Consciousness as a biological or mystical gift
I was browsing a few blogs and I came upon this phrase: A rational agent is a moral agent. There are so many things to say about this that I don't know where to start. In fact I think I won't start at all. I think those 7 words are probably among the most loaded 7 words one will ever encounter.
A further thing to think about: what does it mean to be a human? The religious person would think it means holding a set of doctrinal beliefs. The social scientist would say, it's either the fact that we make tools to make tools, or it's language that makes us human. The rational person would say, it's rationality that makes us human. The existentialist would probably say there is nothing quintessential in being a human, and it is this realisation that makes us human; perhaps the mere act of reflecting what it means to be a human is the basis of humanism.
I don't know. I'm more inclined to the view that humans are really nothing more than something more than animals. In other words, I am inclined to believe there are no qualitative differences between animals and humans, only quantitative differences. And it seems weird that the moment I say this, I feel a bit weird, as if something inside me wants to believe that there is something more to being a human, than being something more than animals.
A further thing to think about: what does it mean to be a human? The religious person would think it means holding a set of doctrinal beliefs. The social scientist would say, it's either the fact that we make tools to make tools, or it's language that makes us human. The rational person would say, it's rationality that makes us human. The existentialist would probably say there is nothing quintessential in being a human, and it is this realisation that makes us human; perhaps the mere act of reflecting what it means to be a human is the basis of humanism.
I don't know. I'm more inclined to the view that humans are really nothing more than something more than animals. In other words, I am inclined to believe there are no qualitative differences between animals and humans, only quantitative differences. And it seems weird that the moment I say this, I feel a bit weird, as if something inside me wants to believe that there is something more to being a human, than being something more than animals.
3 Comments:
I'd like to know which blog that is.
And you should have taken Applied Ethics with me.
Oh OK, I should have known which blog that is. I gave you the address. Never mind.
What does it mean to be human?
I believe that "the answer” is more of a reflection of the person giving it, than truly “the right answer”. There are people who devoted their entire life to religion. Some others choose to devote theirs' to protecting golden frogs on some obscure mountains. Similarly, there are people who spread hatred and destruction all their lives. Yet there are people who go around spreading love and kindness. To the frog lover, being human might mean that we have responsibility of protecting nature, especially the golden frogs. Ask a devoted Christian and he will probably mention God, who gives him the foundations of what it means to be human.
We can expect “the answer” to be as diverse as life itself, based on individual’s experience, surrounding environment and priorities in life. Thus my answer to the question is simply: “does it matter?” Is a frog loving, tree hugging natural lover any less human than a devoted Christian? Is the mentally handicapped child who can’t even comprehend this question, much less think about it any less human? We are all humans; we are all equal regardless of race, religion (or lack of it), handicapped or whatnot. There is no need to compare among ourselves or with other animals. We are born as a human. We die as a human. Simple.
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