What does being human mean to you?

I'm really not sure if this is in the right place this time, but yeah. If it needs moving then just go for it.

Basically, I think that hardest question I have ever tried to answer is what it means to be human.

Now is it simply biology and genetics? Or is it something more complex?
Is being a human being different to being a person?

Or does it depend on what you do, and who you are rather than what you are?



I'd really like to hear ATS's opinion on this, as everyones different, and we might throw up something that no one else has thought about!

Ay.

Jordan maxwell reckoned human means just animal.

For me i am stuck on a planet of wannabee murderers, just itching to get away with murder.

Thats all i thing our race mostly is. The ones who do not feel like that are called insane, and they are a minority.

I tend to agree with jordan that the word human means just an animal, and i think it describes the lot on this planet well.

reply to post by Ayana


To me it means acknowledging I have been created by a MUCH HIGHER INTELLIGENT CREATOR that has placed me in the FLESH WITH A free will spirit inside to learn and advance or fail on EARTH.
It means to except that I am not perfect in any ways why in my flesh state BUT MAY BECOME PERFECT IN MY SPIRITUAL/SOUL STATE WHEN CLOSER TO THE CREATOR.
It means that I will be tempted and tourted @ times as a human organisim by fellow sellout humans who are too ignorant or arrogant to see the LIGHT and will still hold close to the creator no matter what, COMPLETE CRYSTAL FAITH (fearless).
It means that as a human I am particially responsible for my actions on EARTH which effect all other living organisims in seas and on land and even SPACE LOL AND I MUST TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THESE RESPONSIBILITIES AND MAKE THINGS FAIR.
It means to try my best down here in a KINGDOM ALREADY GIVEN TO THE DRAGON ***SATAN AND NOT BE LED ASTRAY BY HE THE DRAGON and his followers not strapped down to EARTH ONLY FOR THE 1/3 ARE IN SPACE ALSO if you aint know.
It means to DIE FOR THE SON AS HE DIED FOR US AND BE THANKFULL I AM NOT DYING FOR A BEAST THAT KNOWS ITS TIME IS CLOSING UP AND JUST WANTS COMPANY WITHIN THE FIRE LAKE INWHICH IT SHALL BE CASTED WITH ITS FOLLOWERS FACING 2 DEATHS NOT 1 LIKE CHRIST FOLLOWERS.
It is simply recognizing what is RIGHT AND WRONG UNIVERSALLY NOT GLOBALLY. take care and god bless

for what it is to be human I agree with andy1033... humans as a race do not nearly live up to their potential
but for what being human should be....
Being place here by a divine creator most religions say that humans were place here to praise and glorify our creator how ever you may fallow.

Myself being a Gnostic Christian believe this. Also going along with the bible (at least the good old versions) While God did give us domain of all living things in the world we are also meant to be the stewards of animals and wardens of nature. I whole heartedly can not believe that we evolved from goo and can just rape our home for a few bucks.

I am not a bible thumper by any means either My science books are setting right next to my bible on my self along with books on every other religion...

but I guess I've gotten a little off topic. When it comes down to it I think we should advance our race as far as possible while maintaining a balance with nature. Protect that witch cannot protect its self lest they rise up against you.

so yeah that my view on being human...(I have a slightly Utopian mind)

peace patRIOT

reply to post by Ayana


by the way you never gave us your view...

Good post

peace

reply to post by Ayana


Someplace I heard about tunnels in Norway that had 3 signs so that there could be 3 lines. They were human, non-human, and alien. I have wondered what a non-human would be.

I also read somewhere that there may not be enough souls for all the babies being born. If you were soulless would you necessarily be evil?

At one time I would have said being human was a matter of genitics, but that would make genetic deformaties other-than-human.

reply to post by Ayana


It would take quite some time to write up a satisfactory explanation of how all of the metrics we typically associate with being "human" are merely matters of proportion, modifiable arrangements of molecules, collections of behavior and knowledge gained over our long enculturation, distributions of collective ecosystems spanning all three major branches of life (eukarya, archea, bacteria), etc.

"Human" to me, has two terms. I am human in the sense that I cannot successfully reproduce with a chimpanzee, our closest relative, marking a species boundary. Else wise, "human" is still rather ill-defined. As said, I'll elaborate later. For the moment, suffice to say that I don't consider "human" as being limited merely to the Homo Sapien Sapien family. It's a far broader blanketing term having more to do with biological/synthetic functionality (which we share) as well as collective values, behaviors, knowledge, and cultural expression (which was generated by humans, but not intrinsic to humans). I would have no compunctions calling Neanderthals or true AI constructs fellow human beings, deserving of all that implications that follow from that.

(Technically, we should be able to successfully reproduce biological children with virtual artificial intelligence partners. Turns out, Armitage III wasn't too far off.)

[edit on 4-3-2010 by Lasheic]

For me... being human involves 2 things:

1)Free will

2)Altruism; we are possibly the only species in the world that will risk our own lives for others without any reason, and with out any positive gain on our part.

reply to post by Monts


1. Heh, I don't think we have free will.

2. Altruism is well demonstrated in the animal kingdom, most prominently displayed within social animals. Humans merely display adeptness for altruism in more abstract fashions because we have a greater capacity for abstract thought.

Okay, someone said that I didn't give my view. That's true, but I just wanted to wait until a few people said theres incase I influenced it or anything.

Personally I think what makes us human is the way we interact with other people and is visible more in our actions than in anything else.
I think it's about free will and how we choose what to do and make decisions.
Also I think our complex emotions and stuff add to it too. But then again, we don't fully know what goes on in the minds of 'animals' so that's a grey area.

Ermm... Like I said, it's really difficult to say what it is. But yeah, that's my opinion and I'll add more to it when I can think of more

Thanks for everyones responses!

Human is the classification that other "humans" has given to their species to make them different from any other species in the animal kingdom.

We are actually terrestrial mammals and reproduce like other mammals.

But if thinking that we are specials by some divine means makes "some Humans" feel better, then good for them.

I see humanity as nothing but a condition that we accept in order to experience life in earth.

reply to post by marg6043


Oof I like that one

Thanks for sharing that

To be human in our times means that the individual has learned, through language, to initiate the conscious function of the brain. Consciousness brings with it the mind-space, analog "I", and metaphor "Me" which we use to play out the story of our lives.

The function of consciousness has replaced the bicameral functions, providing humans a way to spatialize time allowing us to imagine the future, ponder the past, and imagine the same in others. It is quite an amazing development, a mind-space of infinite size springs forth from a few pounds of brain matter. Too few realize the marvel that is consciousness.

Consciousness -> Time Spatialization -> Human

IMO, being Human is no different to being an ant or a dolphin or a star.

We are here to complete a particular cycle, to learn and grow and expand.
That is, to expand not just our DNA through breeding but also our knowledge and understanding of the universal life force.

I think this is why we ultimately feel alone even though we share this planet with so many of our like.

If we had a collective mind, then we would suffer so greatly if any ties were broken. An ant can communicate in its own way, yet it is able to work on its own accord. A star does what it does (wether it is a living entity or capable of communication is another issue...somewhere along the lines of Gaia theory).

Being Human, for me, is an experience. A snap shot of a greater image. A portal to one of the many possible ways to live, love, thrive and survive. An opportunity to gain a greater understanding.

I feel that our dreams have a deep universal/spiritual connection that we have yet to learn about, but these dreams are lessons and/or messages for a part of us that may possibly be subdued due to our current way of living.

Just a few thoughts on that for now..