This blog is for Ms. Datoo's English 11 class at McMath Secondary School in Richmond, BC
Friday, September 5, 2008
What does it mean to be human?
Please post what you think is the most important aspect of being human. You can choose an idea from class or come up with another one.
26 comments:
Anonymous
said...
WOOO!!!! FIRST POST!!!!!! XD
I believe that the most important aspect of being human is creativity. Creativity is the most important aspect of being human because that is what differentiates us from everything else. Creativity is what keeps us going with new ideas and discoveries that may better or worsen mankind. With creativity humans have discovered new technologies that better the lives of everyone. Creativity got us where we are today, without creativity we would have never thought of going to the moon and would have never had so many breakthroughs in medicine and health.
This is why I believe that creativity is the most important aspect of being human because without it we would have never thought of all the other things like civilizations and hopes and dreams.
I think the most important aspect of being human is the ability to use and create written language. This enables us to have history, and learn from our ancestors. With out writing, history could easily be exaggerated, changed by accident, or even forgotten completely. yeh.... Jonny Ogryzlo
i think the most important aspect of being human is intelligence. Animals seem to think of one thing: survival. We took it a step and a half further and made survival comfortable and enjoyable, instead of thinking of our basic needs. We complain about certain foods that some creatures would love to get there hands on. My cat, for example, loves tuna, but i cant even get past the smell. We've been made so comfortable that we take things for granted. But one day our resources will one day run out, making our intelligence our upside and downside. That's why our smarts makes us human
I believe that the most important aspect of being human is the ability to grow and learn. As individuals, humans are constantly pushing themselves to dream and imagine the endless possibilities that life has to offer. Through these possibilities, humans are continuously making mistakes and finding errors in daily activity. However it is their constant desire to grow and to learn that truly differentiates humans from any other species. The world is constantly changing and evolving. Whether it may be through working to improve environmental issues, or discovering new ways to treat medical concerns, it is the human will to grow and learn that has made these discoveries possible.
I believe the most important aspect of being human is imperfection. Imperfection is what allowed us to evolve, learn and live. If eveyone were to be perfect and our world was in perfect peace no one would bother improving, growing or even learning (because they would think they are perfect). Perfection is what everyone is trying to be (no matter if it's what we want to be,what we do or simply who/what we are), and because everyone thinks that they are so imperfect our world begins to evolve and move forward to try to strive for perfection. We learn, grow and have hopes/goals because we know we are not perfect and we will make mistakes and that is what helpes us evolve and to become who we are today.
I think the most important aspect of being human is to understand and respect other parts of this world. We study all these different life forms and learn to live on one planet with them. If we did not have respect for other animals and life forms we could easily destroy them. Casey Lake
I think that the most important aspect of being human means to be aware of yourself. You need to be able to realize the mistakes you've done and you have to learn from them. Also, it means you know that you do exist and you know that you won't live forever but you know that you will die later on in the future.
I believe the most important aspect of being human is learning from your mistakes. From every mistake you make you learn something new and grow. You should never regret your mistakes, everyone makes mistakes and if you keep holding back because of one mistake from the past you wouldn't be able to enjoy life as much. You need to move on from it and learn from it and avoid it from happening again. Forgiving yourself is important and will help you live your life to the fullest and enjoy every single day of it.
The ability to contemplate our own existence. Humans are the only species capable of questioning our roles/reasons for being on this planet. We are also the sole species that understands the meaning of morality and its inevitability, which gives rise to our creativity and ambition. Being aware of the boundaries that come with being mortal, but striving to overcome them through constant curiosity and determination is what differentiates us from any other species. As humans, we are unpredictable because we refuse to be limited by anything other than death.
I believe that the most important aspect of being a human is learning from your mistakes. This is what makes us different from everything else. We learn from our mistakes and try to fix them, and learn from them. If we were afraid of making mistakes, we would have never learned anything and wouldn't have been able to evolve and have all the knowledge and technology we have today.
