What Does it Mean to be Human?
For many people who've tried to understand what it means to be human, the focus has very often been on what sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. What is it that is unique to humans as a species? What higher powers have we got? And so on.
We know that biologically we are closely related to certain animal species and some very interstice theories are out there outlining the evolutionary path we may have followed. So are we simply a more highly evolved mammal than our closest relatives; the apes? Perhaps. But this shouldn't undermine the fact that we have always behaved in ways that seem to be substantially different from other species of mammals. The earliest humans created and used tools to hunt. They wore clothes. They created art. No other species has ever come close to displaying even these earliest signs of 'humanness'.
So what is it about being human that sets us apart? Is it as simple as having a larger more developed brain than other species? Is it our higher level of consciousness - self-consciousness - the ability to reflect on what goes on inside our heads? Do we have a soul or a spiritual essence and if so did we always have it? Is it our creative and artistic abilities that make us fundamentally different - our ability to represent the world to ourselves through things we fashion with our hands? Is it the ability to use language in complex ways to communicate with others that shows that we are different? Is it our imagination that is unique - our preoccupation with creating new worlds inside our own heads? Does our emotional intelligence distinguish us from other species - our ability to understand and temper our emotions and instincts very unique ways?
The answer may lie in just some or all of these apparently unique abilities. The question however about what it means to be human cannot be fully answered with reference to any single defining ability or feature. To understand our humanness we need to take a more complete approach.
We cannot just define ourselves by our 'highest capacity' as many have in the past; thus negating the other aspects of our humanness. We are first and foremost biological entities, which inter-depend on the natural world for our existence. We are also social beings, hugely dependent on others for survival. However we are also intelligent, self-conscious, spiritual, artistic, linguistic and emotional beings. Any discussion on what it means to be human must take a more complete view.
How often do we as individuals and societies put excessive emphasis on the development of one of our attributes to the detriment of all others. In capitalist societies we tend to focus on the development of our intellectual abilities to support economic prosperity; measuring human ability and worth often solely by IQ. How many religions of world encourage us to deny the flesh in order to purify the soul? In how many societies are men not supported the development of their emotional abilities?
All such approaches to human living fundamentally misunderstand what it means to be human. Its not just about what sets us apart from the animal kingdom. Its not just about our higher capacities. Its not just what makes us unique as a species. It is these and the fact that we are also biological and inter-dependent beings.
We know that biologically we are closely related to certain animal species and some very interstice theories are out there outlining the evolutionary path we may have followed. So are we simply a more highly evolved mammal than our closest relatives; the apes? Perhaps. But this shouldn't undermine the fact that we have always behaved in ways that seem to be substantially different from other species of mammals. The earliest humans created and used tools to hunt. They wore clothes. They created art. No other species has ever come close to displaying even these earliest signs of 'humanness'.
So what is it about being human that sets us apart? Is it as simple as having a larger more developed brain than other species? Is it our higher level of consciousness - self-consciousness - the ability to reflect on what goes on inside our heads? Do we have a soul or a spiritual essence and if so did we always have it? Is it our creative and artistic abilities that make us fundamentally different - our ability to represent the world to ourselves through things we fashion with our hands? Is it the ability to use language in complex ways to communicate with others that shows that we are different? Is it our imagination that is unique - our preoccupation with creating new worlds inside our own heads? Does our emotional intelligence distinguish us from other species - our ability to understand and temper our emotions and instincts very unique ways?
The answer may lie in just some or all of these apparently unique abilities. The question however about what it means to be human cannot be fully answered with reference to any single defining ability or feature. To understand our humanness we need to take a more complete approach.
We cannot just define ourselves by our 'highest capacity' as many have in the past; thus negating the other aspects of our humanness. We are first and foremost biological entities, which inter-depend on the natural world for our existence. We are also social beings, hugely dependent on others for survival. However we are also intelligent, self-conscious, spiritual, artistic, linguistic and emotional beings. Any discussion on what it means to be human must take a more complete view.
How often do we as individuals and societies put excessive emphasis on the development of one of our attributes to the detriment of all others. In capitalist societies we tend to focus on the development of our intellectual abilities to support economic prosperity; measuring human ability and worth often solely by IQ. How many religions of world encourage us to deny the flesh in order to purify the soul? In how many societies are men not supported the development of their emotional abilities?
All such approaches to human living fundamentally misunderstand what it means to be human. Its not just about what sets us apart from the animal kingdom. Its not just about our higher capacities. Its not just what makes us unique as a species. It is these and the fact that we are also biological and inter-dependent beings.
posted by De Man on de Street at 8:18 pm
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