# What does it mean to be human?



## Writer One (Oct 9, 2015)

I am questioning my humanity. Am I good or bad or both? I have been both good and bad and still exercise that action. I understand both of these emotions better today, than I did yesterday. I've see the tears the emotional pain plus the material pain and have experienced them both. I choose good over bad, even if it takes my life. To this day I still do not understand why we allow emotional ego pain to use us. Yet we still have pain. Is it mental physical or both? Do these emotions go back to our childhood, mine did.

I cannot speak for others, but I see and know there pain, to use a phrase,  done that been there got that (t) shirt. How can we not learn these things unless we have them? Ever body has there perception of what they think good  and bad is. Writer One


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## jenthepen (Oct 10, 2015)

Good and bad are strangely interchangeable, depending on perspective.

It sounds as though you have suffered a lot, though. It's good that you still believe in good and haven't become too bitter. So often anger and pain seem to lead to more of the same. You seem very strong and I admire that.


jen


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## Mesafalcon (Oct 10, 2015)

Humans tend to overrate being human. Since the only intelligent life we can converse with is other humans, of course most people agree being human is special and unique. 

Being human means your body and brain are of a certain composition and you can think, feel, and perform limited functions. 

There are some who make it out to be more than it is cause most people like to feel meaningful and/or special. 

It is what it is in reality.


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## dither (Oct 10, 2015)

It's just another life-form that's all and special it isn't.


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## walker (Oct 10, 2015)

For starters, being human means that you are not a bowl of oatmeal.


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## Allysan (Oct 10, 2015)

Being human is complicated and scary. We are highly emotional beings and I sometimes think we don't really fit in on this planet. Yet here we are, the bane of Earth's existence. Some days I would much rather be a bird. Or maybe a whale, I think that would be nice...


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## dither (Oct 10, 2015)

Allysan said:


> Being human is complicated and scary. We are highly emotional beings and I sometimes think we don't really fit in on this planet. Yet here we are, the bane of Earth's existence. Some days I would much rather be a bird. Or maybe a whale, I think that would be nice...



Allysan,
being a bird or a whale maybe sounds nice. I f only it wasn't for those damned humans.


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## Rabber (Oct 11, 2015)

It means to be the third most intelligent lifeform on Earth.


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## dither (Oct 12, 2015)

Raber said:


> It means to be the third most intelligent lifeform on Earth.



Potentially.


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## Riis Marshall (Oct 12, 2015)

Hello One

Great thread - let's keep it going.

We - well, some people anyhow - used to define humans as the only species that is aware of its own existence. Sounds great.

But somebody a few years back conducted an experiment. This researcher put a big red dot on the foreheads of a number of creatures and had them look in a mirror. The assumption was any creature aware of its own existence would conclude it was looking at an image of itself.

Four creatures responded positively to the red dot: human babies - beyond a certain age, wolves, elephants and orang-utans (if I remember correctly a later researcher tried this with bears but one of the bears killed him).

So if we can conclude from this research humans are not the only species 'aware of its own existence' then maybe we need to spend more time thinking about what we can all - well, maybe not _all_ - agree, specifically, defines us as humans.

I'm glad we've had this little chat.

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regard
Riis


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## Mesafalcon (Oct 12, 2015)

dither said:


> It's just another life-form that's all and special it isn't.



You could say that.


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## blazeofglory (Oct 12, 2015)

Good and bad are relatives not absolutes. And yes torturing others is bad of course by all standards and hedonism is something i condemn. Living on others sweat is a sin. These are ethical topics. But at times there are thin lines and wed cannot say which is good and which is bad in some circumstances. Theft is bad but not always. We know inequality is growing rapidly and it is not justifiable by all counts and when inequality is growing and wealth remains concentrated in the few rich and people sneak in and steal them theft is not a sin. 

If somebody keeps on torturing his servant and the servant keeps on tolerating to a certain point and when the tortures become intolerable then he has to take to crimes and he may take the life of his master and here now he is not accountable but the circumstance compels him to take action.


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## Arthur G. Mustard (Oct 12, 2015)

You exist, enjoy life and the journeys ahead. Love, be creative and at one with yourself. This will prepare you when your lifeforce and energies enter the next life.


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## ShadowEyes (Oct 12, 2015)

It means questioning what it means to be human.


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## LeeC (Oct 12, 2015)

ShadowEyes said:


> It means questioning what it means to be human.


A winner


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## Bishop (Oct 12, 2015)

It means my greatest goal remains to find a sexy alien girl. I mean really, there's BILLIONS of humans, I want to see something new, dammit!


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## LeeC (Oct 12, 2015)

Bishop said:


> It means my greatest goal remains to find a sexy alien girl. I mean really, there's BILLIONS of humans, I want to see something new, dammit!


And how would that not be another human creature, at least morphologically. That is unless you're into something really strange, and there's plenty of that here on earth


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## Phil Istine (Oct 12, 2015)

I guess it just means we got lucky.
Insufficient physical form to survive easily but were the right size to develop a brain that could scavenge from other creatures and make rough tools. We are the cuckoo that can't fly, pushing other creatures from their nests.
Bring on the next asteroid.
BTW.  Traffic wardens aren't human.  They descended via another line.


