Ionios IB

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======               What it means to be human ======

“Who or what am I? I am a living, breathing organism signified by the words “human
being”. I am a material or physical being fairly recognizable over time to me and to others: I
am a body […]. However, there is another aspect of me not directly visible or definable. This
is the aspect of me which thinks and feels, reflects and judges, remembers and anticipates.
Words used to describe this aspect include “mind”, “spirit”, “heart”, “soul”, “awareness” and
“consciousness”. This part of me is aware that I can never be fully known or understood by
myself or by others; it notices that although there may be some unchanging essence which is
“me”, this same “me” is also constantly changing and evolving. So I am a physical body and
an emotional and psychological (or spiritual) being. The two together make me a person.”
[Source: adapted from K. O’Dwyer, (2011), “Who or What Am I?” Philosophy Now 84, www.phlosophynow.org accessed 1 July 2013]

With explicit reference to the stimulus and your won knowledge, discuss a
philosophical issue related to the question of what it means to be a human.

What does it mean to be human?

What does it mean? We see them every day, yet, we, or I, still cannot give a solid,
exact definition of what it means to be a human. I don’t even know how to define the single
word “human”. Although, from our stimulus, we can extract a phrase: “So I am a physical body
and an emotional and psychological (or spiritual) being. The two together make me a
person.” From the definition of K O’Dwyer, we can conclude that the combination of the
physical body and this “other aspect” which she calls “mind”, “spirit”, “heart”, “soul” is what
make or define a human.
Great! We defined what a human is… or did we? K. O’ Dwyer’s definition includes
this “other aspect” the “spiritual self” that without it, we are not cannot be a human a person.
This is where the issue arises. Are unconscious people (for example someone who had a head
injury leading to fainting) and others that are sleeping, considered not human? When we are
sleeping, we are not aware, we are not conscious of our surrounding even if our senses are
functional. So does this go against K. O’Dwyer’s definition? His definition of a human renders the existence of “awareness” or “consciousness” as a necessity, though those
elements are absent when we are in a sleeping state. Hence, do we stop being human when
we sleep? Are we a person and not a human? Are those two words synonyms? I find it
difficult, if not impossible, to give one, specific definition for all “human beings”
But let us go back to the main question, what does it mean to be a human? From a
pessimistic approach (which I partially agree with) it means nothing. So what that we are
“humans”? We just randomly ended up here. We are all just programmed to die in the end
losing consciousness and… and, well I don’t know what happens next. But let us not be so
absolute and simple.
I believe, that being a human means to be “yourself”; be one’s self. All of us
“humans”, beings with consciousness, consist of our own “mind”, “spirit”, “heart”, “soul”,
and “awareness”, as K. O’Dwyer stated. Being a “human” is the process of projecting,
showing to others, the whole of your “other aspect”, your “me” yourself and by this
interaction, constantly evolving it.
Ionios IB

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