I think the most important part of being human is having the ability to inquire about and understand ourselves and the world around us. Humans have the ability to look for meaning and purpose beyond immediant wants and needs. We are self-aware and can think abstractly. No other animal could even ask itself this question.
I believe the most important aspect of being human is having dreams/hope. Dreams/hope give us our goal to keep living on this earth. They give us something to look forward to.Without dreams/hopes our lives would be boring.
In my opinion written language is the most important aspect of being human. We have used writing as a tool to shape the future, learn from the past and create an oppertunity to learn from those that are no longer with us. Passing information orally can be forgotten, changed or exagerated. Writing has helped create culture, tradition, religion(Bible,Koran, etc...), entertainment, education and so much more. It allows us to share our knowledge and creativity with more people possible than telling it verbally. Written language is what makes us more evolved than animals, and without it the world would not be the same place.
In my opinion, I think the most important aspect of being human is individuality. Having differences from one another make us who we are. If everyone was the same there would be no thrills in life. Everyone is different in their own ways and that is how we decide upon ourselves on who we want to have as friends and what is good for ourselves.
i Believe the most important aspect of being human is the ability to use our 5 senses. Without our eyes, it would be impossible to visualize anything. Without our nose, food would not smell good or bad. Without our ears and mouth, we would not have a good way of communicating and without our sense of touch, we cannot feel anything.
I believe the most important aspect of being human, is knowing that we are not perfect and each of us has yet to reach perfection. Being human means to make mistakes and be imperfect. With this said, we can only evolve over time and continue our ways if we learn from our mistakes. From the biggest mistakes, to the smallest and most accidental, we are able to grow and move forward avoiding the same problem. This, along with many other factors, are the reasons that we are diverse.
The responses posted by the class capture the complexity of human existence ... the themes of self awareness, the will to learn, to be fallible, and to be curious (among others) are all important to the human experience. Additionally, one might consider that being human includes "being humane" or possessing empathy and demonstrating compassion. A less optimistic view would point to the human desire for dominion (but that's another post!) ... I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your responses. Thoughtful, intelligent and articulate ... good luck with the class!
I think the most important thing we talk about was how we can look to the future and visualize things that make life easier for mankind and imaging thing that no body would think possible and then go out a creat them
The topics discussed above do not reflect the purpose or meaning of being a human and therefore fall under a different question. They are, rather, indicative qualities of a human. If we are speaking about the mind, and if existence does precede essence, then therefore we make our own meaning in life, and these responses can be considered valid, if not correct.
But do you really believe that creativity, fallibilism, and intelligence are all the purpose of existence? No, they are certainly of essence, and of our biological nature. One can believe that there is no pre-determined morality that creates meaning in life and makes it more bearable. As an example, a proper nihilist would assert that existence is without purpose or objective and construct valid arguments. Again, what does it mean to say that this question is rhetorical? Does the question essentially answer itself? If so, why?
Essentially, I know nothing. I have tried to answer this question in a philosophical context, but my knowledge is minute, which puts my argument into question. Still, I cannot find or think of an appropriate answer to the question with any of my deductive reasoning or logic. I have struggled with posting this response, which of the same reason, why I had much trouble trying to write the in-class essay. All I have is a Christian outlook, but I cannot say with absolute certainty that I am a theistic existentialist. I do not wish to discuss this question with the class any further; I would like to further my philosophical studies before I try to answer such a question again, hopefully with more educated assumptions and arguments next time.
Sorry this is rather late, but due to my current situation, the internet is a much sought after commodity. Anyways, I think all of you really made good responses and obviously put a lot of hard work into your answers. What I think of this question is this, humans are the only animals with the capacity to hold a grudge, hate one another and start a war. This is what seperates us from the beasts. We use the intelligence we have to destroy what we disagree with. Compared to other animals in this world, we're evil geniuses. Unfortunitely, that's just what we've used our gifts of speech and language to accomplish. Sad, isn't it?
26 comments:
WOOO!!!! FIRST POST!!!!!! XD
I believe that the most important aspect of being human is creativity. Creativity is the most important aspect of being human because that is what differentiates us from everything else. Creativity is what keeps us going with new ideas and discoveries that may better or worsen mankind. With creativity humans have discovered new technologies that better the lives of everyone. Creativity got us where we are today, without creativity we would have never thought of going to the moon and would have never had so many breakthroughs in medicine and health.