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## Riis Marshall (Oct 12, 2015)

@Bishop

Ever been to Earl's Court in London?

Warmest regards
Riis


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## Bishop (Oct 12, 2015)

LeeC said:


> And how would that not be another human creature, at least morphologically. That is unless you're into something really strange, and there's plenty of that here on earth



Well, most humans don't have tentacles. Most.



Riis Marshall said:


> @Bishop
> 
> Ever been to Earl's Court in London?
> 
> ...



No, but I'm planning a trip now!


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## walker (Oct 12, 2015)

blazeofglory said:


> Good and bad are relatives not absolutes.



There's a fix. 

You decide what good and bad is, or even better, who is a good or bad person (ask an authority figure if you're not sure), and ignore all evidence to the contrary. 

Works for me.

If you're really clever, you can turn contrary evidence to your advantage: "X is a 'bad guy', and yet, I have found nothing bad about X in years of observation. Oh, my God! X is worse than I thought! I have to assume the _worst_ case scenario for what I don't know! X is a psychopath, who has learned to _hide_ everything!"




> I guess it just means we got lucky.



Except that bacteria and archaea rule the Earth. Always have, always will. There was never an "Age of Dinosaurs" or any other age except the "Age of Prokaryotes," and we're still in it. And prokaryotes will make it through the next asteroid.

Greater diversity, greater numbers, more adaptable, even greater biomass.

Ah, let 'em have the Earth. I would still much rather be a human than a prokaryote.


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## bazz cargo (Oct 12, 2015)

According to my boss I'm just a number. According to one work colleague I'm a mushroom.


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## Mike C (Oct 14, 2015)

Being self aware isn't it. Monkeys do that. My dog recognises itself in a mirror.

We are the only species able to question our own actions. Define what is acceptable and what isn't (and yes I realise that is also a pack trait, but we go way beyond that). Lay down good and evil, and justify actions accordingly. We are, therefore, the only species capable of 'evil' acts (or 'good' for that matter).




walker said:


> You decide what good and bad is, or even better, who is a good or bad person (ask an authority figure if you're not sure), and ignore all evidence to the contrary.



Collectively, that is what we have done and continue to do. We have decided, somewhat arbitrarily, that people who have sex with people under (insert your local age of consent here) are bad people. Except a few years back the limits were different. In the UK just a few short years ago, if I were so inclined, I could go to prison for having sex with a 16 year old boy. Now, no problem. I wouldn't be a bad man any more. "Evidence to the contrary" is just public opinion. People who kill other people are 'bad' because we decided it to be so, not because killing a person is intrinsically any better or worse than killing a pig.

What does it mean to be human? Nothing, beyond our ability to pose the question.


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## escorial (Oct 14, 2015)

i'm not religious but i believe to be human is to suffer


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## walker (Oct 14, 2015)

Mike C said:


> "Evidence to the contrary"



No offense, but you're kind of an amateur at this.

It sounds like you are concerned with actual acts that humans do.

I don't need anybody to do anything at all before I decide whether they're good or bad.

I just write a narrative, disconnected from reality, and believe it.


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## Kevin (Oct 14, 2015)

> Lay down good and evil, and justify actions accordingly. We are, therefore, the only species capable of 'evil' acts (or 'good' for that matter).


 Interesting, as that is post eating the apple according to some philosophical texts. 

 Does the savage that simply follows all his customary cultural norms question? Or are they in a state of innocence, not being acculturated to other standards? Questioning their acts... is everyone 'human' capable of this? I have an aunt that... well never mind.


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## Crowley K. Jarvis (Oct 14, 2015)

I would slightly disagree, One. 

Like you said, we have the capacity to lose control of 'negative' emotions, which can influence bad decisions.

But it's not like we didn't know what could happen, or a least have a faint guess. 

To me, that's what being human means. We don't need the T-shirt to tell us. We know. Those that make 'stupid' or 'bad' decisions are well aware of it, unless they're simply insane. We know this without being told. 

Experience does help. But for the most part, the wisest people see what's coming, and avoid it. 

Other creatures don't do that. 

I am human because I don't need to be told. No instinct tells me where to migrate. My decisions are conscious, not unconscious.


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## LeeC (Oct 14, 2015)

To me, with no offense intended, this thread is testament to the self-inflated subjectiveness of the human species. 

Our hubris allows us to believe we're advancing, and our subjectiveness allows us to believe that our course is not self destructive, or ignore that it is.

"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments [good or bad]; there are consequences."  ~  Robert Green Ingersoll

“I am just a leaf. Just a leaf falling from the tree so that a new bud may grow.”  ~  Gemma Malley


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## escorial (Oct 14, 2015)

LeeC said:


> To me, with no offense intended, this thread is testament to the self-inflated subjectiveness of the human species.



how humane


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## Mike C (Oct 14, 2015)

walker said:


> No offense, but you're kind of an amateur at this.



