WHAT MAKES MAN TRULY HUMAN?

Michael D. Moga, S.J.

Human beings are not necessarily human. Such a statement may sound very
puzzling but it is true for two reasons. First of all, it takes much time and effort
for a human being to grow to the point where his own nature has reached full
realization. When born he acts like a little animal, not yet being fully human. It
will take many years of training and education by his family and society, many
years of effort and struggle on his own part before the fullness of humanity can
be achieved. Until that state of full humanness is attained we cannot say that he
is fully human.
Secondly, it is very possible that an individual human being will not reach full
development at all. We recognize that there are human beings which fail to
possess those basic qualities which are required for full humanness. Sometimes
we use the word “inhuman” to describe such persons. They may be cruel,
insensitive to others, irrational, or robot-like in their lives and dealings with
others. At other times we use the word “animal” to describe persons who follow
their lower instincts and ignore their consciences, their human dignity and the
higher values of human life. We judge such inhuman people, such “animals,” to
be less than fully human.
That a human being can possibly not be human strikes us as a puzzling
paradox, revealing that man is quite different from all other living species. Every
other living organism very quickly grows to a state of full development. Very
rarely do we encounter a plant or an animal that is such a “monster” that it does
not truly represent its species.
Every acacia tree is necessarily an acacia tree and every dog is necessarily a dog.
Every tree grows to full size in a few years and is completely a tree, taking
nourishment from the soil and the air, developing new branches and leaves,
producing seeds. Most dogs grow to full size and maturity within a year. From
the very beginning ever dog is clearly a dog, breathing, barking and smelling like
a dog. How strange it is that human life is so different from the lives of trees and
dogs! The fullness of humanity not only takes a great deal of time to reach but
often in a significant way it is not reached at all. We are surrounded on this
planet earth with many human beings who sadly lack very important human
traits. Such a truth challenges each one of us. Am I as an individual going to
realize the full humanness that is possible for me? Will I play a role in helping
other human beings to grow into the humanness that they are capable of? For
the task that confronts me in my life is not only one of coping with the problems
of survival but also one of achieving a level of life that is truly human. I am
challenged in life not only to survive and to be prosperous but also to be human.
But a question arises. What is this fullness of human life which we human beings
can attain? What are those characteristics that we should strive to develop?
What makes man truly human? This question is not a new one. In a hidden,
implicit way it has confronted every human being that has ever existed in the
history of man. In the course of human history philosophers have given many
different answers to this question, many different ideals of being human. We call
such ideals “humanisms.” As we study the history of human cultures we discover
many different humanisms which have inspired and guided those cultures. It is
worthwhile to reflect on these various ideals since they open up to us many rich
possibilities of human life.
The Greek Ideal of Full Development
One very distinctive humanism that arose in the past was that of the ancient
Greeks. The Greeks understood man as a being composed of many natural
potentialities, many possibilities for growth. They sensed that nature actively
guided man to develop those potentialities, a development that was meant to
reach a state of fullness or excellence. In such an understanding of life the fully
human person is one who lives a life of a completely developed human being.
First of all, human beings have physical potentialities and it is possible for them
to develop their bodies and their bodily skills. Some of these skills are connected
with sports and leisure as they learn to run, to swim and to dance. Other skills
are practical: the ability to type, the ability to drive a car or to fly a plane, the
ability to master crafts such as carpentry or masonry. Secondly, human beings
have many mental abilities that can be developed. They can expand their
capacities to imagine and to dream of new possibilities. They can develop their
human sensitivity, becoming more aware of themselves, of other people and of
nature. They can learn to think more logically and to bring rationality more
completely into their lives. They can become expert in one of the many human
sciences. They can become more aware of the presence of beauty in nature and
in the human arts. They can become more open to the realm of the mysterious
and the sacred. In many different ways the human mind can be developed.
Thirdly, human beings can develop communication skills, learning how to read
and to write and to talk. It may take years to develop these skills but, once they
are mastered, individuals are better able to function as full human beings. They
can express their ideas clearly and forcefully. They can bring understanding, joy
and beauty to those who read what they write or who listen to what they say.
