Posts: 3944
From: Calm Blue Ocean, Calm Blue Ocean
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 25, 2005 07:02 PM         

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Just asking.

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Posts: 6485
From: New Brighton, MN, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted November 25, 2005 07:51 PM         

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Hi Sheriff BR. Intriguing question.

Genes?
Heirs to death and taxes?
The capacity for moral judgment?
The creation and use of tools?
Art?

But seriously, how about the capability to love and take care of each other with compassion (should we choose to)??
That we wonder about where we came from and where we're going?

"Human" is different than "humane".....

'Zala

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Posts: 2681
From: ohio
Registered: Aug 2004

posted November 25, 2005 11:07 PM         

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How about my consistent ability to screw things up?

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Posts: 11943
From: Pleasanton, CA, USA
Registered: May 2005

posted November 25, 2005 11:34 PM         

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My parents are humans.

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Posts: 2805
From: dreamland
Registered: Jan 2004

posted November 26, 2005 01:26 AM         

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AG ~

well u know there are people in the world who r not worth to called be called humans although they have incarnated as a species know as Homo sapiens .

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Posts: 2056
From: Colorado, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted November 26, 2005 05:20 AM         

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Millions of years of genetic mutations and ever increasing refinement and adaptation! Woot!

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Posts: 8591
From: former land of the leprechaun
Registered: Sep 2004

posted November 26, 2005 06:39 AM         

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My heart......and my ability to speak out and be real......and to feel others' happiness and pain and to not fear plunging to the depths, knowing I will come back stronger and wiser.......

xxx

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Posts: 1409
From:
Registered: May 2004

posted November 26, 2005 09:04 AM         

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What IS a human being?

quote:

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Definitions of human being on the Web:

homo: any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. Biologically, humans are classified as the species Homo sapiens (Latin for "knowing man"): a bipedal primate belonging to the superfamily of Hominoidea, with all of the apes: chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_being

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Posts: 2025
From:
Registered: Jul 2004

posted November 26, 2005 09:37 AM         

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By birth I am a human being. And appication of common sense and life's experience makes me a human! I guess there is a big difference!

------------------
Welcome Home to GhostVillage

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Posts: 3944
From: Calm Blue Ocean, Calm Blue Ocean
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 26, 2005 01:06 PM         

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For me, it's definitely my capacity to open stubborn pickle jars

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Posts: 2276
From: London, UK
Registered: May 2005

posted November 26, 2005 01:51 PM         

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Ditto on what Johnny said

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Posts: 2132
From: Chennai
Registered: Oct 2005

posted November 26, 2005 01:57 PM         

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The ability to melt on seeing a baby which is not my own and then making funny faces to enjoy its laugh.

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Posts: 3944
From: Calm Blue Ocean, Calm Blue Ocean
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 26, 2005 08:17 PM         

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Maybe what makes one person human is different than what makes another person human?

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Posts: 2056
From: Colorado, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted November 27, 2005 03:27 AM         

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No, Blueroamer, no. I too can open stubborn pickle jars.

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Posts: 1254
From:
Registered: Jun 2005

posted November 27, 2005 04:48 AM         

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i care about trees and animals.
i care about other humans, sometimes.
when i go to the bathroom i wipe myself with toilet paper and wash my hands.
i can cook well.
i think therefore i am...human.
i am prettier than a chimp.
human males ask me out, so i assume i am a human female.

Love
SG

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Posts: 1158
From:
Registered: Aug 2005

posted November 27, 2005 06:18 AM         

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quote:

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What makes u a human being

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Nothing..because I'm not lol

I'm an alien being..What makes me an alien being is that I have genuine feelings...plus I'm short, green and my brain looks like a coconut ..it's also see-through and ET's my best friend.

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Posts: 8591
From: former land of the leprechaun
Registered: Sep 2004

posted November 27, 2005 06:46 AM         

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This is a great question Blue.....and looking around at some of these threads and the girlies that post on them, I am wondering if they are human.....

God help the blokes out there, is all I can say.....such coldness coming thro at times....

xxx

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Posts: 1158
From:
Registered: Aug 2005

posted November 27, 2005 08:50 AM         

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Sue, hope it wasn't my joke that upset you.

When I first opened it I thought my heart, then I read on and, you already posted, your "heart". Everyone's answers were serious. I just felt like kidding. BR is "how does poo taste" (or something along those lines) man. I mentally go into joke mode when I see a thread of his

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Posts: 3944
From: Calm Blue Ocean, Calm Blue Ocean
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 27, 2005 09:57 AM         

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Hahahah I must admit I have a large funny bone(r?)

Sue dont' let others PMS get to you, your warm heart shall never extinguish

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Posts: 2681
From: ohio
Registered: Aug 2004

posted November 27, 2005 10:08 AM         

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Lauren, I can't speak for Sue, but I'm pretty sure she wasn't referring to your post.

Had me laughing by the way!

You guys are cracking me up. I love your individual senses of humor... they shine through in this thread.

Actually, I checked in to see what Philbird's answer might be. She's always got something interesting to say...

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Posts: 1451
From: England
Registered: Dec 2004

posted November 27, 2005 03:30 PM         

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The ability to have sentient thought.

To not only recognise your existence, which very very few creatures on earth can, but to comprehend it as well, to an extent obviously.

Possessing opposing thumbs. Being able to grip things.

Being able to partake in sexual intercourse for reasons other than to simply procreate.

Other animals might have one or two of those things but no others have all of those.
That's why we're special

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Posts: 3944
From: Calm Blue Ocean, Calm Blue Ocean
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 27, 2005 08:39 PM         

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Mutable, bonobo apes are argued to do ALL of those things you listed!

They have sex for pleasure, to form alliances, or alleviate stress.

The have opposable thumbs and use tools.

They can recognize themselves in a mirror, and will inspect their bodies in front of one!

I'd argue that some people don't have sentient thought.

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Posts: 1082
From: Sydney, Australia. Cancer Sun.....Gemini Moon.....Aqua Rising
Registered: Aug 2003

posted November 27, 2005 09:08 PM         

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What Makes Me Human is that i am aware of a greater power than myself and aside from my small but important existence there is a much bigger picture that encompasses ALL!

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Posts: 1451
From: England
Registered: Dec 2004

posted November 28, 2005 02:47 AM         

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BR- Apes can't speak. Don't care what anyone says about them using sign language or making chimpy noises, it's not the same. If they were smarter than us, they would have taken over earth already and invented microwaves. Humans are as far as I know, the smartest (mortal- if you believe in God) creatures on earth, and no amount of 'clever' little "Well, if we're so smart how come we ruined our planet?" counter-arguments are going to change that. Intelligence has nothing to do with virtue or morals.. Infact, the smarter you are, the capable of evil you are. But then again, humans are capable of very great things and using our brains we've become one of the most adaptable things on earth.
And I shall keep this view til we are enslaved by chimps and/or aliens. Which I doubt very much.

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Posts: 1382
From:
Registered: Oct 2004

posted November 28, 2005 07:49 AM         

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My ability to reply to this thread

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