What makes you human?

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Link XL1

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Astoria said:
Link XL1 said:
AwesomePeanutz said:
Link XL1 said:
Pojo-san said:
Philosophy and religion are two very different things.
...no they're not
YES they are.
NO they're not.
Pretty sure they are. Philosophy is always up for debate but religion isn't.
Razada said:
I am human because I look at the world and see we fucked it up, because I have the ability to look at my instincts and go "Man, these things suck" and strive to change. It is the ability to change which makes us human.

We have all heard the genetic arguments (We are humans because we are humans) or the philosophical arguments (Cogito Ergo Sum or various addaptations upon it) but what really makes us human is discussions like this, the art we produce, the atrocities we are willing to commit against our own kind.

We are the species Homo-Sapiens due to our genes, we act "Human" because of our societies and we are "Human" because of the thoughts taking place behind all of the above.

WOPR said:
Link XL1 said:
AwesomePeanutz said:
Link XL1 said:
Pojo-san said:
Philosophy and religion are two very different things.
...no they're not
YES they are.
NO they're not.
philosophy = The critical analysis of fundamental assumptions or beliefs.

religion = a belief pertaining to supreme beings afterlives or forces at power
Religion came about due to philosophy, they are one and the same. Before we understood things, we critically analysed the world and came up with the ideas behind religion. Religion is early philosophy. It is a bit of a pointless debate that comes down to semantics and will seesaw for the rest of human history, but meh. Now maybe you can draw distinctions between the two but it would like be saying Mag-Lev's aint trains because trains run on rails.
ok, i know im doing alot of quoting here, but its only to get the attention of the people involved:

Astoria: ok dude look, religion is under huge debate, all that time! thats why we have all these different religions that splint from a main one. thats why the Crusades happened. trust me, you cant say that they're completely different.

WOPR: you are absolutely right. however, i think you may have missed the original argument do to a misquote, i was the guy who said that religion and philosophy are very closely related and NOT completely different.
 

hem dazon 90

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WOPR said:
hem dazon 90 said:
I'll be tactful

Don't complain about society. Try and fix it
I'm not really complaining so much as I'm wondering "why?"

it's just a weird situation...

and I have tried but sadly I'm just one person, and I've learned the hard way that because I don't "fit in" they won't listen to me unless the words "law suit" come up in conversation
Don't say that. And society may be cruel but perhaps it has a point? maybe you should look inward to the reason you are excluded. Or perhaps they are just joking around.
 

bulbasaur765

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When the word "Human" comes to mind, I think of being more than just a warm-blooded organism. We can do more than just eat, crap, mate, and fight. We think up ideas and ask questions about why things are the way they are and what we can or cannot change about them. That's all I can think of.
 

Pojo-san

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Link XL1 said:
Pojo-san said:
Philosophy and religion are two very different things.
...no they're not

Pojo-san said:
Wikipedia is not a real source. Try again.
...yes it is, didnt you see the very long list of references and sources that were used in the making of that wiki article? if all thats not valid then what is!?
Philosophy (noun): the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. Any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as composing this study. It is also the academic discipline concerned with making explicit the nature and significance of ordinary and scientific beliefs and investigating the intelligibility of concepts by means of rational argument concerning their presuppositions, implications, and interrelationships; in particular, the rational investigation of the nature and structure of reality (metaphysics), the resources and limits of knowledge (epistemology), the principles and import of moral judgment (ethics), and the relationship between language and reality (semantics).

Religion (noun): the belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers considered to be divine or to have control of human destiny, or the the attitude and feeling of one who believes in a transcendent controlling power or powers.

See two very different things, and those are the dictionary definitions, sweetie.

Also, scholar reviewed articles, research notes, experiment results, and any book in the library are all credible sources while Wikipedia is not. College/university students are not allowed to use Wikipedia as a source for essay's and research papers because almost anyone can alter the contents of an article. I could probably do it right now myself. I can say that the sky is actually purple, or that marshmallows are an endangered species that are found in the Alps. Wikipedia is best described as a reference page. It just has general information. If you want true in-depth data then you will need to search elsewhere. The links at the bottom are rarely useful. I tried looking myself and I have found that the information that someone pulled for the article was only on one line. Another time I was led to a site that had nothing to do with the topic of the article. This is why I rarely go to Wikipedia for anything.

