Information Related to "What Makes Humans Different?"
What Makes Humans Different?
What makes us human? Consider some of the ways
mankind differs from the animal kingdom.
Self-consciousness and intelligence. The human
mind gives us capacity for reasoned thought. Instinct isn't
the driving force that determines our behavior.
This ability leads us to search for meaning in our individual
lives as well as meaning in human life as a whole.
Libraries are full of the works of authors searching for purpose
in life. Every culture produces its own religions, myths
and philosophies. We even have a need to find meaning
and purpose in suffering. It isn't enough for people to
accept suffering. Even the youngest mind wants to know
why the pet dog died or why God allows people to get sick.
This leads us to another human trait: the capacity for
empathy and sharing another's suffering.
The ability to think and plan in time. It's an amazing
aspect of the human mind to think in terms of past, present
and future. We have aspirations to achieve; we set goals
and organize ourselves relative to time. When was the last
time you saw a gorilla or chimp open his calendar and
make an appointment?
This leads us to the capacity to conceive of our own
death. From the funeral pyres of ancient civilizations to
modern funerals, we are ever searching for meaning in
death. We are ever searching for a hope in an afterlife.
Such concepts are foreign to animals.
The ability to create. Human beings are unlike other
creatures in their concepts and development of art, music
and literature.
Beavers through instinct build the same types of dams
generation after generation. There isn't a raging river
on the globe that mankind cannot dam and use to
create electricity. Our creative abilities allow us to adapt
to situations and solve new problems.
The ability to think abstractly. An architect can visualize
a skyscraper, draw lines on a piece of paper called a
blueprint, then pass along the blueprint to a builder who
studies the lines and constructs the vision that existed only
in the mind of the architect.
Much human learning is through the five senses. Yet the
human mind stretches beyond the senses to encompass
concepts including infinity, liberty, beauty and humor.
The ability to create languages. Human beings comprehend
connections between large numbers of words,
including the ability to learn languages, even so-called
animal languages.
The ability to create economic systems. Humans have
the desire to work and be productive, to barter, exchange
and set up economic systems.
The capacity for scientific thought. This includes experimentation
and development of theories.
The ability to perform mathematics and construct
computers.
The desire to find meaning in sex beyond procreation.
The ability to consciously change our environment, personality,
character, habits and even physical appearance.
The ability to experience emotions such as happiness,
joy, peace and, conversely, depression and despair.
The ability to conceive of morality. Because human
beings can conceive of a choice between inherently right
and inherently wrong behavior, we have a capacity for a
relationship with God.
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Table of Contents that includes "What Makes Humans Different?"
Origin of article "What Makes Humans Different?"
Keywords: human abilities human mind
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