What Makes A Human Essay - 1346 Words

When we look forward and anticipate the future through the means of science fiction, it seems that contributing largely to our contemporary definition of â€Å"human† is our imperfections. The very fact that we posses these imperfections is the reason that writers imagine a future where those imperfections may be eliminated; knowing that there is room for improvement drives human curiosity and ingenuity forward. So now we imagine a future where humans are perfect, ageless, precise. Would these things really still be human or closer to real life cyborgs? Maybe this question is too ethical, lacking in empirical evidence to give a non-angled answer. But for myself, what makes a human different from a machine is that we are not built off of automatic judgments, we are not ageless, and we all carry collective, as well as our own individual imperfections. For it is these imperfections that remind us that we were not constructed in factories, but are rather shaped by our biology and given environments. As humans, we do in fact posses many automatic functions, many of which are linked to the autonomic nervous system which controls and regulates bodily functions such as our heartbeats, blood circulation, and breathing patterns. As Descartes puts it, â€Å"Our own bodies can move without the guidance of volition.† So in this sense, the human body has a mechanical side to it, but when it comes to our reasoning of the world, being creative, and solving problems, these are functions that are notShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes Us Human? Essay1377 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"What makes us human?†, is an unanswered question asked by many. Is it because of our ability to have empathy for others? Or is it because of our cognitive ability which allows us to look into the future? One of the main arguments made that separates humans from animals is our communication style; our language. Is language inherently unique to human? To answer such a question, we first ope rationally define language as; â€Å"a system of communication based upon words and the combination of words intoRead MoreWhat Makes Us Human?1394 Words   |  6 PagesWhat Makes Us Human Being a human is a lot more complex than people believe it to be. Although we can be similar, we’re unique to any other mammals or animals in the world. Humans are a difficult species to understand. We’re constantly changing and creating or discovering new things, throughout our world. Being a human isn’t always easy; we get things thrown at us suddenly like sickness or death, things go wrong such as failing a test or going through a breakup, and the most challenging thing;Read MoreWhat Makes Us Human?1228 Words   |  5 PagesWhat makes us human? For thousands of years, we have struggled to describe what it means to be human. Is it the way we walk, the size of our brain, the tools we use, or our capacity for emotion? All of these can make a difference when it comes to understanding our ancestry and what makes us special. Brain size is a determining factor in the intelligence of a species. Many people would think that the larger the brain, the smarter the species; however, a species can have very large brains andRead More What Makes Us Human?1718 Words   |  7 PagesHumans are extremely complex and unique beings. We are animals however we often forget our origins and our place in the natural world and consider ourselves superior to nature. Humans are animals but what does it mean to be human? What are the defining characteristics that separate us from other animals? How are we different? Human origins begin with primates, however through evolution we developed unique characteristics such as larger brain sizes, the capacity for language, emotional complexityRead MoreWhat Makes Us Humans?1069 Words   |  5 Pages Thought is what makes us humans. Our rationalism, our ability to make decisions based on our own reason and knowledge, is what makes humans human and not animals. Now a day we all have access to the largest library, the largest source of knowledge the world has ever known: the internet. Over 2,000 years ago we had the Library of Alexandria, a place where intellectuals would gather to discuss ideas and conduct research from over half a million books, a place where knowledge could grow. InRead MoreWhat Makes Us Humans?999 Words   |  4 PagesWhat makes us humans? Ask science, and we may receive a straightforward lesson on anatomy, but if we ponder the question deeper, we eventually find that it is actually a variety of intrinsic properties that define who we are as humans. In the novel â€Å"1984,† George Orwell enlightens us to what these qualities are and pushes us to decide whether the people of Oceana that lack these qualities are even human. The core characteristics of humanity as we know it are humor, imagination, spirituality, sexualityRead MoreWhat Makes Us Human?1905 Words   |  8 PagesHumans have made tremendous strides in learning about our early ancestors, but many questions remain about how and why we are what we are today, and there are as many theories. Chris Stringer, author of Lone Survivors, attempts to answer some of those questions. The question of â€Å"what makes us human† is a complicated one, with many different answers . Human beings evolved into what we are today not only through evolutions in genetics, brain size and body size, but also through our behaviors. So muchRead MoreHuman Nature : What Makes A Human Person?1511 Words   |  7 PagesHuman nature, the essence of what makes a human person what they are, is something that everybody has. Every person is innately a person, but how they put their personhood into action is the biggest indicator of their character, or the projection of a person’s human nature. At their core there is human nature, but their actions are what direct this source of humanity. The quality of someone’s actions is shaped by their environment and sometimes their biological makeup as well. Human nature doesRead MoreWhat Makes One Human and What Makes One Animal? Essay1635 Words   |  7 PagesGulliver’s Travels exposes the interdependency between both human and animalistic behaviors. In these travels, the word â€Å"human† does not necessari ly belong to a certain species, but is rather a characteristic of reason based on the social norms of a particular society. It also claims that animals lack reason and therefore are subdued by those with reason. Since Gulliver finds that humans are the only animals capable of reason, he sees humanity in the Houyhnhnms, who are completely governed by reasonRead MoreWhat Makes Humans Truly Unique?1551 Words   |  7 PagesWhen asking, â€Å"what is it that makes humans truly unique?† you must first ask yourself what unique means. In the grand scheme of the universe, humans may not be that unique but here on Earth we are very much so. We shape the world around us every day, for better or worse. We are by no means the most abundant species on the planet, (that title goes to ants), but we are the only species on Earth protecting other species. So in this case, unique means more progressive and more biologically advanced

