|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:33 am
Last I checked, a human is just another animal living on this planet.
But then I remembered the word "Humane". This word's meaning is "pertaining to compassion", but its pronunciation and spelling suggest its ultimate meaning is "of human" or "like human".
But if humans are only animals, why have such a special word? Why should anything be "of human", when the word human is simply a term of classification? At the core level, are we in any way different from any other mammal? Or is there some sort of characteristic that separates humans from other creatures?
What, then, is "human"? What makes a human "human"? Is it possible for a human to not be "human"?
.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:52 am
The simplest answer, though it is really nothing of the sort, is sentience.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:38 pm
http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/Mirandola/
Giovanni says it with more authority than I could.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 12:04 pm
I remember a quote from the 1999 movie, "The Matrix"
"Mammals develop an equilibrium with their surrounding environment and adapt, you humans do not, you move to an area and multiply. You multiply until every natural resource is consumed and you move onto another area."
***Continuing...
"There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern, do you know what it is? A virus, you humans are the cancer of this planet..."
I still cannot help but wonder, is the human race closer to a plague rather than mammals?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:16 pm
By all means of a realistic viewpoints, We simply evolved to the point at which our minds are capable of constructing complex thought processes, and pondrances such as the one presented henceforth.
This word, "humane", is derived from the way our complex minds can fit things like compassion to a word comparable to our nature.
As humans, as animals, however... our nature is far from compassionate. We have caused more destruction to our planet than every species we know of.
It is my speculation that as animals with simply higher developed minds, it is only natural that as we dominate the planet, the spectrum of resources we consume is simply widebned by our adaptability.
According to Anton LaVey. we are not much more than simple animals, if anything more than that. We should, however, revel in our ability to ascend to levels of knowledge far beyond those capable of other animals... as far as we know.
Therefore, "human" is an animal that possesses the brain chemistry to complete complex thought processes, such as questioning the nature of its existence. This is one way of seeing it, and in my view a good way. Please express your own view if it is any different.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
