Sunday 8 September 2013

Food for Thought on a Summer Sunday Morning (and Music, too!)

For several weeks now Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine has explored one of those issues that we all take for granted and to which we rarely pay any attention: what makes us human? Parallel to the Radio 2 series, the New Statesman has been asking leading writers, comedians and artists the same question. Author P D James's recent contribution to the magazine is one I hope you will enjoy. The article is reproduced here without any permission. My blog-vacation has come to an end and I will be returning to my cyber-lair next week to share with you all a good, old cup of steaming coffee, my reflections on the world in which we live and music of the same high quality as the clip today.

Who are you calling animal?
What makes us human is the brain which enables us to ask just this question. We are aware how much we share with the animal kingdom and how close our DNA is to that of the higher mammals. We increasingly hear how much we all have in common with animals. Animals often show at least an equal concern with looking after their young. We know that elephants can grieve, that chimpanzees and other apes learn to use tools and even to share them, so there is the beginning of what we think of as unselfish sharing for mutual benefit. But animals, even those whose DNA is closest to ours, cannot make or control fire.

One wonders how this powerful tool was first discovered, perhaps by primitive man constantly rubbing two dry sticks together in a moment of boredom and producing a spark that lighted a pile of dry leaves. With this apparent miracle a significant step in the long rise to humanity was taken. Fire could be used to frighten away predators, provided the warmth which enabled early man to survive extreme cold and gave him the ability to cook meat and render it more digestible and life-sustaining. The making of fire was one of the most important discoveries which set human beings on the path to domination.

But most people, when faced with the question of what makes us human, give thought to a wider dimension than the difference between Homo sapiens and the animal kingdom, a dimension which includes ethics and morality and the recognition of responsibility for other than the immediate family or species. An animal has no concept of reality outside its own life and that of its young, and its place in the herd. Because we have the capacity to imagine and sympathise with the emotions including the pain of others, surely that implies a responsibility to alleviate suffering and promote well-being among all sentient creatures, including the animals of which we make use for our sustenance, convenience and pleasure.

To describe a person as acting like an animal is an insult, while the expression, “crime against humanity”, implies that there is some behaviour regarded as so appalling that the perpetrator is offending against a recognised code of what is acceptable from human beings. If the offence is committed by a single individual he is commonly labelled a psychopath, a diagnosis which it is seldom possible to follow with effective treatment. If the outrage is committed by a country, as with genocide, international opprobrium and a system of reparation, where this is possible, usually follow. We have the ability, both internationally and at home, to militate against behaviour we view as unacceptable and to make it illegal and punishable by law. We set up complicated legal and social contrivances designed to enable us to live together in peace and safety and which, in all civilised societies, are accepted and incorporated in words. The extent and richness of a country’s language is among the most important measures of its civilisation, and it is primarily language which makes us human.

When we think about what it means to be human, often we are considering what personal preoccupations, ambitions and conduct to others make us unique creatures on the planet. Unlike animals, human beings occupy their minds with concerns outside the compulsions of sex, food, shelter and the herd: the creation of our universe, the possibilities that other planets might sustain life and that eventually we shall make contact with other intelligent beings and communicate with them. We create gods ranging from tribal images in wood and stone to complicated theological arguments, and set up organisations to accommodate these deities and define the obligations of belief and worship.

But in the end the simple difference remains. Over millions of years the Darwinian process of evolution which has given us a Newton, a Shakespeare and a Mozart, has resulted in the human capacity to think, to wonder, to create and to invent. The capacity which enables us to use science to destroy each other in wars is also used to conquer disease, with the risk that we reproduce in numbers which inevitably outstrip the natural resources on which we depend. Unlike animals, we have the means to destroy Planet Earth by our greed, or to make it a safer place in which all living creatures can live.

How should we relate to each other? How do we deal with those aggressive impulses which seem to be in our nature? How do we tolerate people who are different, especially when they come to live among us? How should we educate our young? Is the nuclear family the only right pattern for marriage and parenthood? How can we save the planet which we alone among living creatures have the power to destroy? This is the ultimate question which faces us as humans and it is one of which the animal kingdom is oblivious. It is our responsibility, and it is this responsibility that makes us human.



Next Post: "Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music", to be published on Sunday 15th September at 10am (GMT)

23 comments:

  1. I love P D James' response. However I have a tiny quibble. She states 'Unlike animals, human beings occupy their minds with concerns outside the compulsions of sex, food, shelter and the herd' I believe that the word some should be inserted so it reads 'Unlike animals, some human beings...

