Essay about What it Means to be Human - 851 Words

What it Means to be Human In this class, Athens to New York, we students are asked to ponder four very thought provoking questions that force us to relate to our place in society. We were first asked, â€Å"What does it mean to be human?†. We then were questioned about, â€Å"What does it mean to be a member of the community?† and, â€Å"What does it mean to be moral, ethical, and just?† Next we were asked to go further and think about, â€Å"How do individuals and communities respond to differences of races, class, gender, ethnicity, etc.?† Then in reading the works of others like Plato’s â€Å"The Trail and Death of Socrates†, and Sophocles’ â€Å"Antigone†, we began to observe how Socrates and the characters in Antigone dealt with their place in†¦show more content†¦No he was innocent and in that court he held every argument he could to prove his innocence. He felt that if he could not persuade those in command that he did not des erve such punishment, than he would accept his fate as Athens had dealt it to him. He would not risk leaving his children, for he believed that Athens was the best place for them to live and would not take them with him in exile. He also would not let his friends risk the safety and security they had worked for, just so they could help him escape. Socrates stated that he knew his friends, â€Å"will themselves be in danger of exile, disfranchisement and loss of property,† and morally and ethically he could not let this happen. In the end it was a deep respect for the city that raised him and his execution was his final act of devoutness to his community. Socrates would rather die than be looked upon as â€Å"a destroyer of the laws,† and this is what it means to be a part of the community to risk even your life in order to remain loyal to what you believe in to better for the greater good. Despite the fact whether we believe how he acted was just or not, his str ength in his beliefs to make the world a better place must be respected, after all what more can one person offer? While in Sophocles â€Å"Antigone†, the main character was a young girl that showed us how it is to be moral, ethical, andShow MoreRelatedWhat It Means to be Human644 Words   |  3 PagesAt some point in time we have all wondered what it means to human, and what we are supposed to do with our lives. Throughout the centuries, there have been gradual changes in what it means to be human. Through Pico della Mirandola we will how man became the measure and took the place of God, through Charles Darwin we will see how nature and science began to take the place of man, and through the art of Friedrich we can visually see all of these changes. Before the Renaissance, God was the measureRead MoreWhat Does It Mean to Be Human1450 Words   |  6 PagesWhat does it mean to be Human? By Rudy Trevino   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Origin, meaning, morality and destiny. These are not just random words attached to the big questions of life raised by humanity in the context of traversing in, what to many is, a mundane existence. The questions of where we came from, what the meaning of our existence is, whether there is such a thing as wrong or right and what is to become of us when we die, are questions that might makes us wonder what it means to be human. Is a robot humanRead MoreWhat Does It Mean to Be Human626 Words   |  2 PagesThere are many different meanings to being human. Being human means being a mundane that tries to make sense of its spiritual existence. We are not human, we are simply being human. If we were not to be born as humans, we may have been born as animals. In Book I of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle introduces his argument by distinguishing between two types of ends which human beings strive for. He states, â€Å"For the end is sometimes an activity, sometimes a product beyond the activ ity; and when thereRead MoreEssay about What it means to be human1895 Words   |  8 Pagesbehalf of human rights - for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture - is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition of all other personal rights is not defended with maximum determination.† -- Pope John Paul II nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;What does it mean to be human? Sure, one must have the usual physical features such as fingers, eyes, arms, hands, feet, etc., but what does it really mean? Must the human be ableRead More Ridley Scotts Blade Runner: What Does it Mean to be Human? Essay660 Words   |  3 PagesRunner: What Does it Mean to be Human? Blade Runner written by Ridley Scott is a movie based in the future. It is Scotts depiction of what is to become of Earth. But technological advances shown in Blade Runner have come to a point where humanity can be questioned. Reality is blurred and the nature of what is human is changing. Replicants appear identical to humans and even have emotions, while the real humans appear cold and unemotional. So who is really human and what does it mean to be humaneRead MoreJust Human. What Does â€Å"Being A Human† Even Mean? The Merriam-Webster1906 Words   |  8 PagesJust Human What does â€Å"being a human† even mean? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines human as relating to or characteristic of people or human beings. According to scientists, humans are multi-celled organisms with human attributes. These definitions are not wrong, but they do not explain the importance of actually being human. I mean humans literally rule the world. The definitions of being a human also include having character, personality, and feelings that differentiate between each of theRead MoreEvaluate the Arguments, Presented in the Course, Supporting Chomsky’s Claim That Humans Are Innately Predisposed to Acquire Language, Discussing Specifically What It Might Mean for Humans to Be ‘Innately Predisposed to1356 Words   |  6 Pagesour main means of communication and learning, without it we would not understand each other efficiently enough to communicate our needs and thoughts. It is a very complicated feature of human cognition. Yet children acquire langua ge very naturally and quickly without any formal instruction. Many language experts such as Chomsky (1965) and Pinker (2000) believe this suggests that there is some innate predisposal to acquire language, by this it is meant a genetic mechanism that holds what he callsRead MoreThe Effects Of Emotion On Human Beings1368 Words   |  6 PagesAt the beginning when asked what it means to be human I believed that to be human you had to meet some requirements. For someone to fall under the category of being human they had the ability to believe in a greater power. Also a person being able to live out their faith in any way they would like to allows them to be labeled as human. The biological make up of a human also was another requirement that was needed to be met to be labeled as human. Having a heart, brain, skin, hair, and all the otherRead MoreOde On A Grecian Urn1738 Words   |  7 Pagesthat art shows an idealized human existence that cannot be achieved by humans. In stanza two, John Keats introduces the scene of two young lovers on the urn to show idealized love. There is a young man and woman on the Urn. The young man is listening the young woman sing. Keats descries her voice: â€Å"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter; †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her singing is sweeter than any human can imagine. Thus the scene on the urn has a better vocal ability than humans despite being mute; meaningRead MoreThe Natural Law Theory Of Human Nature954 Words   |  4 PagesIt is our human nature that makes us feel great when we get a job and makes us feel horrible for something we steal something. This is because it feels natural for us to feel that we did something right or wrong. The natural law theory tells us that an action is morally right if it is natural and an action is wrong if it is unnatural. This means that human morality comes from nature and has a purpose to live a good life. If someone’s actions are preventing them from maki ng them live a good life,