An international and interdisciplinary array of academics will gather at the Whitney Humanities Center Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7 and 8, to ponder a question that has preoccupied people since the dawn of civilization: "What makes humans different from other animals?"

In the symposium "Man and Beast," participating scholars will discuss various aspects of the human-animal connection. The event is sponsored by the Yale Whitney Humanities Center, with the assistance of the Woodward Fund.

According to the organizers of the symposium, defining what it means to be human has historically been at the core of Western philosophical inquiry, while humankind's fascination with animals dates back at least to the days when cave dwellers painted images of animals on their walls. In recent years, some legal scholars, bioethicists and advocates have argued in favor of granting animals legal rights under the law, while research revealed that -- genetically speaking -- homo sapiens are almost identical to fruit flies.

The symposium is divided into four sessions:

* "Beginnings," Friday, 2:30-5 p.m. -- focusing on ways animals have been conceived by the human imagination and incorporated into Western culture;

* "Animal Kinship: Human and Non-Human," Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-noon -- examining humans' relationship with other members of the animal kingdom;

* "Performativity," Saturday, 1-3:30 p.m. -- exploring how animals' behavior has been perceived in Western traditions; and

* "Animal Rights and Reason," Saturday, 4-6:30 p.m. -- reflecting on the ethical treatment of animals in light of their commonality with humans.

Each session will include the presentation of papers, followed by a moderated panel discussion among the presenters. All the sessions will take place in the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St.

The "Man and Beast" symposium is free and open to the public. For more information, call (203) 432-0670 or e-mail manana.sikic@yale.edu.

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