WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN? Introduction Humans share 98% of their genetic makeup with Chimpanzees, yet they portray a unique phenotype. Explanations from various disciplines have been advanced to answer the question on what it means to be human. Historian claims an animal is human if it’s a member of the evolutionary group Homo sapiens. Biologists define humans as possessing particular senior genes or having big brains than others (Catalano Para 3). Theologians explain human as the soul. According to their view, they separate the soul (mind) of the human form the body. Philosophers differ widely in their conception of this question. Some say it’s futile to define human from non-human while others define a human as possessing various characteristics and abilities. Background study This paper focuses on the philosophy discipline and the different philosophical explanations on what it means to be human. Some try to argue that a human is not a person while others agree that a human and a person are one and the same thing. The paper scrutinizes the philosophers take on the question and how their sophisticated understanding and explanation is advanced in straightforward and definite language. They all seek to expound on this thesis statement “what does it mean to be human” The complexity of the explanation extends over time as Nazi’s considered Jews as non-humans (Lavanda, Emilly and Cynthia 45). So did the Spaniard to the natives of the Caribbean island and the North Americans to the African slaves. Human being versus human person Is every human being a human person and is every human person a human being? This is a subjective, complex question. Most