Philosophy Paper. Need help getting started...

[Kim Pasha]

Hello Everyone,

Hope you had wonderful Thanksgiving.

I have a Philosophy paper (point paper) due within few days, and thought I might ask for some ideas/suggestions because I am having trouble getting started. It's a one page point paper, the paper must talk about something along this line:

How do you define a human?, What makes up human?, "What do you value?

What can I possibly write about to answer those questions?

Any help is appreciated.

[kennethamy]

Originally Posted by Kim Pasha

Hello Everyone,

Hope you had wonderful Thanksgiving.

I have a Philosophy paper (point paper) due within few days, and thought I might ask for some ideas/suggestions because I am having trouble getting started. It's a one page point paper, the paper must talk about something along this line:

How do you define a human?, What makes up human?, "What do you value?

What can I possibly write about to answer those questions?

Any help is appreciated.

A human being is a biological category, and can be defined by human DNA, it seems to me. The category, person, is not biological, and maybe your teacher is confusing "human beings" with "persons". All human beings need not be persons. For example, small infants are not yet persons. "Person" is a legal and social category. And all persons need not be human beings. For example, Mr. Spock (of Star Treck) was not a human being (he was part Venusian). But he was certainly a person.

[Theaetetus]

Humans are rational agents which value things. Agency implies choice, and the choices that humans make are often based on what they value.

[kennethamy]

Originally Posted by Theaetetus

Humans are rational agents which value things. Agency implies choice, and the choices that humans make are often based on what they value.

Small infants are humans. But they are not rational agents. Severe mentally handicapped people are humans, but they are not rational agents.

[Kim Pasha]

Originally Posted by Theaetetus

Humans are rational agents which value things. Agency implies choice, and the choices that humans make are
often based on what they value.

True, but from your understanding - what do you value? how do you define human? what makes up human?

is it the soul that makes up the human? what do you think...?

Originally Posted by kennethamy

A human being is a biological category, and can be defined by human DNA, it seems to me. The category, person, is not biological, and maybe your teacher is confusing "human beings" with "persons". All human beings need not be persons. For example, small infants are not yet persons. "Person" is a legal and social category. And all persons need not be human beings. For example, Mr. Spock (of Star Treck) was not a human being (he was part Venusian). But he was certainly a person.

I believe my teacher is looking for a philosophical response, what I mean by that is not having to do with science (DNA or what not). I totally understand what your saying though.

[kennethamy]

Originally Posted by Kim Pasha

True, but from your understanding - what do you value? how do you define human? what makes up human?

is it the soul that makes up the human? what do you think...?



I believe my teacher is looking for a philosophical response, what I mean by that is not having to do with science (DNA or what not). I totally understand what your saying though.

A philosophical response would be to distinguish between human beings and persons. Why would the soul be a philosophical response, and DNA not be? Is it that there is no evidence for one, and loads of evidence for the other?

[Kim Pasha]

Originally Posted by kennethamy

A philosophical response would be to distinguish between human beings and persons. Why would the soul be a philosophical response, and DNA not be? Is it that there is no evidence for one, and loads of evidence for the other?

Your right. But the paper has to incorporate "what makes up human, and how we define human, and the things we value" - we have been told not to incorporate DNA or anything along that line to answer the question, what makes up a human.

[kennethamy]

Originally Posted by Kim Pasha

Your right. But the paper has to incorporate "what makes up human, and how we define human, and the things we value" - we have been told not to incorporate DNA or anything along that line to answer the question, what makes up a human.

Hmm. Then you are stuck. And your teacher does not want the right answer. "Human" now just becomes a value term, as it sometime is when we praise someone by saying of him, "He is a real human being!". German speakers praise a person by calling him "a Mensch" in the same way. But they are not describing him. Everyone knows he is a mensch.

[Reconstructo]

Humans are never finished defining what they are -- and this itself is another definition of humans. With humans there is an impossibility of closure. There's no telling what we will come up with next, technologically or philosophically or artistically.

Hope this is somehow helpful.

[Theaetetus]

Originally Posted by Kim Pasha

True, but from your understanding - what do you value? how do you define human? what makes up human?

is it the soul that makes up the human? what do you think...?

I value my life itself, friends, and intelligence. The latter is how I would define human. A human has two key things in some degree: consciousness, and intelligence (and the latter is becoming more rare). If a human lacks intelligence and consciousness, I would say that they are subhuman. I guess you could say that the third feature that makes up human would be courage.

As to the soul, it is most likely a total fabrication of humans and thus, does not seem to be something important that "makes up the human." While I am sure many people would argue for its case, that does not mean it is correct. Something that lacks evidence cannot be the answer.