This is why I believe that creativity is the most important aspect of being human because without it we would have never thought of all the other things like civilizations and hopes and dreams.
- Alexander Ng XD
I think the most important aspect of being human is the ability to use and create written language. This enables us to have history, and learn from our ancestors. With out writing, history could easily be exaggerated, changed by accident, or even forgotten completely.
yeh....
Jonny Ogryzlo
i think the most important aspect of being human is intelligence. Animals seem to think of one thing: survival. We took it a step and a half further and made survival comfortable and enjoyable, instead of thinking of our basic needs. We complain about certain foods that some creatures would love to get there hands on. My cat, for example, loves tuna, but i cant even get past the smell. We've been made so comfortable that we take things for granted. But one day our resources will one day run out, making our intelligence our upside and downside. That's why our smarts makes us human
-Iain Turner
I believe that the most important aspect of being human is the ability to grow and learn. As individuals, humans are constantly pushing themselves to dream and imagine the endless possibilities that life has to offer. Through these possibilities, humans are continuously making mistakes and finding errors in daily activity. However it is their constant desire to grow and to learn that truly differentiates humans from any other species. The world is constantly changing and evolving. Whether it may be through working to improve environmental issues, or discovering new ways to treat medical concerns, it is the human will to grow and learn that has made these discoveries possible.
-Katherine Porter
I believe the most important aspect of being human is imperfection. Imperfection is what allowed us to evolve, learn and live. If eveyone were to be perfect and our world was in perfect peace no one would bother improving, growing or even learning (because they would think they are perfect). Perfection is what everyone is trying to be (no matter if it's what we want to be,what we do or simply who/what we are), and because everyone thinks that they are so imperfect our world begins to evolve and move forward to try to strive for perfection. We learn, grow and have hopes/goals because we know we are not perfect and we will make mistakes and that is what helpes us evolve and to become who we are today.
Betina Ng : )
to be human is to be imaginative, without it, we wouldn't have imagined-and realized-the potential of our race.
~Emily Lau
I think the most important aspect of being human is to understand and respect other parts of this world. We study all these different life forms and learn to live on one planet with them. If we did not have respect for other animals and life forms we could easily destroy them.
Casey Lake
I think that the most important aspect of being human means to be aware of yourself. You need to be able to realize the mistakes you've done and you have to learn from them. Also, it means you know that you do exist and you know that you won't live forever but you know that you will die later on in the future.
I believe the most important aspect of being human is learning from your mistakes. From every mistake you make you learn something new and grow. You should never regret your mistakes, everyone makes mistakes and if you keep holding back because of one mistake from the past you wouldn't be able to enjoy life as much. You need to move on from it and learn from it and avoid it from happening again. Forgiving yourself is important and will help you live your life to the fullest and enjoy every single day of it.
~Emily Poversky =)
The ability to contemplate our own existence. Humans are the only species capable of questioning our roles/reasons for being on this planet. We are also the sole species that understands the meaning of morality and its inevitability, which gives rise to our creativity and ambition. Being aware of the boundaries that come with being mortal, but striving to overcome them through constant curiosity and determination is what differentiates us from any other species. As humans, we are unpredictable because we refuse to be limited by anything other than death.
I think to be human means to experience different things,have values,make mistakes and to learn from are mistakes. David
I believe that the most important aspect of being a human is learning from your mistakes. This is what makes us different from everything else. We learn from our mistakes and try to fix them, and learn from them. If we were afraid of making mistakes, we would have never learned anything and wouldn't have been able to evolve and have all the knowledge and technology we have today.
-Keren Aminov
I think the most important part of being human is having the ability to inquire about and understand ourselves and the world around us. Humans have the ability to look
for meaning and purpose beyond immediant wants and needs. We are self-aware and can think abstractly. No other animal could even ask itself this question.
