Wednesday, November 14, 2012

On Being Human


There is a mountain of research into the universal question we all ask at some point.  What makes me human?  Philosophers will approach this from one direction, Sociologists from a different, and Anthropologists yet another.  I would guess everyone struggles to find what makes them different from the other species on this planet.  Each day the news reports some new tidbit on this subject.  On Monday we may find that a bird species has a previously unknown ability to make and use simple tools.  Tuesday will provide us with evidence that early mankind had an affinity for long range weapons.  Wednesday’s details may uncover a new aspect to our fascination with God, and so the days go, one after another, piling details upon details.

In my humble opinion, what makes us human is our need to define self.  What other species spends so much time and energy trying to determine who and what they are, and why they are different from the being next to them?  Of course this being a blog I’ve done absolutely zero research on this deep subject and would be more than happy to have someone offer an alternative opinion.

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