Essay Summary

“Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is.” –Albert Camus. When asked what it means to be human, most people think it’s the physical qualities that set us apart. In the video “What Does It Mean to Be Human?” posted on YouTube, most surveyed people were dumbfounded when answering the question. Meanwhile some people argued that human’s opposable thumbs make them unique. I, however, knew there had to be more to be a deeper answer. Being Human means being able to show or communicate emotion and having a unique personality.

Humans are an amazing species. They express and communicate what they feel towards others. Whether through words or actions, people have the capabilities to tell people when we are angry or full of joy or jealous or surprised. People have a wide range of emotions while animals are left with either being happy or mad. Our brains are complex worlds of intelligence and feelings that are far greater than any other creature. Animals do not have relationships with one another, they reproduce for the sole purpose of keeping
PBut whether they hide the differences or love them, each person has something no one else has. Physical appearance differences are also very defined in humans. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, the monster was made up of different pieces of already dead people. This made him a copy of a previous life lived and therefore not human. What makes us human is the fact that we are each new creations by God, giving us qualities that other people do not possess.

Counter:

Some might argue that animals do love and care and express emotions, but in ways humans are not able to see. Not all animals leave their mate, but instead continue to bear offspring with the same partner. Jonathon Balcombie told a story about two birds in his book Pleasurable Kingdom that gently swept their bills through one another’s feathers and it was “pleasurable for both giver and receiver as a massage or caress between two humans.” Although we cannot understand their language, animals are able to understand how people feel and react according to what they see. While animals may have these feelings and emotions, people are not able to tell if they are as deep and abiding as human ones. They are also not all going to stand by their mate in life or death situations, like humans would when they love someone.

Though human beings are exceptional creatures, many people still view them as being an animal like any other, so science says. However, the evidence shown proves people have a deeper capacity for emotion and individuality. Thus, a human cannot really be defined and categorized, because of their rare characteristics.