What Makes Man Truly Human

What makes man truly human

This is my answer:

I have the ability to use reason to understand my experiences. I am aware that as a human being I have a degree of autonomy over my thoughts and actions. I feel pain, joy, anger, and sorrow. I have a creative imagination that allows me to anticipate and explore possible alternatives to the truths I know. I have the cognitive abilities like counting, reading symbols and writing down my ideas. I can attribute meaning to my life and the universe I dwell in. I have a free will and the freedom to ask Q's and try to find and develop good answers to those Q's. I have the unfortunate ability to lie to myself and others. I can deny, affirm or avow or disavow things. I can make promises and swear oaths. I feel guilt and shame and regret and awe. I have a moral conscience and I make decisions based on values and rules I choose to follow. I know that some members of my species are cruel and kill for pleasure and sport rather than out of the necessities of survival and self-defense and genuine mature love. I remember and I forget, and I can learn and teach by trans-genetic forms of communication(ie culture). I can think philosophically and scientifically. I have a limited ability to create and a larger capacity to destroy. I love Art. I think in concepts that are formed by reflection like the ideas and ideals of Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Liberty, Justice, and Equality. I think in opposites and I am aware of contradictions and paradoxes in my thoughts. I know ignorance is curable and prejudices over race, gender, and class are too, and I know they are self-limiting errors of thought and cognitive and moral barriers to becoming a better, wiser human. I believe there is Good and Evil, Love, Suffering, and Hate. I expect to die some day and the expecting part is most definitely a human trait.

But the #1 reason I think that I am a human being is the observation that I have the quality or ability that most, if not all, humans have...