• Question: What makes us human?

    Asked by to Nat, Nate, Roberto, Sam, Sarah on 16 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Nate Bastian

      Nate Bastian answered on 16 Jun 2014:

      Great question. Traditionally, we thought that it was our intelligence and they way that are brains work that made us human. However, more and more studies of animals are showing that they (i.e., chimpanzees, orang-utans, dolphins, etc) share many of the same traits as us. So we’re not as different as we like to believe. So, what makes us human, at least different from other animals, is the full package of our abilities, i.e. our languages, culture, intelligence, etc.

    • Photo: Sarah Casewell

      Sarah Casewell answered on 16 Jun 2014:

      I think wanting to find out things – including asking what makes us human, makes us human!

    • Photo: Natasha Stephen

      Natasha Stephen answered on 18 Jun 2014:

      This is a great question and I don’t think there is a single correct answer to it!

      In my mind, our constant questioning of the world around us is what makes us human. Our thirst for knowledge and constant efforts to better ourselves and the environment around us is what makes us different to other species on the planet. Our understanding of what we do and how it affects other is a very human trait.

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