ABSTRACT
“Uniqueness” is the hallmark of taxonomic classification, and each species, including our own (Homo sapiens) has its own constellation of defining attributes. Not to be overlooked, though, is the fact that the attributes that define various taxa are rarely unique. Hence, species are differentiated, in the main, as unique configurations of continua that, to varying degrees, characterize other species as well: Each species presents a unique profile of points on continua that, in turn, are the themes and threads of the evolution of life. From a less serious perspective, if there is a dimension unique to our own species, it perhaps is none other than the continuing preoccupation with the search for the defining attribute that sets us apart from others!
