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what it means to be human wgu
what it means to be human wgu
what does human mean essay
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The interpretation of the term “human” is dependent on an individual’s expectation of what a human is supposed to be like. The evolution of the current Homo sapiens species begun with other species that might not be considered humans due to the level of intelligence they held. I believe that in order to be considered human, the species has to have a way of communicating with each other in a spoken language that includes proper grammar and be able to contribute to the progression of their society by being inventive with technology and culture. Due to my interpretation of the term “human”, I feel that the first hominin species to be considered “human” is Homo neadertalensis. I will be comparing and contrasting physical and behavioral traits that distinguish the current Homo sapiens species and Homo neadertalensis with our closest primate relatives, the chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees are our closest primate relatives due to the closeness in genetic material. Although we are genetically similar there are differences in language, which is due to the physical traits held in the brain. A chimpan...
To start, research shows that there are a striking number of similarities between humans and chimpanzees in context to their social behavior.
This article, titled Common Ground, written by Barbara Smuts, points out the main differences between humans and apes, such as our upright stance, large brains, and capacity for spoken language and abstract reasoning. However, the main point of this article is to emphasize the many similarities that apes share with us. Smuts goes into great detail about how human social and emotional tendencies are very reflective in the family of apes.
Chimpanzees make tools and use them to procure foods and for social exhibitions; they have refined hunting tactics requiring collaboration, influence and rank; they are status cognizant, calculating and capable of trickery; they can learn to use symbols and understand facets of human language including some interpersonal composition, concepts of number and numerical sequence and they are proficient in spontaneous preparation for a future state or event.
Our earliest ancestors are primates. They are our closest relatives which is why we can see our behavior’s and practices in them. If we observe them we can get a better understanding of them and us, human beings. But unfortunately we all don’t get the chance to see a Primate right in our backdoor. So the best thing I could do for my observation was to visit them at the zoo.
In recent years, the Homo Neanderthalensis were viewed as “subhuman brutes”, but are now seen as a different species from our own (Balter 2001). The Neanderthals were a branch of the Homo genus that evolved in Eurasia at least 200,000 years ago (Fagan 2010). The first Neand...
B.M.de Waal, Tree of Origin: What Primate Behavior Can Tell Us about Human Social Evolution. Havard University Press: Massachusets, 2001.
According to National Geographic, scientists have sequenced the genome factor of the chimpanzee and found that humans are 98.5% similar to the ape species. The chimpanzee is our closest relative in the animal kingdom; however, some people are not aware of our resembling traits with chimpanzees. Jane Goodall’s, In the Shadow of Man, describes some similar traits humans and chimpanzees have such as their facial expressions and emotions, use of tools, and diet.
In the article published in PLOS Biology, the researchers hypothesise the communication similarities could be a relic from the most recent common ancestor the great apes share with humans.
Following birth, their mothers teach them the social norms of living in large communities, launching their maturity which can last up to 15 years. Maturity is achieved at a slower rate due to the larger size of a chimp’s brain compared to other living mammals. This makes it so they are able to understand social hierarchy, make/use tools, and even learn American Sign Language. The evolution of humans stems from what is hypothesized to be Chimpanzees. In fact, Chimps are more closely related to Humans, 1.24%, than they are to Gorillas, 1.63% (Overshaw, 2007, pg. 65). This becomes evident when looking at the primitive traits humans have obtained from Chimpanzees over time which include, complex hands, bipedalism, ability to see colors, dental formula, etc. With all of these traits that have evolved into what is a human, how could humans not look to primates as a prime example for animal
Language is commonly held to be the province of humans, but other inhabitants of earth possess their own forms of communication. Birds, dolphins, and whales are some of those that have a language. Primates also use vocal communication with each other. Their utterances have varied uses and volumes, with each primate’s voice being distinct just as human voices are. These unique calls have given researchers insight into the social workings of primate groups. The very fact that primates have a language offers insight into the evolution of language and calls into question what the term human truly means.
Chimpanzees are the closest primates to humans. Like us, very smart, very clever primates have incredibly complex and sophisticated social structures. Many studies have shown that they are altruistic, plan for the future, and have basic arithmetic skills.
What does it mean to be human? Is it the millions of cells that you’re composed of? Or is it something more? In George Orwell’s book 1984, through the use of his protagonist, Orwell looks at what it really means to be human. In a world that is built on destruction and manipulation, Orwell takes a look at how a totalitarian government affects humankind and a person’s ability to stay “human”.
“The scientific study of how humans developed did not begin until the 1800s in Europe. Until that time, people relied on religious explanations of how humans came into existence. Starting in the 1500s a scientific revolution began to sweep Europe. Thinkers started using scientific methods and experiments to try to better understand the world and the creatures living in it. Eventually these methods were turned to the question of human origins” (The Nature Of Human Origins, 1). Earth made it possible for species to change over time because Ancient Earth provides ability to plenty of time.The Homo Sapien a is very complex creature. The species started off very simple by living in caves and surviving with little food and then later evolved into a species that were able to do many more complex things. The first species was Sahelanthropus tchadensis They were one of the most simple humans in that time period and on. They had very small skulls compared to Homo Sapiens today and their motor skills were just the same. We have evolved and changed for the better both mentally and physically. The Evolution of Homo Sapiens started off simple, such as the Neanderthals, and now we are the most advanced species to ever walk the planet so far.
The chimpanzee is one of the most fascinating mammals in the animal kingdom, for many of its distinct characteristics, but the main reason is the similarities it has to humans and our behaviors. The genetic blueprints of humans to chimpanzees show our closest living relatives share nearly ninety-nine percent of our DNA sequence. But despite the many similarities between the human genome and the chimp genome, researchers have emphasized the important differences between the two. The difference between us and chimpanzees is one percent, or roughly 15 million bases in our DNA sequence that evolved to separate us from being chimps. Over time there were genetic mutations that shifted our DNA sequence; these mutations did not harm or benefit us in any way. The genetic
“The common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights - for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture - is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition of all other personal rights is not defended with maximum determination.” -- Pope John Paul II