The Flea Rhetoric and Poetry Mingling - 1180 Words

In John Donne’s poem, â€Å"The Flea†, Donne uses the conceit of the flea to contrast the insignificant size of the flea and the incredibly significant metaphor attached to the flea. The speaker of the poem is talking to a woman, trying to convince her into having sex with him outside of marriage. This poem can be broken into three stanzas, of nine lines each, utilizes the image of the flea to convey three main ideas: the first as a vessel where their essence mingles, second as the institution of marriage, and finally as an insignificant representation of honor which would have no effect on them. Donne’s hyperbolic use of the flea extends through the poem as a metaphysical conceit to convey a logical argument out of something seemingly†¦show more content†¦He warns the woman to not â€Å"[l]et†¦that self-murder added be,/And sacrilege, three sins in killing three†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , thus three sins would weigh on her. In killing the flea she metaphorica lly kills herself, the speaker, and killing their metaphorical marriage (which is only present within the flea) thus enacting blasphemously (Donne lines 17-8). The final stanza allows the reader and the woman to finally address the woman’s main concern: her innocence. A woman’s virtue, or more specifically the loss of innocence outside of wedlock, is an extremely controversial and scandalous act that mars the woman’s identity in society for the rest of her life. This is possibility of losing face within the society holds the woman back from giving herself to the speaker, and thus sparking this twenty-seven line poetic argument to persuade her into his bed. This stanza starts off with the sudden death of the flea, which the speaker sees it as a â€Å"[c]ruel and sudden†¦[act that has]/Purpled [her] nail in blood of innocence†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Donne lines 19-20). This, to the speaker, is death of innocence. He sees it as cruel and the spilling of innocent blood as blasphemous. The death of the â€Å"innocent† flea could be an allusion to the death of Jesus Christ, however the speaker is incredibly vague and thus it is impossible to say so conclusively. The speaker continues the innocence metaphor in tandem with the conceit of the flea, as heShow MoreRelatedthatcher4803 Words   |  20 Pagesï » ¿1. G. M. Hopkins, â€Å"The Windhover†, â€Å"I wake and feel the fell of dark†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2. William Shakespeare, Sonnets 1-7 3. John Donne, â€Å"Valediction Forbidding Mourning†, â€Å"The Flea†, â€Å"Hymn to God, My God in my Sickness† 4. George Herbert, â€Å"The Collar†, â€Å"The Altar†, â€Å"Love III† 5. Andrew Marvell, â€Å"To his Coy Mistress† 6. T.S. Eliot, â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock†, â€Å"Journey of the Magi† 2. Poems for individual reading: 1. William Shakespeare Sonnet 73 (â€Å"That time of year†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) 2. John Donne, â€Å"Holy