None taken; I think maybe we are all amateurs, else the definitive answer would be out there somewhere.



walker said:


> It sounds like you are concerned with actual acts that humans do.



I'm not really concerned with actual acts, or moral codes, ethics or anything else. I'm just giving my observations and opinions on who I think we are.



walker said:


> I don't need anybody to do anything at all before I decide whether they're good or bad.



But that good or bad is based on society's accepted norms filtered through your own perception of good and bad. Conscious or unconscious, you're judging people on preconceptions. You're, like, being human, dude.



walker said:


> I just write a narrative, disconnected from reality, and believe it.



Fancy maverick words, but nothing is disconnected from reality.


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## Mike C (Oct 14, 2015)

LeeC said:


> To me, with no offense intended, this thread is testament to the self-inflated subjectiveness of the human species.



Indeed.


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## walker (Oct 14, 2015)

LeeC said:


> Our hubris allows us to believe we're advancing



But we are advancing.

Or did you mean towards something in particular?

I hope you didn't mean towards something good, because we can't define good:



LeeC said:


> "In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments [good or bad]; there are consequences."  ~  Robert Green Ingersoll



Unless you're like me, and define good without rhyme or reason, in exchange for a paycheck and tacos on Tuesday.



Mike C said:


> I'm not really concerned with actual acts, or moral codes, ethics or anything else.



Yet you list them, with ages, etc.



Mike C said:


> But that good or bad is based on society's accepted norms filtered   through your own perception of good and bad. Conscious or unconscious,   you're judging people on preconceptions. You're, like, being human,   dude.



No kidding. It would make more sense to judge people on facts, but I  can't bring myself to do it. Often facts conflict with my prejudices.  I'm forced to either look in the mirror and realize that I'm an idiot,  or hold my ground. I choose to hold my ground. 




Mike C said:


> Fancy maverick words, but nothing is disconnected from reality.



Not true. If somebody's signing the paycheck, I'll judge people however  the boss would like, no matter how little relation whatever I'm being  asked to do bears to reality.


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## Kevin (Oct 14, 2015)

> My decisions are conscious, not unconscious.


 Really? Like the first time you popped wood? Or... how about getting angry when that other boy took your toy way back in pre-school? I don't know about you, but I just re-acted, didn't think about it, and bit down hard. Take my toy, will you?! My dog does the same thing. You could say it's instinct to protect his stuff, but then maybe at the time, it was instinct to protect what I had. It felt rather satisfying to bite down.


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## Crowley K. Jarvis (Oct 14, 2015)

Kevin said:


> Really? Like the first time you popped wood? Or... how about getting angry when that other boy took your toy way back in pre-school? I don't know about you, but I just re-acted, didn't think about it, and bit down hard. Take my toy, will you?! My dog does the same thing. You could say it's instinct to protect his stuff, but then maybe at the time, it was instinct to protect what I had. It felt rather satisfying to bite down.



I didn't say certain things were not built into us. 

My point was, unlike animals, we have the ability to make decisions on more than instinct.


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## LeeC (Oct 14, 2015)

Crowley K. Jarvis said:


> I didn't say certain things were not built into us.
> 
> My point was, unlike animals, we have the ability to make decisions on more than instinct.


With all due respect, that's not a distinct human attribute  As but a more obvious example, read some of the studies on Raven intelligence. Another area of study is EI. Actually, one of the aspects in studying animal intelligence is considering morphology in evaluating behavioral intelligence. 

But then maybe your sentence wasn't worded as intended  

Take care.


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## Crowley K. Jarvis (Oct 14, 2015)

LeeC said:


> With all due respect, that's not a distinct human attribute  As but a more obvious example, read some of the studies on Raven intelligence. Another area of study is EI. Actually, one of the aspects in studying animal intelligence is considering morphology in evaluating behavioral intelligence.
> 
> But then maybe your sentence wasn't worded as intended
> 
> Take care.



I thought it was implied that humans do so on a much higher level, which is quite distinct. 

After all, ravens don't have forums where they discuss what it means to be a Raven.

...At least, not yet.That would be fun. Make it happen, scientists! :chuncky:


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## bookmasta (Oct 14, 2015)

What does it mean to be human? Instructions not included.


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## LeeC (Oct 14, 2015)

Crowley K. Jarvis said:


> I thought it was implied that humans do so on a much higher level, which is quite distinct.
> 
> After all, ravens don't have forums where they discuss what it means to be a Raven.
> 
> ...At least, not yet.That would be fun. Make it happen, scientists! :chuncky:


It's not so much intelligence that humans have a lock on, but more intricate communications in sharing and furthering thoughts. If you refine brain size relative to body size with the encephalization quotient, humans do come out on top overall, but there are specific aspects of animal intelligence that are equal or superior. For instance emotional intelligence (the ability to recognize and use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior) is pronounced in social species (e.g. Canis lupus).

Without my getting carried away, no ravens don't have internet forums. They sit around in trees communicating with Cr-r-rucks and the like  Given the opportunity though, I bet one could pick your pocket without you knowing  Actually, ravens are gaining an increasing reputation for solving ever more complicated problems invented by ever more creative scientists.


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