The Essence of Humanity Essay - 503 Words

The Essence of Humanity What makes us human? What underlying characteristic differentiates humans from animals or Gods? Where does the essence of humanity lie? Initially the answer may seem simple. One might say when comparing animals to humans that they are cruder than humans; they live their life by instinct, they dont love, they dont strive to educate themselves and each other - their overriding goal is to survive and make it through the day. Yet, human history and the scientific evidence tracing our human linage back to some ape-like predecessor proves that humans (well, their ancestors) most likely lived that same existence - scavenging for food and looking for a safe and warm place to sleep - subsistence. Hence, it†¦show more content†¦Look at the Greek gods, they all had human forms and were supposed to have been very beautiful, to a human a God symbolizes perfection something all humans what to achieve. It was when humans started to conglomerate together, the first signs of society, that the idea of Gods first arose, hence it is our society, our relationship with each other that makes us human. Of course there are many other characteristics that are considered human traits, like love, faith, our obsession with time, but these are byproducts of society. Society is the key to our humanity. Looking back in history 1,500 years before Homer, in societies we might consider primitive and crude compared to our own, there we find the same human characteristics we find in ourselves today - lust, power hunger, love, faith, fear of death, curiosity - all byproducts of the relationship between humans and society. The Epic of Gilgamesh which gives us a glimpse into that society and its people emphasizes the idea that society is the essence of humanity. For example, there is a character in the story that has lived in the wilderness for his entire existence, Enkidu. He is described as being innocent of mankind; he knew nothing of the cultivated land, in other words society. ( Epic 63) Enkidu lives just like an animal until a Shepard boy brings him a harlot that seduces him. AfterShow MoreRelatedRejection of Existentialism Essays837 Words   |  4 Pagesdefines the unifying factor of existentialism, (for both atheist and deist alike), as the be lief that existence precedes essence. To help illustrate his point he presents the example of a paper knife, an object that possess a set of qualities that enable it to carry out its purpose. He states that it would not have been created without a particular purpose, therefore its essence precedes its existence. (Sartre) Sartre rejects this idea when it comes to mankind and declares that humans in themselvesRead MoreSartre s Idea Of The Self983 Words   |  4 Pagesimage of the self has been largely argued from the beginnings of ancient civilizations up into today’s society. 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