I think the only thing that sets us apart from other animals is the level to which we can modify our environment and (so far) survive it.
In The Matrix, Smith says that humans are not mammals because every mammal maintains an equilibrium with their environment. But this is not something inherent in the animal, but rather the checks and balances in the environment itself. Take away the predators and deer populations grow until all the food is gone and then they starve. We've seen it happen.
If the deer could make food for themselves, they would just keep on breeding more deer.
I think they just had some bad experiences with bad software and generalized it. If you just glue together separate components with separate data and configuration then you’re going to have a bad day.
