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Humans As The Center Of The Universe: Why Ismael Was Wrong

Humans as the center of the universe:
Why Ishmael was wrong

In the book Ishmael, written by Daniel Quinn, one of the central themes is how humans have supposedly created a mindset that we are the centers of the universe.   Roughly, Ishmael claims that we are just one of numerous species, and that the idea of our supremacy was created by us.   Aristotle, however, would disagree.   To Aristotle, there is a Hierarchy to how things are, with humans being above all animals and inanimate objects.   To Aristotle, humans are above all because of our ability to reason.   These two trains of thought are very symbolic, as one represents sort of the evolutionary point of view, whereas another lends itself to the idea that we, as humans, were meant to be the dominant species and creation ended with us.   In my opinion, Aristotle was correct in his assertion that we, as humans, are Rational Animals, and that it is appropriate for us to view ourselves as the center of the universe.  
The book Ishmael is revolved around the notion that we are killing ourselves with the way we live, and that we are enacting a story that is detrimental to the long-term well being of humans.   The story spoken of is that mankind is the peak of creation/evolution (whichever way you think), and that we are meant to rule and conquer the world.   In doing so, we strive to create a sort of paradise, one where everything is perfect, only we constantly fail because we are inherently flawed and limited.   “Perhaps the flaw in man is exactly this: that he doesn’t know how he ought to live “   (pg. 91). This isn’t something new, as Ishmael dates such a way of thinking all the way back to the Agricultural Revolution.   It was at that point that man took fate into his own hands, so to speak, and was able to grow food in surplus, where as previous generation had to roll with the punches and quite literally take what the situation gave them, be it surplus or famine.   With these newfound skills to grow food in bulk,...