[TheOtherHobbes]

Human reactions are hardly freeform. Most human responses are either instinctive or socially scripted/learned - more often, some combination of the two.

The only thing that makes humans truly unique is the fact that we can store, retrieve, and process information outside our bodies. While we can question our responses, as in your example, we don't - unless we live in a social environment that suggests we should. (Not all environments do. Some actively discourage it.)

Everything else we do - solving puzzles, counting, acting socially, teaching in person, showing emotions - appears in simple forms in at least some other animals.

Going up a level, humans are actually an extremely large, planet-spanning colony organism with very limited collective consciousness. We act more like an aimless flock of birds or mound-building insects than a collective with awareness of its own planetary situation.

[marvy]

I think the case for a collective consciousness for humanity is much too weak. An insect colony does way better. At least most individual insects tend to act toward the common good, rather than waging war on other insects in the same colony.