-hand-i-type-like-a-chimpanzee/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“The Drake farmhouse was like the chimpanzee enclosure at the zoo when feeding time was late. You know, if all the chimpanzees were undead.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyxandra-harvey/the-drake-farmhouse-was-like-the-chimpanzee-enclosure-at-the-zoo-when/) [Alyxandra Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyxandra-harvey/) > [I never used to like babies. I'd always thought if a baby were more like a chimpanzee, I'd have one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-bergen/i-never-used-to-like-babies-i-d-always-thought-if-a-baby-were-more/) [Candice Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-bergen/) > [I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-have-happened-if-we-d-known-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [The gods that we've made are exactly the gods you'd expect to be made by a species that's about half a chromosome away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-gods-that-we-ve-made-are-exactly-the-gods-you-d-expect-to-be-made/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I don't think I'm a celebrity. A chimpanzee could have done what I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-david-chapman/i-don-t-think-i-m-a-celebrity-a-chimpanzee-could-have-done-what-i-did/) [Mark David Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-david-chapman/) > [“I guess you could say I’ve got a monkey on my back. 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There is nothing I can't get up for and give it a hundred percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/i-am-blessed-with-the-energy-of-a-chimpanzee-there-is-nothing-i-can-t/) [Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/) > [“In our own genetic profile, believe it or not, scientific evidence indicates that we humans share 99.4% of our total DNA sequences with the chimpanzee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-bolte-taylor/in-our-own-genetic-profile-believe-it-or-not-scientific-evidence/) [Jill Bolte Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-bolte-taylor/) > [It is hardly an exaggeration to say that a chimpanzee kept in solitude is not a real chimpanzee at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-kohler/it-is-hardly-an-exaggeration-to-say-that-a-chimpanzee-kept-in/) [Wolfgang Kohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-kohler/) > [“Man's closest relative is not the chimpanzee, as the TV people believe, but is, in fact, the dog. "Enzo" I admire the female sex.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/man-s-closest-relative-is-not-the-chimpanzee-as-the-tv-people-believe/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) ## More by Francione, Gary L > [“Sentience is not an end in itself. It is a means to the end of staying alive. Sentient beings use sensations of pain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francione-gary-l/sentience-is-not-an-end-in-itself-it-is-a-means-to-the-end-of-staying/) [Francione, Gary L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francione-gary-l/) > [“Animal rights theory seeks to move at least some nonhumans from the “thing” side of the “person / thing” dualism over to the “person”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francione-gary-l/animal-rights-theory-seeks-to-move-at-least-some-nonhumans-from-the/) [Francione, Gary L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francione-gary-l/) > [“After all, in the nineteenth century, racists relied on phrenology, or the “science” of determining personality traits based on the shape of the head,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francione-gary-l/after-all-in-the-nineteenth-century-racists-relied-on-phrenology-or/) [Francione, Gary L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francione-gary-l/) > [“In sum, reliance on cognitive characteristics beyond sentience to justify the use of nonhumans in experiments requires either that we assume that these characteristics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francione-gary-l/in-sum-reliance-on-cognitive-characteristics-beyond-sentience-to/) [Francione, Gary L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francione-gary-l/) > [“None of the writers suggest that rape may be morally permissible dependent on “contextual relations.” None of the writers suggest that the morality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francione-gary-l/none-of-the-writers-suggest-that-rape-may-be-morally-permissible/) [Francione, Gary L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francione-gary-l/) [Explore all 6 Francione, Gary L quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francione-gary-l/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. 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He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. 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It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The problem with this game of special characteristics is that non-humans can never win. When we determine that parrots have the conceptual ability to understand and manipulate single-digit numbers, we demand that they be able to understand and manipulate double-digit numbers in order to be sufficiently like us. When a chimpanzee indicates beyond doubt that she has an extensive vocabulary, we demand that she exhibit certain levels of syntactical skill in order to demonstrate that her mind is like ours. 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