Edit: I'm not trying to split hairs here nor do I want to do that. Can't we just agree to disagree and move on from this unpleasant subject?
 

Pojo-san

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XxRyanxX said:
Pojo-san said:
Given Question: What makes us Human?
Well I was going to include religion like my own, but I respect your wishes to not include it so I shall not, which also I really don't know why I am going to write a whole lot, but here I seem motivated about the topic!

*ahem*

Sorry! Moving on, what makes us human can be expressed in so many ways. It can be how we're part of the homo sapian category, it can be how humans are literally the smartest living things we know so far (spite our flaws, but it goes toward the majority), can be based on our actions that took course overtime, making history and civilasation, and so forth. But, in my personal ideals about this is that humans are very emotional. Emotion can be wonders beyond understanding, that it controls how we think, feel, and act upon. When you're in love, you're usually happy and strive to be with that person. When you're mad, you tend to not be yourself which you shout, scream, hold it inside with hatred or just take it out on something. It actually depends, everyone is different. What gets to me is that emotions can overtake us to.

Have you ever seen an animal cry? We are the only ones that can shed tears, feel guilt for our actions. We don't go and move on after losing someone, we set funerals for them and also have systems to run our country like politics. No animal can establish this, which they do not construct inventions or keep in touch their children over the ages. They cannot create art on paper or technical design like we can. We're more then some brilliant life form- we're unique in our own way, no one is different and we all have personalities. Defining a character is beyond what any animal can grasp, therefore we're like that movie IRobot. We stand out, we're not like all the other designed robots. We can feel, learn, understand what we do, set course and adapt in unlimited ways.

Sometimes being human has it's disadvantages though. We can be cruel and full of destruction, have slavery over others and do terrible deeds. We can destroy ourselves even, being to greedy or to attached to something that it drives us to the brink of insanity. So many consiquences for being alive, but life isn't fair to anything so why worry? Live the best you can and be the mature, well-spoken Escapists you are on here and noble people out there in the World. I'm grateful I was given the chance to live as a person, so I may be even able to write this. No animal can type essays upon essays of literature, poetry, or even a child's story. We're so advanced that it's pretty scary is why we must be careful with our gift.

Yes, I know I am seriously getting carried away and I do thank you for this Thread Pojo-san, but truly we're human to the point of bearing so many different cultures. Animals usually live the same, do the same thing everyday cause of survival. In America as a hunan being, if we went to Japan or Egypt, we'll notice so many different stories of history, buildings, language, and so much more. We can create things that were impossible in the past. Nothing can be explained for our accomplishments or how it came to be that we've been so successful to survive without much worry (not for all, but usually we got it easy depending on our life style or what's going on around us). We can put effort into creativity that enables us to make things of fantasy or sci-fi!

There comes a point that we even question our own existence. Maybe we underestimate animals about how they feel or think, but without a doubt humans can go so deep without logical terms that most people are impressed with the outcome. Sometimes we shouldn't because that can lead to bad decisions like suicide (if the person is depressed by any means to that level of throwing their life away which I hope they can find reason to live before hand). We also don't find a partner to simple make love to and move on (er.. some do but hear me out!) most people want someone to be with, love for the rest of their life. We're very sensitive living things, so we need compashion and company. That's what makes us unique, we all need someone to have in our lives to feel secure, or appreciated. Not saying animals don't, but we go very far and wide to gain that promise.

This is all I have to say and sorry for writing a lot, but I was going to say more. Hope this makes sense because I was just putting down whatever came to mind. Glad to of found this Thread and posted on it! Oh and one more thing- what makes us human overall is that we are aware of what's right and wrong. Animals don't for sure, which they act on instinct. Humans act on instict too, but if they could steal food for free from someone and not get caught, they may consider it wrong and not steal it after all. This is moral choice, we pick what we believe in and that's why I was going to include religion, but oh well! That's my explination. :)
You and maybe three other people are the only ones with a well-thought out argument on this thread. This is what I want in this thread. The reason why I didn't want religion to be involved is because I don't want people arguing about religion and not the topic at hand. It sort of back fired on me.
 

