Let's find a better name for our race,shall we?

[Totenkopf]

What's wrong with human? It's better than Psychlo...

You're damn right with that.
I mean...
While you were still learning to spell your name, I was trained to conquer GALAXIES!

I'd suggest Menschheit as term for the human race.

 

[necromanzer52]

I quite like earthicans.

 

[CultistRat]

Solions?

I mean, our sun is called Sol isin't it?

That would work, right?

That would apply to every life-form from our solar system. It is the SOLar system after all.

 

[mad825]

permaneo of venator

'last of the hunters' I believe

 

[Lemon Of Life]

Morgan Freemanites.

He is the pinnacle of our species, so why not?

 

[bz316]

How bout we go the Imperium Galatica 2 route and call ourselves Solarians (you know, for the Sol system)?

 

[tobi the good boy]

either Gods or assholes would suit just fine

 

[teisjm]

Skinny hairless monkeys.

 

[Sakurazaki1023]

Terrans is the obvious choice.

-m

That would apply to every species on the planet unfortunately. It works better when describing humanity as a cultural group (in the same way French or American works today).

Human is most probably the result of hominis (meaning man) and humus (earth) being combined in a word that most literally means "Earthly Beings". Given that this word was first coined during an era when people believed that divine beings often directly interacted in mortal affairs, it seems reasonable that they would come up with a word that distinguishes people from gods.

If one wanted a new word, it would have to represent humanity in a way that specificially encapsulates us as a species. At the moment I am at a loss as to what traits would be so general as to apply to nearly ever person who has lived in the last couple of millenia.

While true, in the context of defining our species in an inter-stellar capacity, "Terrans" as in "the intelligent species originating from Terra" makes reasonable sense, even if *technically* any life from Earth is Terran.

-m

I'm going to have to agree with Matt, Terran would be correct assuming you think in an interplanetary context. Besides, on an intergalactic scale the intelligent species are the only important ones.

 

[ninjapenguin981]

Earth Dwellers. It seems the most logical name.

 

[T-Bone24]

Earthicans?

I'm all for Those That Rose From the Ashes of The Ones Came Before!, but that's too "poetic".

 

[DeathChairOfHell]

we should be called "Devastators" because it's true.

 

[CloudKiller]

Parasites, because we are.

 

[Decabo]

Planet Ruiners seems fitting.

 

[8bitlove2a03]

I race by any other name will still be as horrible, cruel, arrogant, and worthless as it is now. May as well just stick with the Latin genus-species name, lest we think ourselves better than the animals.

 

[Audio]

I think Agent Smith from the Matrix put it in the best way possible.

" I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet "

 

[CaptainCrunch]

While true, in the context of defining our species in an inter-stellar capacity, "Terrans" as in "the intelligent species originating from Terra" makes reasonable sense, even if *technically* any life from Earth is Terran.

-m

That would require something of a stricter definition of intelligence. An extraterrestrial being isn't guaranteed to think humans are the only creatures of reasonable intelligence on Earth.

Additionally, what if they make contact after we colonize the moon, or Mars? Are those humans Mooninites and Martians, respectively? What happens if they make contact with future Martians before they come to earth?

Whenever we do make contact, it certainly is up to us to communicate what we call ourselves as a species, and I agree that "Terrans" is preferable for "the dominant life form of Terra." However, in a more interstellar capacity something that refers to the solar system is more applicable. Something like "Solarians."

If we found an alien race that originated on a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, I'd probably call them "Centaurians," for example.