Influence and Persuasion free essay sample

Influence and Persuasion Critical Thinking (Influence, Science and Practice) Chapter 1 1. Suppose you were an attorney representing a woman who broke her leg in a department store and was suing the store for $100,000 in damages. Knowing only what you know about perceptual contrast, what could you do during the trial to make the jury see $100,000 as a reasonable, even small, award? * Research for similar cases with the same injury but with settlements far greater than $100,000. The bigger its difference from the client’s demands, the better it would be. Present these case citations to the court and by the principle of perceptual contrast, it will drive home the point to the jury that the plaintiff’s demand is indeed very reasonable. 2. The charity request card in Figure 1. 2 seems rather ordinary except for the odd sequencing of the donation request amounts. Explain why, according to the contrast principle, placing the smallest donation figure between the two larger figures is an effective tactic to prompt more and larger donations * Listing $25 as the very first amount and succeeding it with the $10 already creates a perceptual contrast, wherein the larger amount would be rejected outright as a steep amount for donation. However, placing $5 right after the $10 creates more perceptual contrast – again the donor would lean towards the lower value. If the charitable organization’s target amount is a donation of $10/person, then it should have stopped at ten as the last amount. However, if its target amount is $5 dollars but with an objective of prompting donors to give more voluntarily, then placing the $5 between the $10 and $15 makes more sense because the donor would be forced to choose a balance between two extremes – the extremes being $5 and $15 and the $10 being the balanced amount that the donor could give without the guilt feeling of being stingy and at the same time without the feeling of being taken advantage of. . What points do the following quotes make about the dangers of click-whirr responding? â€Å"Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler. † Albert Einstein * From the way I understand this, it means we should not fully relegate our decisions to the automatic click-whirr human responses. Human automatic behavior patterns tend to be learned, more flexible compared with those of the animals that possesses locked patterns of responses. Therefore, we have the capability to analyze and reason out situations before we make decisions. We have to keep in mind that not all stereotypes are true not every pronouncement of an expert is infallible nor every expensive thing is of high quality. Although these judgmental heuristics allow us simplified living, we must also be conscious of being aware when these simplistic rules are being used to take advantage of us. â€Å"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are sometimes right. † Winston Churchill * This quote is a statement that disagrees with our propensity to stereotype. The stereotype is that people who are considered as fools do not have any smart or knowledgeable thing to offer in terms of opinion. The fool would be the complete opposite of people we consider as experts – people whose opinions are always held in high regard and true. Therefore the fools are people whose views are considered laughable and false. This quote actually says that there are times when a fool’s opinion should be listened to and heeded because it is right. Then again, this would only be possible if we make a conscious effort to react using other triggers rather than just the click-whirr response. . How does the photograph that opens this chapter reflect the topic of the chapter? * The photograph shows the onslaught of information that an individual has to process and assimilate into their lives every day. We get swamped with too much information, we do not have the time, energy or the ability to sort them out and allow our brain to fully process them. Oftenti mes, we resort to automatic responses with the use of stereotypes to classify things according to a few key features or triggers. Most times, our decisions are made unconsciously or with the help of trigger factors. Chapter 3 1. Suppose you were advising American soldiers on a way to avoid consistency pressures like those used to gain collaboration from the POWs during the Korean War. What would you tell them? * Advise the American soldiers to be wary and mindful of an individual’s inclination to be automatically and unthinkingly consistent. To be cognizant of situations where consistency is being used as a weapon of influence against them. Advise them to listen to their guts or be perceptive of the heart-of-heart signs the feeling towards something that an individual experiences a split second before they intellectualize about it. . In referring to the fierce loyalty of Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners, one commentator has said, â€Å"If you can persuade your customers to tattoo your name on their chests, you’ll probably never have to worry about them shifting brands. † Explain why this would be true. In your answer, make reference to each of the four factors that maximize the power o f a commitment on a future action. * Dr. Cialdini explained that commitments are more powerful when they are active; public; effortful; and viewed as internally motivated. The statement of the commentator is accurate because the motorcycle owners had made their commitment public by tattooing their commitment on their chests. These customers would be viewed as inconsistent if they purchase a motorcycle brand different from that written on their chests. Their action is also effortful and internally motivated since the action for tattooing the name was done voluntarily and of their own accord. 3. Imagine that you are having trouble motivating yourself to study for an important exam that is less than a week away. Drawing upon your knowledge of the commitment process, describe what you would do to get yourself to put in the necessary study time. Be sure to explain why your chosen actions ought to work. * Acknowledge the power of written statements. Set a goal and commit such goal in writing. Write down the date of the exam and a timetable of the topics you want to study and commit to memory before the date. Post this written commitment in a place where others would also see it. In that way, you have doubled the power of commitment by making it public. What would be the consequences of Roger’s more expansive approach to interpersonal relations? Think about your own interpersonal style. Is it closer to Rogers’ or Austen’s? Why? * Will Rogers could be taken advantage of by professional compliance people. Since we have automatic positive reactions to compliments, friendliness and the other factors leading to liking, people could exert undue influence on his decisions and daily life. 3. What parallels can you see between the findings of the boy’s camp studies and those of studies on the effects of (a) school desegregation and (b) cooperative learning in the classroom? a) School desegregation We like people who are similar to us, so our tendency in school is to associate ourselves with those we are most familiar and similar with. This results in the formation of groups or cliques that views other factions as rivals. Subsequently, these groups with divergent personalities would clash and compete because of th e differences in their orientation, ethnicity, backgrounds or lifestyle. Using the factors discussed in this chapter, describe how you would arrange your next encounter to accomplish your goal. * The first step would be to make use of similarity the factor that influences liking and compliance. Observe and learn a little bit about the seatmate – hobbies, favorite movies, books, sports – or any similarity that could be exploited to start the process of liking. Any common interest between the two of you could be a jump off point for some interesting discussions. Then enhance the liking deeper by complimenting the seatmate which is an effective device for producing return liking. . How does the photograph that opens this chapter reflect the topic of the chapter? * Adults always find kids adorable and endearing. Most adults find themselves putty in children’s hand. This is part of the adult human being’s fixed action pattern or our click-whirr reaction to kids. The picture which depicts smiling adorable kid selling lemonade is def initely someone that would trigger our liking process. It would ensure our compliance to an offer of buying a glass of lemonade even if we know that the lemonade is overpriced.