Newbie Otaku

Goodness, this comment chain is going to get long... Also, I've taken care of and owned numerous dogs, but not a single one has ever even tried to dig for anything. I'm not sure if they've just grown lazy as a result of domestication or the dogs I've seen are weird. Back to the point at hand, I believe a definition going beyond physical traits is going to be more important than ever in the future. As we get closer and closer to developing A.I. and possibly extraterrestrial contact, your strictly physical definition will be requiring drastic revising. Also, I never said that humans need to have souls. I only said they need to be capable of loving something or someone. Yes, it is sad that small cultures* are being wiped out by the militant spread of Christianity, but such is the way of globalization and assimilation. In return for the low, low price of giving up your personal beliefs, you and your family can purchase genetically modified rice from Germany that will allow your children to grow up big and strong. I'm not sure why you have such reservations against religion, and it's not my place to ask, but you have to realize that nothing is inherently bad or good. Another thing, where in the bible (I assume that's the religion you have the most reservations against) does it teach dark skinned people have no souls? I really want a quote. Considering that Christianity is supposed to be based on loving everyone as if they were yourself, I find it hard to believe that there is such a quote. *Those Asian countries you are talking about are either Secular, Muslim, or Buddhist, by the way. The amount of Christians in these countries are minuscule compared to those. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations

It is a great thing that Humans have recorded the past, as we can learn from it and work towards a better future. There is no such thing as a flawless being, and their never will be. Sorry, evolution does not work that way. All we can hope to do is learn from those "uptight philosophers and clergymen of old", and make a better tomorrow with that knowledge. Once again, denying that black people had souls was the way white people exercised dominance over a different people. The age of exploration, Ignited by Christopher Columbus, was purely a way for European countries to gain power and wealth wrapped in a nice ribbon called "Teaching the heretics the ways of our lord". Religion wasn't to blame, the tendency of powerful people using weak people is. Humans are a race of great tragedies and triumphs. We create and we destroy. We ruthlessly slaughter 10s of millions of our own flesh and blood, and give our lives to protect one another. That is what the human race is. I think the aliens you speak of would have to be pretty naive to think we weren't different from apes.

Unfortunately, Religion gets a bad rep from the dark ages. During those times, religion was just a pretense justifying political and economical goals. Jesus never said "Go kill a bunch of non-believers". That was clergymen seeking power. Unfortunately the church is one of the most unfaithful groups known to man-kind. <- My opinion. The new pope is giving me hope.

But, humans aren't simply physical. There's a whole other side to intelligent life that can't be disregarded when classifying something as "Human".

Personally, I love Gustav Holst and Gershwin. Gershwin might be more what this thread is looking for. Just look up "Rhapsody in blue" or "American in Paris".

I guess I should clarify "anything in return". That's the moral I hold myself to, not what I hold others to. I guess it's just genuine love that does it for me. If it feels sadness, grief, happiness, or especially love, its human. If it has feelings, I don't care what it is. Whether it's a carbon-based life form means very little to me. It's human.

I've talked to a minor sociopath before, and I don't believe he's any less human than I am. All human beings have idiosyncrasies and faults, however, some are just exaggerated. I don't think so. I think just about everyone is capable of it, under the right conditions.

What distinguishes a human from an animal, in my eye, is their resistance to basic animal instincts. i.e. "Seven Deadly Sins". If a person goes about their day trying their best to live a fulfilling life and occasionally helps another person along the way, then that is human. Also, a major component to my definition is the ability to give love, not receive. If anything can give affection and love without expecting anything in return, that is human.