Derek Nazareno

WMST 100

Dr. Bredin

June 22, 2006

CRITICAL ESSAY: MEANING OF BEING HUMAN

Each of us think of being human as one of the inhabitants of the earth that move, talk, eat, breathe and reproduce. Though this may be a fine general definition of the term, there is not a clear distinction as to what being human really is. There is a saying, “to each his/her own.” And in fact this is true with what each of give as a definition of what being human is. If there was a universal definition of the term, the world would not have such division over certain social issues going on today.

A very strong topic now over the issue of being human is the subject of abortion. Some of us say that it is just the removal of underdeveloped tissue inside the female’s body. Others of us strongly disagree and know that the moment the sperm penetrates the egg that it is the start of life; the start of human life. There has to a right way of though. Both sides cannot be wrong. But now who is really right? And who or whom should say which side is really the right way of thought? Every state has their own law for abortions, whether it is legal or not. Thus, this says that the government is controlling what we are supposed to think or believe is the right way. Again this puts the question of how did they get that right to tell the people which way to believe.

Another category we question about being human is the state of our physical appearance. People who are of disability or are even missing some limbs are considered less human by some. Is it right to say that someone missing the rest of their body from the waist down is only half as human as a person with everything in tact? Or what if a person is just missing a finger or a toe? It is hard to justify at what stage we would consider being human if we were to base it on the physical state.

Now what if we said that being human consisted of having human DNA? We could look at it in this scientific manner, but then there is one loophole. It is not always the case that every “human’s” DNA will look like the common human DNA. There are people in the world with “mutant” genes. The world now has many factors to contribute to the mutation of our genes and DNA. We are now surrounded by more chemicals, radiation and other contaminants that shape our molecular composition. How can we say that just because one gene is out of line, yet everything else about them is human, that they cannot be classified as not being human? In the movie “X-Men 3,” we see this happen throughout the film. The “mutants” are all born “humans,” but because later in their life they develop some special power or abnormal adaptation, they are no longer considered as “human.” And yet in the end of the movie, the “good” mutants team up with the “humans” to help them end the fight with the “bad” mutants.

We cannot even say that being human is to have feelings and emotions. It is true that we feel love and can express it. But animals can do that too, yet we do not consider them human. Also, we could program a robot to have feelings, and maybe it might even demonstrate free will. But again, we would not consider this human since it does not contain flesh and was not born “human.”

There really is no way to justify what each of us determine as being human. We each have our own beliefs and criteria that has to be met in order for us to accept someone or something as being human. What may be right to us, is probably wrong to someone else in his/her own eyes.

References:

http://www.homepagez.com/abortion/relationship.htm

“X-Men 3 – The Final Stand” the movie.