Human beings

What’s your most original definition of human beings?

As noone else has responded to this one, I thought I would give it a shot.

I don’t think that there is much to define when speaking of a human being. It pretty much defines itself. A “being” that is in the human category.

What differentiates us from animals and other forms of life? I would say, “our ability to create”.

I appreciate you answered this post :slight_smile: It is either a very boring question, or it’s not worth answering. Still, let’s see…

I would say, “our ability to choose”. Mankind cannot literally create, it can only change what already exists. Including itself.

I don’t want to get too religious on this post, but that is a question that has been bothering me for a long time.

I would start by saying our souls, which are what set us above the animals. This is why human life is valued above animal life. Next comes our ability to choose and know. All creatures can choose, only humans can know. We have the ability to think things through. Our rationality separates us from the animals. I don’t know if any of you have read Atlas Shrugged, but the character John Galt presents this idea.

<Here’s where I go on a tangent… kinda, This really is not relevant to the immediate topic, so you can skip the rest of my post if you fell like it.>
You have to choose to be human. As it is our ability to be logical and rational that separates us from the animals, how many people in this world are rational? I mean pick up a news paper! I’m not talking about terrorists or anything like that; here’s a local example. A teacher at a public high school got in trouble for teaching the poem Howl in his 12th grade English A.P. class. Now I admit I’m uncomfotable with that particular poem, but allow me to continue. At the begining of the year this teacher sent home a reading list with ALL the material he was going to use and the parents and students had to sign to say they were okay with all the material, if not, they could write down what they objected too and he would heavily consider removing it. Basically it was a waiver to be sure he didn’t get in trouble for teaching something one might find as objectionable. When the time for Howl came up he sent home another notice for the parents to sign saying they were okay with it; if not then thee student could be given an alternate asignment. When he actually started teaching, a parent jumped in screaming, went to all the papers, the school board, etc, about how her child was being “forced to be subjected to so something so offensive.”

Or what about that guy in California who tried to get the Pledge of Alligence made unconstitutional… If I may be blunt, I feel like slapping people like that. They deserve to be seran-wraped to trees and beaten with sticks…