What does it mean to be human?

[Santaisblue]

So I'm writing a scene where a character sacrifices "Everything that connects me to humanity" and I wanted to see what you guys thought would be appropriate to lose when sacrificing something like that. Would they lose emotions or some physical appearance or something else? Essentially, what makes someone human or part of humanity?

 

[CarburetorThompson]

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species: Homo sapiens

That’s what it means to be human. (Technically there are other species of humans but they are all dead)

 

[RepresentingPride]

So I'm writing a scene where a character sacrifices "Everything that connects me to humanity" and I wanted to see what you guys thought would be appropriate to lose when sacrificing something like that. Would they lose emotions or some physical appearance or something else? Essentially, what makes someone human or part of humanity?

You can do the same way Tales of symphonia did. Losing every emotions until your character become an empty shell.
And for the question about humanity, it's the emotions and the capacity to think for me.

 

[ChronicSleeper]

Losing the ability to feel. I believe a lot of what we do as humans is a result of emotions and "feeling", and without it, we aren't really humans anymore. Try doing anything and take a pause, think about which emotions or desires led you to that action. Now imagine a lack of that drive or desire. Or losing the ability for your feelings to be translated into what you would deem as "human" actions. You can feel sadness. You can feel rage. But now imagine that rather than doing the human thing, rational/irrational reaction... they simply don't. Or you can take the other, more direct and appetizing way (IMO), which is to literally turn the character into something else. Could be a monstrous new form, a literal monster, etc. Its more obvious to the readers that your character had literally sacrificed their humanity, but I feel that the first/second option would make a really compelling villain. It is scarier knowing your opponent isn't a monster in the literal sense but is just like you. Thinks like you. Acts like you. Knows what you will do. Because they were you.

 

[Sola-sama]

So I'm writing a scene where a character sacrifices "Everything that connects me to humanity" and I wanted to see what you guys thought would be appropriate to lose when sacrificing something like that. Would they lose emotions or some physical appearance or something else? Essentially, what makes someone human or part of humanity?

Maybe they started to like develop sexual attractions to furniture or pan.

 

[Azhurie_Mythephan]

In today's modern society, the term human only refers to those with human genetics either full or partial. So I'd imagine memories, genetics, and body along with morals would have to be sacrificed in favor of another form, kinda like the one in my current profile pic, which is obviously not human. She eats galvanized square steel. Mmm... Galvanized square steel... Delicious!

 

[ThrillingHuman]

So I'm writing a scene where a character sacrifices "Everything that connects me to humanity" and I wanted to see what you guys thought would be appropriate to lose when sacrificing something like that. Would they lose emotions or some physical appearance or something else? Essentially, what makes someone human or part of humanity?

The difference between human and beast is that we can overcome our instincts with out will. Animals also have emotions btw.
So your mc just becomes an animal

 

[Anonjohn20]

So I'm writing a scene where a character sacrifices "Everything that connects me to humanity" and I wanted to see what you guys thought would be appropriate to lose when sacrificing something like that. Would they lose emotions or some physical appearance or something else? Essentially, what makes someone human or part of humanity?

Look up Maslow's hierarchy of needs, as their needs are warped, so should their desires warp. Someone who's no longer human would struggle with their self-fulfillment/self-actualization needs (purpose, creativity, morality, etc.) and possible also struggle with their psychological needs (esteem, love, belonging, social needs).

 

[Rezcore]

Being human is to fail, to love, to create, to hate, to destroy. It is to be self contradictory, it is to be. That's it.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Essentially, what makes someone human or part of humanity?

*Sweats Bubbling Pitch*
What? Uhhh... What a silly question! Of course, I know what makes someone human, being a human myself. Why wouldn't I know the answer to this question? The answer is so obvious, I will let someone else answer it.

 

[QuercusMalus]

Perspective. Connection.
Imagine you are in your hometown, the city you grew up in and know like the back of your hand.
Then you close your eyes.
When you open them again, you're clearly still there, but everything looks slightly different, slightly off, things smell different, taste different, the language sounds different, the writing was different.
You've lost your connection to it, something you always took for granted.
You'd be confused, lost. Probably have a mental breakdown. Need to get away from it.

 

[KeiderK]

So I'm writing a scene where a character sacrifices "Everything that connects me to humanity" and I wanted to see what you guys thought would be appropriate to lose when sacrificing something like that. Would they lose emotions or some physical appearance or something else? Essentially, what makes someone human or part of humanity?

