What Makes A Human Essay - 1346 Words

When we look forward and anticipate the future through the means of science fiction, it seems that contributing largely to our contemporary definition of â€Å"human† is our imperfections. The very fact that we posses these imperfections is the reason that writers imagine a future where those imperfections may be eliminated; knowing that there is room for improvement drives human curiosity and ingenuity forward. So now we imagine a future where humans are perfect, ageless, precise. Would these things really still be human or closer to real life cyborgs? Maybe this question is too ethical, lacking in empirical evidence to give a non-angled answer. But for myself, what makes a human different from a machine is that we are not built off of automatic judgments, we are not ageless, and we all carry collective, as well as our own individual imperfections. For it is these imperfections that remind us that we were not constructed in factories, but are rather shaped by our biology and given environments. As humans, we do in fact posses many automatic functions, many of which are linked to the autonomic nervous system which controls and regulates bodily functions such as our heartbeats, blood circulation, and breathing patterns. As Descartes puts it, â€Å"Our own bodies can move without the guidance of volition.† So in this sense, the human body has a mechanical side to it, but when it comes to our reasoning of the world, being creative, and solving problems, these are functions that are notShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes Us Human? Essay1377 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"What makes us human?†, is an unanswered question asked by many. Is it because of our ability to have empathy for others? Or is it because of our cognitive ability which allows us to look into the future? One of the main arguments made that separates humans from animals is our communication style; our language. Is language inherently unique to human? To answer such a question, we first ope rationally define language as; â€Å"a system of communication based upon words and the combination of words intoRead MoreWhat Makes Us Human?1394 Words   |  6 PagesWhat Makes Us Human Being a human is a lot more complex than people believe it to be. Although we can be similar, we’re unique to any other mammals or animals in the world. Humans are a difficult species to understand. We’re constantly changing and creating or discovering new things, throughout our world. Being a human isn’t always easy; we get things thrown at us suddenly like sickness or death, things go wrong such as failing a test or going through a breakup, and the most challenging thing;Read MoreWhat Makes Us Human?1228 Words   |  5 PagesWhat makes us human? For thousands of years, we have struggled to describe what it means to be human. Is it the way we walk, the size of our brain, the tools we use, or our capacity for emotion? All of these can make a difference when it comes to understanding our ancestry and what makes us special. Brain size is a determining factor in the intelligence of a species. Many people would think that the larger the brain, the smarter the species; however, a species can have very large brains andRead More What Makes Us Human?1718 Words   |  7 PagesHumans are extremely complex and unique beings. We are animals however we often forget our origins and our place in the natural world and consider ourselves superior to nature. Humans are animals but what does it mean to be human? What are the defining characteristics that separate us from other animals? How are we different? Human origins begin with primates, however through evolution we developed unique characteristics such as larger brain sizes, the capacity for language, emotional complexityRead MoreWhat Makes Us Humans?1069 Words   |  5 Pages Thought is what makes us humans. Our rationalism, our ability to make decisions based on our own reason and knowledge, is what makes humans human and not animals. Now a day we all have access to the largest library, the largest source of knowledge the world has ever known: the internet. Over 2,000 years ago we had the Library of Alexandria, a place where intellectuals would gather to discuss ideas and conduct research from over half a million books, a place where knowledge could grow. InRead MoreWhat Makes Us Humans?999 Words   |  4 PagesWhat makes us humans? Ask science, and we may receive a straightforward lesson on anatomy, but if we ponder the question deeper, we eventually find that it is actually a variety of intrinsic properties that define who we are as humans. In the novel â€Å"1984,† George Orwell enlightens us to what these qualities are and pushes us to decide whether the people of Oceana that lack these qualities are even human. The core characteristics of humanity as we know it are humor, imagination, spirituality, sexualityRead MoreWhat Makes Us Human?1905 Words   |  8 PagesHumans have made tremendous strides in learning about our early ancestors, but many questions remain about how and why we are what we are today, and there are as many theories. Chris Stringer, author of Lone Survivors, attempts to answer some of those questions. The question of â€Å"what makes us human† is a complicated one, with many different answers . Human beings evolved into what we are today not only through evolutions in genetics, brain size and body size, but also through our behaviors. So muchRead MoreHuman Nature : What Makes A Human Person?1511 Words   |  7 PagesHuman nature, the essence of what makes a human person what they are, is something that everybody has. Every person is innately a person, but how they put their personhood into action is the biggest indicator of their character, or the projection of a person’s human nature. At their core there is human nature, but their actions are what direct this source of humanity. The quality of someone’s actions is shaped by their environment and sometimes their biological makeup as well. Human nature doesRead MoreWhat Makes One Human and What Makes One Animal? Essay1635 Words   |  7 PagesGulliver’s Travels exposes the interdependency between both human and animalistic behaviors. In these travels, the word â€Å"human† does not necessari ly belong to a certain species, but is rather a characteristic of reason based on the social norms of a particular society. It also claims that animals lack reason and therefore are subdued by those with reason. Since Gulliver finds that humans are the only animals capable of reason, he sees humanity in the Houyhnhnms, who are completely governed by reasonRead MoreWhat Makes Humans Truly Unique?1551 Words   |  7 PagesWhen asking, â€Å"what is it that makes humans truly unique?† you must first ask yourself what unique means. In the grand scheme of the universe, humans may not be that unique but here on Earth we are very much so. We shape the world around us every day, for better or worse. We are by no means the most abundant species on the planet, (that title goes to ants), but we are the only species on Earth protecting other species. So in this case, unique means more progressive and more biologically advanced