Fourthly, human beings can develop their social skills in many different ways.
They can become loyal friends, good mothers and fathers, active members of
society. They can become generals in armies, religious leaders, and effective
leaders of political communities. As individuals learn to play their roles in society
and make significant contributions to society, they fulfil some of their social
potentialities. The Greeks conceived of nature to be the guide and inspiration for
the development of all of these human possibilities. This development was
pointed toward an ideal, the fullness of human life, a life of excellence. Although
these examples give us an understanding of human fulfilment in terms of an
individual human being, this Greek ideal was also meant to be realized on a
social level. A human community can achieve full development. This fullness of
social development would include many elements such as peace, economic
prosperity, the rule of law, active community interaction as well as the full
development of education and the arts. Thus, from the Greeks we have a clear
ideal for human life, the development of all human potentialities to the level of
excellence. It is a humanism which has inspired and guided many peoples over
the ages.
The Oriental View
A distinctively different understanding of human life is found in the classical
writings of oriental religions, in Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism. In these
traditions human existence is understood not to be a matter of living a full life
as a separate individual but to be a matter of living as part of something greater.
In these traditions living wisely as a human being means that an individual finds
his true place in that greater reality and conforms himself to it. In a true sense
The wise man seeks to “lose” himself in that greater reality. From this “oriental”
viewpoint any understanding of human life is primarily an understanding of a
greater reality of which the individual man is a part. This sense of human life is
expressed in different ways in each of the various oriental traditions.
Hinduism
Conceives the greater reality to be divine and calls it Brahman or Atman. This
divine Brahman is the only thing which is truly real and everything else is only
real to the extent that it is part of Brahman. Brahman is like a great sea and all
the other beings in the world are just drops of water in that sea. Such drops do
not have their own distinct individual existence but exist as drops of water in a
great sea; they are elements of something greater.
Man’s life is thus conceived by Hinduism to be rooted in a divine totality, drawing
its ultimate truth and reality from this root. Of course, man can ignore this truth
and live superficially, absorbed by the happenings and ever-changing
experiences of his individual existence. But such a way of living is foolish. A wise
man lives in terms of the basic divine reality of which he is a part. He draws
meaning from Brahman and seeks to lose himself in it. In a similar way the
Chinese tradition of
Confucianism
Understands the life of man in terms of something greater. In this case the
greater reality is human society. What is really important in human life is society
as it is concretized in family and friendship and the state. Man’s major concern
should be to act in such a way that these social units are preserved in a
traditional and correct form. In this philosophy of Confucianism the individual
human being is understood precisely as a part of family, friendship or state. The
purpose of his life is found in his fulfilling of his assigned role in these various
social units. From family and state he has certain clear obligations which he
must endeavor to fulfill. He lives wisely and his life is truly human to the extent
that he fulfills these obligations, and his family and state prosper. A third
prominent tradition in oriental thought is that of
Taoism
, a way of thinking that arose in ancient China. In this tradition the emphasis is
on Tao, a mysterious, all-encompassing reality. Tao is the source of everything.
It is an ultimate power that actively guides everything that exists in the heavens,
in the earth and in human life. Tao is thus a “way” that directs all of these various
levels of nature. As an ultimate reality this Tao is conceived not only to be all-
powerful (guiding the existence of all beings) but also to be wise (guiding those
beings to move in the best possible way). Because of this the individual human
being is wise if he trusts Tao, is sensitive to its guidance and follows it in his life.
He lets go of his own plans and his own efforts to control his own life and lives
with natural spontaneity. By doing so the wise man’s life becomes the expression
of his own individual desires but of Tao.
Each of these three ways of life (Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism) presents
a picture of human life as part of something greater. In each of them a human
being is truly human when he loses himself in that greater reality. To ignore that
greater reality is to go astray and to live a life which is foolish. Such
understandings of life present deep wisdom that has guided the lives of many
millions of people for many centuries.
