What Makes a Human, Human? (Essay Sample)

What is it a human?
Name
Institution
Probably, nothing is more complicated in the modern world than human nature. For instance, the human body is composed of 100 billion neurons, with each of the neurons having an average of 3000 electrical connections. Additionally, we can recognize that we share many qualities with other animals, such as the primates. For instance, human beings can be classified as mammals, and hence they can give birth and nurse their young ones. The fact that we share 98% of the genetic makeup with the chimpanzees does not negate the fact that we tend to exhibit superior phenotype (Piggott, 2019). In addition to our brainpower, we display the ability to have an erect posture and various facial muscles which are evident when we are expressing emotions.
Furthermore, humans have evolved to have unique ways of solving problems that are different from all the other animals. All these assertions echo the fact that humans have an unusual nature compared to all the other animals. In other words, humans are unique.
The Human Question
Many will ask what caused human speciation or what can be used to differentiate the humans from the non-humans. The question of what constitutes humanity has been addressed by religious leaders and philosophers as well. Many philosophers cite the ability of humans to make tools, differentiate right from wrong, to feel, to talk, and to think of the factors that make the human form unique. On the other hand, religious leaders emphasize the fact that having a soul is what brings out our uniqueness. They claim that since we were created in the image of God, then we are bound to be sinners and selfish. Additionally, there other cynical critics argue that humans are animals who have the urge to destroy each other through wars. All these schools of thought seek to determine what makes human beings unique.
Nevertheless, the answer to the question of what makes us human cannot be found in our intellectual brain capacity or the achievements that we have accomplished over time. The answer to what it means to be social lies in our ability to share resources and survive as a collective race over time. In other words, our mental capacity, memory, and speciation are only by-products of this excellent way of sharing resources. Thus, if one wants to prove what it means to be human, it would be prudent to focus on what is the person instead of what has been accomplished (Piggott, 2019). Consequently, three predicates can be used to explain the question about humanity; they include the human niche, social dependence, and human negotiations.
The Human Niche
Different animal species are adapted to different environments. Nevertheless, a physical feature in one context will have a distinct survival meaning for various species living in that there. For instance, a tree for a chimpanzee is a habitat, whereas, for a human, a tree is a source of fuel. Hence, each animal has a different and unique way of defining the usefulness of an environment that is physically the same. This is referred to as the animal's niche. Among all the species of the universe, they do not only adapt to survive in an environment but also transform it. For example, grazing and hunting will change the situation. However, the most distinctive characteristic of the human form is its ability to create a unique impact on the environment compared to the other animal species. Humans possess the unique ability to alter, transform, or destroy their environment on a larger scale compared to the different animal species.
Consequently, there are no other species that have had a more visible impact on the environment as humans. Hence, the constant invention and the transformation of the situation can be used to describe the human niche (Piggott, 2019). In other words, the social niche can be described as the changing ways in which humans collaborate, communicate, migrate, create, destroy, and build tools. In essence, the question of what it means to be human can be answered by observing how humans adapt to this niche, which is not similar to that of any other animal.
Social Dependence
The developmental context of the human offspring is fundamentally different from that of other animals. Moreover, the parenting techniques for the human being are quite different when compared to the other species. Hence, one can claim that human offspring are “born too soon.” The state of being “born too soon” can be explained by different standpoints. Firstly, it may allude to the specific care that is accorded to the offspring by the mother and other adults. Secondly, it may entail the vast extent of social dependence that exists for an extended period compared to the other animals. The state of social relations in humans is enormous and, at times, may span for a quarter of the offspring's life (West & Mendieta, 2017). Another aspect of social dependence that is prevalent in humans is reciprocal empathy. This is characterized by the face-to -ace interactions between the offspring and the parents. Such communications are used as a means of according to the family the care they need.
Nevertheless, the prolonged maturity periods and the increased social dependency among humans provide valuable learning opportunities for the offsprings. The learning is primarily achieved through observation and exploration. Additionally, during the learning period, the infants are monitored by adults intensely. The culture of providing learning opportunities and caring for the infants for an extended period is another representation of the human niche. It can also be referred to as the enculturation of the infant. This is because the infant will grow with a specific type of thinking due to childhood interactions.
Human Negotiations
A common feature of all the animals is the fact that they have to share resources. However, for humans, they have developed unique ways through which they share, for example, handshakes, agreements, and contracts (West & Mendieta, 2017). To add to this, another distinct characteristic of humans is their ability to negotiate using the value of things in a situation of reciprocal exchanges. For human infants, they must develop