What Makes Man Truly Human?
What makes man truly human? What are the qualifiers of being human? Am I good enough to be labeled “truly human”?
They say answers are easier to figure out than forming problems and questions. It’s because to ask entails more. To wonder is the beginning of philosophical knowledge. The questions listed above are the core in its entirety as we uncover the myths and mysteries of the philosophy of man.
There have been diverse claims from various philosophers on what makes man truly human. The following are excerpts from the different articles which have varied principles about the question: “What makes man truly human?”
Fr. Moga (http://adduphilo104.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-makes-man-truly-human.html) presented us with the different ideals of humanisms: the Greek on excellence, the Oriental which sees man as part of something greater, the Hebrews on man’s responsiveness and sensitivity, and other humanisms of moral, creativity, religion and love. These ideals presented some of the criteria of being fully human. But Fr. Moga also emphasized the sad yet inevitable fact of the possibility of man not reaching it. The
possibility of man not reaching full development is similar to Heidegger’s Phenomenology of Death, when he explained about Dasein and its endless potentialities, but all of which are exhausted once man dies. Man reaches its full circle through death, although it doesn’t mean that one reaches his/her full potentials. On the other hand, Heidegger added a glimmer of hope by stating that man should live authentically, in anticipation for death. This is somehow parallel to Morrie’s teaching in Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie: “If you learn how to die, you learn how to live”, by having an imaginary “death bird” on your shoulder, as a reminder of how to live life.
Moreover,
C.S. Lewis emphasized the components of being human : the head, the tummy and
the heart. He also stated the significance of the power of man: it’s not a
conquest over nature but a power over its own specie. This is also relative to General Antonio Luna's provocative line in the movie Heneral
Luna line: “May mas malaki tayong kalaban: ang ating sarili.”, which has been
the foundation as to how the previous generations or the conditioners molded the
generation of today. Lastly, taking bits and pieces from Dondeyne: "Man is a
historical being because his very existence makes history and the world will
never be the same with the mark he left." This thereby requires man the task to
“labor”, to use resources to humanize matter and to reveal himself.
Given all these concepts of humanity, a greater challenge is left on our part. These listed theories are merely bits of wisdom from people of the past, which serves as guiding principles of living our lives towards a path of “being truly human”, towards authenticity, towards living a life well-lived. In addition, these could serve as our basis for our own discovery and definition of the philosophy of man. The search is not over. The quest has just began because as long as humans exist, the philosophy of man is a going concern and a life-long process.
This may sound highly gender insensitive, but for argumentative purposes, what for you makes man "truly human"? Drop by the comment section below!
They say answers are easier to figure out than forming problems and questions. It’s because to ask entails more. To wonder is the beginning of philosophical knowledge. The questions listed above are the core in its entirety as we uncover the myths and mysteries of the philosophy of man.
There have been diverse claims from various philosophers on what makes man truly human. The following are excerpts from the different articles which have varied principles about the question: “What makes man truly human?”
Fr. Moga (http://adduphilo104.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-makes-man-truly-human.html) presented us with the different ideals of humanisms: the Greek on excellence, the Oriental which sees man as part of something greater, the Hebrews on man’s responsiveness and sensitivity, and other humanisms of moral, creativity, religion and love. These ideals presented some of the criteria of being fully human. But Fr. Moga also emphasized the sad yet inevitable fact of the possibility of man not reaching it. The
possibility of man not reaching full development is similar to Heidegger’s Phenomenology of Death, when he explained about Dasein and its endless potentialities, but all of which are exhausted once man dies. Man reaches its full circle through death, although it doesn’t mean that one reaches his/her full potentials. On the other hand, Heidegger added a glimmer of hope by stating that man should live authentically, in anticipation for death. This is somehow parallel to Morrie’s teaching in Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie: “If you learn how to die, you learn how to live”, by having an imaginary “death bird” on your shoulder, as a reminder of how to live life.
Given all these concepts of humanity, a greater challenge is left on our part. These listed theories are merely bits of wisdom from people of the past, which serves as guiding principles of living our lives towards a path of “being truly human”, towards authenticity, towards living a life well-lived. In addition, these could serve as our basis for our own discovery and definition of the philosophy of man. The search is not over. The quest has just began because as long as humans exist, the philosophy of man is a going concern and a life-long process.
This may sound highly gender insensitive, but for argumentative purposes, what for you makes man "truly human"? Drop by the comment section below!
Nice input, Man us truly human when his stewardship over nature is genuine. Hope to read stories on nature
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insight. We'll explore more about your suggested theme soon. Stay tuned!
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