The Hebrew Understanding
A third quite distinctive understanding of human life is found in the Hebrew
tradition. In this tradition human life is conceived to consist of a situation where
man constantly faces challenges and expectations and is called upon to respond.
In this situation man lives in a truly human way to the extent that he is sensitive
to these challenges and responds to them in a noble and worthy way.
This Hebrew sense of human life is concretized in the story of the “father” of all
the Jews,
Abraham. Abraham was called by Yahweh and told to take his family and
possessions and to go into a far country where Yahweh would bless him.
Abraham was challenged to believe in this call from God and to carry it out. He
responded to Yahweh by trusting in His word and by fulfilling faithfully what was
asked of him. He achieved greatness in his life by the way that he was faithful,
responding to Yahweh’s call. All believers in the Hebrew tradition understand
their lives in terms of this model of Abraham. They see themselves challenged
and “called” by God in all of the happenings of their lives. This Hebrew model for
understanding human life is not limited to a situation of religious faith but can
be understood in a broader context. Every human being can see his life as a
matter of challenges where the meaning of that life arises from the way that he
responds. It is evident in life that every individual is constantly confronted by
challenges arising from nature, his family, his friends, his community and his
God. He experiences his life as something more than simply “being alive,”
occupying a place in a quiet situation. Man’s situation is rather one of being
constantly challenged, of facing expectations at every moment. In life he is never
left alone. The Hebrew tradition thus presents us with an ideal of human life
which is quite distinctive. The ideal human being in this tradition is one who is
first sensitive to the challenges of his situation and who then responds to those
challenges with courage, generosity and fidelity. Through this sensitivity and this
responsiveness a person becomes truly human.
Other Humanisms
Besides the three humanisms presented above there are many other ideals of
human life which have guided and inspired men and women through the ages.
Let us briefly consider a few of them. There can be a type of moral humanism.
Here the ideal human life is a full living of morality. This can be found in a life
of correctness where an individual follows exactly all the moral laws of his
religion and society. A slightly different version of this ideal is found in a life
where moral virtues are lived in a full way, virtues such as love, courage,
prudence, patient endurance and loyalty.
In such a moral humanism the fully human person is one who is “good.” There
can be a humanism which emphasizes creativity. The ideal here is a person who
is creative on all levels of his life, in his artistic productions, in his expression,
in his relationships, in his religion, in his personal growth. Such a fully human
person is always open to new life as he constantly moves into new ways of living.
His life is growing, full of surprises. For such a humanism of creativity the idea
is embodied in an artist. There can be a religious humanism. Such a humanism
would be based on the understanding that a human being is basically the image
of God. According to this understanding the ideal human life is achieved when
one becomes a full child of God, living fully one’s relationship to God.
This life would include many different things, including the fulfilling of God’s will
in one’s life, setting God as one’s primary goal, and emphasizing prayer and
worship in one’s life. According to this view a person is fully human when he
lives fully as the image of God. In such a religious humanism the ideal is the
holy person, the saint. There can be a humanism of love. Human existence is
understood here as basically a matter of relating to other people. The ideal
human life is achieved when a person establishes deep human relationships with
others and lives those relationships fully. One strives, for example, to be loving
friend or a loving mother or father. Included in this ideal life is a high level of
compassion and sensitivity. The ideal human being must be one who
understands what others are experiencing and who is deeply sensitive to the
needs and feelings of others.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. Does being born as a human necessarily make someone human?
2. Is it possible for someone to attain the full development of being human?
3. How does the Greek understood man? And what is their ideal human?
4. What is the oriental view towards human?
5. How does the concept of Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism differ in their
conception of man as being part of a greater reality?
6. How does the Hebrew conceive the understanding of the human life?
7. What is moral humanism?
8. What is the concept of the humanism that emphasizes creativity?
9. Is there such thing as religious humanism?
10. What is the humanism of love?

REFERENCE:
From What Makes Man Truly Hunan? A Philosophy of Man and Society, Makati City: St. Paul’s Press,
1995, pp. 3-10.