Paksenarrion

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A mirror.

If we never saw our reflection, we wouldn't know that we look just like everyone else.
 

Realitycrash

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Daystar Clarion said:
Being able to question my own existence. Humans are the only sentient beings on the planet. I think that pretty much sums it up.
You can't prove this, of course. Several studies have concluded that other beings, prmates, pigs, and even rats, are capable of meta-cognition.
 

hiks89

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Daystar Clarion said:
Being able to question my own existence. Humans are the only sentient beings on the planet. I think that pretty much sums it up.
no were not!!! all animals are sentient!!!
 

luclin92

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i am human because i am able to comunicate with peple around the world using tools and that i am able to question my existance.
 

hiks89

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Chrysocollus said:
I am human...because I can make mistakes...because I can make amends for them. Because I can do things I know will hurt me or others...or I can choose not to. Because I can take the feelings of another person, animal, or other things into account before I do something and then choose based on the effect I want to have.

...Or you could say it's because of genetics. :p So boring though.
if you were hungry in a jungle and you got your hands in a maquake you would kill it and eat it without thinking if it was the right thing to do
 

Pojo-san

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Realitycrash said:
Daystar Clarion said:
Being able to question my own existence. Humans are the only sentient beings on the planet. I think that pretty much sums it up.
You can't prove this, of course. Several studies have concluded that other beings, prmates, pigs, and even rats, are capable of meta-cognition.
Why does a rat need to contemplate it's own existence? I find this somewhat amusing. I suddenly have an image of a rat in the same position as "The Thinker." It's hunched over with a paw under it's chin, and it's thinking, "Why am I rat? What makes me a rat?" You would never think a rat would be thinking that let alone capable of thinking that. Well they are smart critters.
 

Pojo-san

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luclin92 said:
i am human because i am able to comunicate with peple around the world using tools and that i am able to question my existance.
Animals are capable of using tools to communicate as well. Some primates are able to talk to humans using sign language.
 

Pojo-san

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Planetoid said:
shaun1788 said:
I guess I cant say anything since im part cyborg.....what a life

But since im part human ill say my intellegence to question life and my morality
How can you be part-"part-machine"? You're either a cyborg or you aren't! :)
He's a manbearpig!
 

hiks89

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Irony said:
Because I belong to the species Homo sapiens? I mean sure we're the only sentient species on the planet (that we know of), but I doubt we're unique in that respect.

That sentience is a huge difference though and our mastery of tools does make us a very powerful species (in relation to others), but that doesn't make us "human", just "people".

We're humans because we are born of human, nothing more.
EVERY ANIMAL IS SENTIENT. I CANNOT EXPRESS THAT ENOUGH!!!!!
 

Realitycrash

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Pojo-san said:
Realitycrash said:
Daystar Clarion said:
Being able to question my own existence. Humans are the only sentient beings on the planet. I think that pretty much sums it up.
You can't prove this, of course. Several studies have concluded that other beings, prmates, pigs, and even rats, are capable of meta-cognition.
Why does a rat need to contemplate it's own existence? I find this somewhat amusing. I suddenly have an image of a rat in the same position as "The Thinker." It's hunched over with a paw under it's chin, and it's thinking, "Why am I rat? What makes me a rat?" You would never think a rat would be thinking that let alone capable of thinking that. Well they are smart critters.
..Why does a human need to contemplate it's own existence?
 

Laurie Barnes

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Daystar Clarion said:
Being able to question my own existence. Humans are the only sentient beings on the planet. I think that pretty much sums it up.
Yeah I think you got it, and your avatar is Amaterasu so you cannot be wrong.

I think a way of expanding on this and the OP, is that we are human because we have the capacity to look at ourselves and say we are different than animals, that we can name ourselves. Not only can we pick a name, we can decide what that name means, and explain it to others.