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  2. There is a place where only Love resides and it's for every souls animals have souls too, so there you go problem solved

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  3. I still don't really make that much of a separation between humans and animals but I think that perhaps being able to use language is what makes the biggest difference.

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  4. Being able to speak can be a big difference, but then they speak in their own way, we just can't hear it. Much the same all around.

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  5. We keep hammering the definition, don't we? So glad I get to taste all these musical genre thanks to your sharing.

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  6. Elephant, I totally agree with you! :-)

    I have spoken to the headteacher at my school to look into the possibility of organising a similar debate with our students. Let's see what comes out!

    Thanks for your kind comments.

    Greetings from London.

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  7. an interesting question...what makes us human...i was thinking along other lines as well in what makes us inhuman as well...maybe conscience plays in there...the ability to empathize, to understand how our actions impact others around us...

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  8. if someone had asked me what the biggest difference is i may had answered that we're able to create - but yes - it's so much more and taking over responsibilty is a big part as well for sure

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  9. Algo tenemos de parecido pero hay que considerar todo el aspecto humano.
    Como siempre buscando buenos temas.
    Un abrazo.

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  10. So interesting. I am not sure, though, that there is such a sharp divide between the human and animal kingdom. Yes, the animal kingdom is about the herd, but I think there can be more to it, and less to the "human" side, and that there is more of a continuum than a divide. There was a wonderful book a few years back with a title something like - When Elephants Weep - something like that - about human/animal divide.

    Anyway, looking forward to having you back. And thanks so much for your visits and kind comments. K.

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  11. Sometimes I dont see difference and some animals are better than humans if you think in wars, torturas, ifamazing like a man can hurt others humans beings and enjoy; yes the torture is terrible.
    For other hand animals kill to eat but the man kill for nothing.
    A lot about think Mario!

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  12. What ab excellent article. I think the fact that we cab be aware of ourselves and even ask this question makes us human. I like the idea of posing this to students. It'll be interesting to hear their ideas.
    Glad you'll be posting your own stuff soon. And thanks for visiting my blog.

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  13. Just to throw a "monkey wrench" into the mix, I do not believe all Homo sapiens are human or possess humanity. While the ability to make fire or to act creatively or to save Planet Earth is within most of us, it is not within all of us. Genuine evil exists, I believe, not in the form of the devil possessing some, but from circumstances such as genetic defect, brain injury or substance abuse.

    I also believe our present species will eventually destroy itself and, probably, take the Earth with it. Neither religion nor philosophy will prevent this but, possibly, science can. However, in doing so, science would have to remove from us some of what makes us human, creating a substantially altered species. In which case, in the distant future we would be relegated in the text books as the group which followed Cro-Magnon in the "evolutionary chain."

    You do not like being demoted? Well, anyone who thinks we are at the pinnacle of the evolutionary ladder needs to think again. We really still are babes in the wood. The questions really are whether or not we will survive long enough to advance and if we are willing to give up some of the definitions of humanity as they exist today and accept changes science is capable of creating.

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  15. Responsibility setting humans off from animals... I like that and think that it even fits into many religious world views.

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  16. good food for thought as always love the comments nothing clever to add ha

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  17. Our self-awareness and ability to seek knowledge and express our thoughts set us apart from animals, but many animals are as capable of empathy as we are.

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  18. I think the main difference between us and animals is our ability to read, write and think logically.
    However, with that ability comes great responsibility. Without empathy, we have wars, lies and deceptions.
    In my opinion, animals are generally much more open in their interactions with others, and are capable of great loyalty...if only all of us could honestly make that claim too!

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  19. Welcome (almost) back! All for saving the planet.

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  20. Many thanks for your kind comments.

    I just thought of another trait that makes human: humour. We are the only animals in the kingdom with a sense of humour. I mean, whatever people say, hyenas don't really laugh, do they? :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  21. Animals have intelligence and spirits that are often attuned to higher levels than humans. Love that you used Tricky for a post comparing animal and human attributes!

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  22. What makes us human? Such a good question!

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  23. Many thanks for your comments. They are so good that I've decided to carry on with this theme in a future post.

    I hope you're having a nice a weekend. Mine's just been ruined by Chelsea's defeat to Everton, but that's life. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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