I would say that there are two primary elements to being human.
Body and mind.
The body is obvious, isn't it? But the mind would encompass all the other things (which also connect to the body).
Emotions, feelings (physical), what you see and hear, what you believe, what you imagine, what you think, among other things.

If it were me, if it's going to be a slow thing that part of the story, first body and then mind, slowly destroying itself while humanity is being cut off.

And if you think you just want to deal with that part of your story not too long, let's throw away the body part and destroy the MC's mind.

A good existential crisis can add flavour if you know how to combine it with the narrative.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

To be numvah won.

 

[Gryphon]

My view on what makes someone human is critical thinking and awareness. Emotions is a universal concept that all lifeforms-some recent studies have even suggested that plants might be able to "feel," take that info however you like-so I fundamentally disagree whenever someone just makes a character unfeeling when they discard their humanity. In fact I think its lazy writing if they do that.

I also think its somewhat lazy to view "empathy" as a product of humanity. First off, Elephants straight up have funerals, and don't even get me started on a Dog's empathetic relationship to their owners. I see it all the time where someone loses their humanity and they just become a psychopath that I just wonder if empathy is seen as a solely human trait because of actual scientific fact or if its because media portrays it as such all the time.

 

[ElijahRyne]

So I'm writing a scene where a character sacrifices "Everything that connects me to humanity" and I wanted to see what you guys thought would be appropriate to lose when sacrificing something like that. Would they lose emotions or some physical appearance or something else? Essentially, what makes someone human or part of humanity?

Well, the way I see it is all things are made of matter and matter is change. The mind gathers a reflection of the outside material world through perception and senses, keep in mind that the mind is also material. The mind uses this perception to decide how to act. Planning how an act will affect the material world leads to the building of a proto or nascent consciousness. Through this protoconsciousness one creates an ideal state, subconsciously, and tries to act it out, but since the ideal can not survive meeting reality sometimes acts fail to meet that ideal action. Keep in mind that other people exist and think for themselves. Typically it is through communication that one can learn this. Planning with the fact that other people exist in the world surrounding you leads to mammalian consciousness, although other types of animals can also communicate. This communication eventually turns into language, and through language you can connect to and learn from other people in a much much deeper level. This is around where human consciousness comes into play.

So for someone to lose everything that connects themselves to humanity they must no longer believe that others are able to think differently from them, i.e. losing the theory of mind. At the same time they must not be able to communicate or interpret communication in any way. So if that means they no longer look human, so be it.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Read "Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans" by Michaeleen Doucleff
amazon.com/Hunt-Gather-Parent-Ancient-Cultures/dp/198214968X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2SLFQUXWJSR12&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9dZbpO4m7rocIdU9vQDNpSk07b5AyklaQSUUWhqGAat18G79B8PNQKf3tH7uPJ2SZ-t1bhNEyQ2ARgf7kLqLsiFPoNE7CFsN_tM1Jt2s9H3kKpPWq4Jw8Kn5CduY4X0dIAcWuwy2I2i5RPyPSg79pn6xYRLmWGsawgQoViUQ-8C_hid1ShAO-ZlSseTnwtkVF4IhW9Tt4SGxnuZ2zDVXgYU7dNyUprywAA6nbjL3W5o.YDmArRAzXVqg4QWJk_515TfHptlS0WxnfNZMjaOA8xY&dib_tag=se&keywords=hunt+gather+parent&qid=1724469469&s=books&sprefix=Hunt%2C+Gather%2Cstripbooks%2C168&sr=1-1

And "Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent" by Meredith F. Small
amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/dp/0385483627

 

[Deleted member 84247]

It is to be sucked.

 

[Cipiteca396]

So I'm writing a scene where a character sacrifices "Everything that connects me to humanity" and I wanted to see what you guys thought would be appropriate to lose when sacrificing something like that. Would they lose emotions or some physical appearance or something else? Essentially, what makes someone human or part of humanity?

First problem. Does Character mean the human race, or the ideal of humanity?

If the first, they turn into a rock. Not a sentient rock. Just a rock. A rock that has never been near humans. It has not been crafted. If has not been smelted. It has not been forged. It has not been seen or touched or smelled. Not by humans, at least.

If the second, then they only lose the capacity for kindness, compassion, and general good-will. These traits are not limited to the human species, but not all humans have them either. It's strange to use the word 'humane' knowing that, but that's the limits of language. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Well, the 'everything that connects me to' bit might complicate things a bit. Not sure how though.

 

[gaylolis]

can you solve the captcha first

that s the ultimate question of humanity (for now)

 

[Fox-Trot-9]

To be aware that you don't know anything. (paraphrase of what Socrates said)