Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Primates, Family: Hominidae, Genus: Homo, Species: H. sapiens.
This is the scientific definition and classification of the human, the definition of our physical place in the universe. The place in which we interact with the laws of the universe, the fellow organisms, and the natural and unnatural structures. For the moment let us forget these things and ask ourselves: how do you define the human as a being?
This was a question asked at the 2008 World Science Festival to a dozen of the world’s most influential scientists. The answers differed radically among the individuals, and by no means was there a uniform answer that scientifically answered the question. Perhaps there is no answer, and we are just a collection of organs with an unquestionably hard to comprehend and understand brain and nuero system that coexisted with an unparalleled mind. In that case the definition given above should answer the question of our place in the world.
But surely there is more to the human being besides the physical organs and a definition defined in Latin. Think about it, we are, to our knowledge, the most developed form of life ever to survive in the universe. We have the ability to think and comprehend all the actions in the physical and mental realm. Our brain has evolved into the most prolific and adaptable thinking machine in the world. Surely we are more than just a collection of physical organs taking place in the physical world of matter.
This answer is still unclear, and it resorts back to the question of mind and body. I look forward to talking about this subject in later time, but not in this conversation.
For the time being lets forget the definition of our species and get back to discussing the definition of the word human being.
What is it that makes us human and all other species not? One of the popular answers is that the complexity of our neuro system far exceeds those of other creatures. Our brain capacity has evolved into a structure that has yet to be fully discovered by its own self conscious. The world’s top neuro-scientists have been unable to discover how the brain truly works. The complexity of the situation is so vast we may not discover the irregular structures in our lifetime. Overall, this is arguably the most valid concept when discussing this in the realm of physical science, but has consistently failed to define how we think. Surely there is an answer to all our thoughts and memories somewhere inside the physical brain. After all, unless you believe in a higher being or some mystical world that is the bank of all our actions then all the questions must be answered in the physical world. We know the brain has unyielding powers that we do not understand, but we are still unable to say if this debate is plausible or not until we fully understand our neuro structure.
One of the popular debates on this subject is the human ability to develop and work with tools. Human beings have cultivated the land for tens of thousands of years with man-made tools and tools adapted from the environment. What animal has taken something from nature and adapted its structure to suit its job better. Most organisms use nature for shelter, but fail to create tools or develop new technology. Human beings use tools, but there are deeper ways to define what is human. This explanation is determined by our ability to use our advanced brains and to be aware of the possibility to use and create advanced tools.
The list goes on to an infinite number of possibilities that are all valid in the search to define the human being. Many of these are related to the physical aspects of the human being, and, in my opinion, the question is far deeper in the subconscious region of the mind and brain.
I want to bring up the topic on the World Science Festival again. Some quotes that were given on the subject of, “What does it mean to be human?,” gave a radically different belief on this topic.
One of the quotes that stuck me as an odd thought was from the physicist Jim Gates:
“We are blessed with the ability to know our mother. We are conscious of
more than our selves. And just as a child sees a mother, the species’
vision clears and sees mother universe. We are getting glimmers of
how we are related to space and time. We can ask, what am I?
What is this place? And how am I related to it?”
This is a conclusion of which I have never thought nor heard. I will make one objection to it however. I think this would work for all closely related humans. When you first gain awareness of your father figure you are in a bond between him and your mother. You can ask the same questions to all of family in the first hours of life. The questions of, “What am I?” “What is this place?” And, “How am I related to it?” could be asked to anyone. It may hold more true to the bond that is held between infants and mothers. The child has become so aware of this mother figure while in the womb that the first moment of sight the brain must be drawing conclusions immediately. Think about it - the moments of birth are the first chance you get to gather information from outside the womb. Much of our early years could be defined by these moments in life, and our first realization of all things complex.
The other quote I want to emphasize was given by the neuro-scientist, Antonio Damasio:
“The critical unique factor is language. Creativity. The religious and scientific impulse. An our social organization, which has developed to a prodigious degree. We have a record of history, moral behavior, economics, political and social institutions. We’re probably unique in our ability to investigate the future, imagine outcomes, and display images in our minds. I like to think of a generator of diversity in the frontal lobe.” (reference)
This is the conclusion I draw upon when defining the human being as a physical and communicative structure. The social, creative and scientific impulses of a human are so much greater than other similar animals of our present day knowledge. Most all species have developed an amazing social need that not only gathers them in form of protection but allows them to cultivate areas in a herd, or claim on area as a home territory. This is similar in almost all developed animals that we study, but one aspect that humans have that only few animals have developed is our creativity. Humans perceive artwork as a spectacle. Artisans have always been honoraries in the eyes of society. The area of the brain that conceives the images of creativity have been developed far more than those of others and unlike them can create, enjoy and praise creativity.
The ability to form a dynamic language has also been a trait in humans that is most certainly lacking in other species . The origins of language are in constant debate and have been for centuries, but we can be certain that the time in which language was conceived it must have been a spectacle of delight. Over a course of decades we would have been able to communicate in a series of sounds that we could interpret as a meaning. Almost instantaneously, we would be able to create a unified order of laws, religion and scientific process. Also merging into Dr. Damasio’s other topic of choice, “We have a record of history, moral behavior, economics, political and social institutions. We’re probably unique in our ability to investigate the future, imagine outcomes…” By creating a uniform language the prehistoric civilizations could begin the lifelong debate on the origin of the universe. The ability to learn is now available in the study of philosophy. We could then conduct an analysis on our moral issues, the future of humanity and as mentioned before, a universal code of conduct for an assortment of things.
These are all defined in the physical world as our actions and conscious thoughts. These are some of the concepts that define the human as a being and a species. The human being is an unyielding species that continues to define its own existence. But what about the mental realm? How do you define the whole of the human being’s ability to control and use a recognizable mind?
The part of our conscious mind that defines the human being is the ability to reason and realize. When you read this text you are reasoning with its topic. Also, by reading that last sentence you are realizing that you are reasoning with the text, both of which allow the human being to define its logic. Without a mind capable of reasoning our entire system of life would be impossible. Think: if you could not reason with yourself and others you could not decide what defined you as a person. All creativity and technology would be destroyed without minds to invent them. Subsequently, if we could not realize then many of our philosophies of the mind would be lost. This ability to realize our own moral issues with society connects our conscious to the rest of society and our own beliefs. Without realizing you could not define right from wrong, and on a physical level you could not define your nervous system. Realizing goes hand in hand with reasoning and both abilities are one of the key traits that defines humans from all others.
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