Maddy R
I believe the most important aspect of being human is having dreams/hope. Dreams/hope give us our goal to keep living on this earth. They give us something to look forward to.Without dreams/hopes our lives would be boring.
In my opinion written language is the most important aspect of being human. We have used writing as a tool to shape the future, learn from the past and create an oppertunity to learn from those that are no longer with us. Passing information orally can be forgotten, changed or exagerated. Writing has helped create culture, tradition, religion(Bible,Koran, etc...), entertainment, education and so much more. It allows us to share our knowledge and creativity with more people possible than telling it verbally. Written language is what makes us more evolved than animals, and without it the world would not be the same place.
In my opinion, I think the most important aspect of being human is individuality. Having differences from one another make us who we are. If everyone was the same there would be no thrills in life. Everyone is different in their own ways and that is how we decide upon ourselves on who we want to have as friends and what is good for ourselves.
Steven T.
i Believe the most important aspect of being human is the ability to use our 5 senses. Without our eyes, it would be impossible to visualize anything. Without our nose, food would not smell good or bad. Without our ears and mouth, we would not have a good way of communicating and without our sense of touch, we cannot feel anything.
by Ronnie Law
I believe the most important aspect of being human, is knowing that we are not perfect and each of us has yet to reach perfection. Being human means to make mistakes and be imperfect. With this said, we can only evolve over time and continue our ways if we learn from our mistakes. From the biggest mistakes, to the smallest and most accidental, we are able to grow and move forward avoiding the same problem. This, along with many other factors, are the reasons that we are diverse.
By Nathan Chen
Nostalgia.
The responses posted by the class capture the complexity of human existence ... the themes of self awareness, the will to learn, to be fallible, and to be curious (among others) are all important to the human experience. Additionally, one might consider that being human includes "being humane" or possessing empathy and demonstrating compassion. A less optimistic view would point to the human desire for dominion (but that's another post!) ... I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your responses. Thoughtful, intelligent and articulate ... good luck with the class!
Mr. Ainge
To ask questions
-Damian Tylewski
to have hopes and dreams for a better future
Taylor
I think the most important thing we talk about was how we can look to the future and visualize things that make life easier for mankind and imaging thing that no body would think possible and then go out a creat them
Shae
Greetings,
Is this question not rhetorical?
The topics discussed above do not reflect the purpose or meaning of being a human and therefore fall under a different question. They are, rather, indicative qualities of a human. If we are speaking about the mind, and if existence does precede essence, then therefore we make our own meaning in life, and these responses can be considered valid, if not correct.
But do you really believe that creativity, fallibilism, and intelligence are all the purpose of existence? No, they are certainly of essence, and of our biological nature. One can believe that there is no pre-determined morality that creates meaning in life and makes it more bearable. As an example, a proper nihilist would assert that existence is without purpose or objective and construct valid arguments. Again, what does it mean to say that this question is rhetorical? Does the question essentially answer itself? If so, why?
Essentially, I know nothing. I have tried to answer this question in a philosophical context, but my knowledge is minute, which puts my argument into question. Still, I cannot find or think of an appropriate answer to the question with any of my deductive reasoning or logic. I have struggled with posting this response, which of the same reason, why I had much trouble trying to write the in-class essay. All I have is a Christian outlook, but I cannot say with absolute certainty that I am a theistic existentialist. I do not wish to discuss this question with the class any further; I would like to further my philosophical studies before I try to answer such a question again, hopefully with more educated assumptions and arguments next time.
- Andy Tang
I think being human means to make mistakes and learn from them.
-vazzy
Sorry this is rather late, but due to my current situation, the internet is a much sought after commodity. Anyways, I think all of you really made good responses and obviously put a lot of hard work into your answers. What I think of this question is this, humans are the only animals with the capacity to hold a grudge, hate one another and start a war. This is what seperates us from the beasts. We use the intelligence we have to destroy what we disagree with. Compared to other animals in this world, we're evil geniuses. Unfortunitely, that's just what we've used our gifts of speech and language to accomplish. Sad, isn't it?
~Tess Kulak
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