The Question Of An Answer What free essay sample

The Question Of An Answer: What It Is To Be Human Essay, Research Paper The Question of an Answer: What It Is To Be Human The organic structure is socially constructed ; and in this paper we explore the assorted and ever-changing buildings of the organic structure, and therefore of the embodied ego # 8230 ; # 8230 ; The one word, organic structure, may therefore mean really different worlds and perceptual experiences of world # 8230 ; .. ( Synnot 1992, 43 ) It has been said that in order to understand life and society, we as people must foremost understand ourselves. Who are we as a people? Who are we as persons? Who are we as worlds? These inquiries all present themselves when discoursing a subject such as this. I believe that it is so of import to inquire inquiries such as these, and besides every bit of import to reply them. All of this presuming of class, that there is one specific reply. My job begins here, in that I do non believe that there is one defined reply to these inquiries. As you will see, many # 8220 ; great philosophic heads # 8221 ; have different positions and beliefs associating to these inquiries, and it is my occupation to screen through these different beliefs and discover # 8230 ; # 8230 ; What it is to be human It seems that for ages the human organic structure has been studied and inspected. However, actual # 8220 ; review # 8221 ; merely takes us so far. As worlds, we all know that there are parts of our # 8220 ; being # 8221 ; that are intangible. Take ideas, dreams, and things of the similar. We know they exist, yet they are unable to be inspected scientifically ( to any valuable grade at least ) . The differentiation between beliefs begins here. How one views this intangible side of life with regard to the touchable, is the factor that defines one # 8217 ; s beliefs. There are several ways in which 1 may see the organic structure. A dualist is one who views the organic structure and head, or touchable and intangible, as two separate intities bing together to organize one being. The rule of # 8220 ; Cogito, ergo amount, # 8221 ; or in English, # 8220 ; I think, therefore I am. # 8221 ; The # 8220 ; I # 8221 ; intending the head, and # 8220 ; I am # 8221 ; intending the organic structure. ( Synnott 1992, 92 ) The touchable side of the individual being edge of class, by the Torahs of biomechanics and gravitation, and the intangible being bound by nil but the Torahs of logical thinking. # 8220 ; # 8230 ; ..the organic structure, from its nature, is ever divisible and the head is wholly indivisible. # 8221 ; ( Descartes 1995, 70 ) Like anything, dualism comes with its pro # 8217 ; s and con # 8217 ; s. Many people choose to believe in the thought of dualism because of its truths. Obviously, we can all see that so, the organic structure is existent and touchable, and that the head on the other manus is the intangible, although it excessively is existent. Similarly, as grounds of dualism we have doubtless felt the physical every bit good as the non-physical. The physical being, exhaustion or heat. The non-physical possibly being the # 8220 ; ah-ha # 8221 ; experience, larning something or even woolgathering. Dualism nevertheless, does hold its portion of con # 8217 ; s. Take for illustration, the existent grounds of this belief. No 1 has of all time been able to explicate wholly how the head and the organic structure work together. How can a touchable world coexist with an intangible one? This one inquiry is the draw of most unfavorable judgment of the belief, evidently because no 1 has been able to reply it. Along the same line of thought, how does one explicate the physical location of the head, without giving it a physical nature? If I said that undoubtedly my head is located in my encephalon, I have made it portion of the encephalon, and therefore into a physical, touchable intity. The same goes for wherever one would wish the head, or # 8220 ; soul. # 8221 ; Dualism itself can be broken up into four types. Object dualism, value dualism, behavior dualism, and linguistic communication dualism. ( Kretchmar 1994, 37 ) Of the four, object and value are by far the two most outstanding. Its of import to understand that any dualist is an object dualist. The footing of object dualism is that of dualism itself, the thought that the head and the organic structure are separate intities. Value dualism nevertheless, is a bit different. A value dualist agrees that the head and the organic structure are separated, yet they value the head over the organic structure. A value dualist puts accent on the fact that the head is superior to the organic structure, and in consequence supervises it. # 8220 ; The organic structure is distanced from the believing individual because it is less capable. # 8221 ; ( Kretchmar 1994, 42 ) The attractive force of value dualism is immense. The fact is that people merely can non swear their senses ( their organic structure ) all of the clip. Kretchmar provides an first-class illustration of this: For illustration, playing centre field, we see the hitter take a mighty swing, hear a loud cleft of the ball against the chiropteran, and see the ball start on a flight that would take it over our caput. We begin to run back to do the gimmick, but we have been deceived. The ball really struck the terminal of the chiropteran, and it turns out to be a short blunder that falls in forepart of us. ( Kretchmar 1994, 42 ) It is facts like this that attract people toward the thought of a separate head that is superior to a separate organic structure. It seems that logic is so a better pick. Would logic hold allowed our organic structure to do the error? The truths in dualism have allowed it to do its manner into much of our civilization. In society today, it is really difficult to get away Manichaean thought. Take the Christian position of decease and hereafter for illustration. # 8220 ; Does non decease mean that the organic structure comes to be by itself, separated from the psyche, and that the psyche exists by herself, separated from the organic structure? What is decease but that? # 8221 ; ( Plato 1995, 68 ) Of all the type of dualism, value duali samarium is the most apparent signifier found all around us. For illustration, here at The University of the Pacific, the class of survey now known as # 8220 ; Sports Sciences, # 8221 ; was once known as # 8220 ; Physical Education. # 8221 ; Although the same class stuff is covered, the name was # 8220 ; upgraded # 8221 ; due to the fact that society seems to put much more importance on the academic side of the human than it does the physical. What would it be like if the physical were valued every bit much as the mental? Well gratefully there is a system of sing the organic structure that allows this common, equal importance to happen. Holism is a school of idea that views the mental and the physical on the same degree. Holism really incorporates four BASIC thoughts, two stemming from the organic structure, two stemming from the head, all associating together. ( Sverduk talk 1996 ) The thought of holistic theory is a licking to the thought of mechanistic thought which evolved between 500BC and 1300AD. ( Sverduk talk 1996 ) The thought of mechanistic thought is that everything on Earth can be explained by interrupting it down and analyzing its parts. It is apparent how frequently the organic structure itself is taken in a mechanistic position, and so many are treated as if their organic structure is a machine, making anything to do it better, bigger, faster, and more efficient. With the mechanistic position of the organic structure comes many methods of which to heighten it. # 8220 ; This compulsion with organic structure image has led to exponential additions in decorative surgery, weight-loss crazes, musculus edifice, and even upseting utilizations of new familial technology techniques. # 8221 ; ( Kimbrell 1992, 52 ) This position of the organic structure even brings on several Manichaean impressions. The thought that we are # 8220 ; shades caught in machines. # 8221 ; ( Kimbrell 1992, 59 ) Obviously this impression is a harmful one, # 8220 ; Much of the emphasis and unwellness caused by the modern workplace is due to the fact that adult male is non machine. # 8221 ; ( Kimbrell 1992, 59 ) Holism, as I mentioned earlier, is a licking to this mechanistic line of thought. The basic thought is that the organic structure is made from a small spot of a broad assortment of things. Feelingss, emotions, biomechanics, kinesiology, phyco-social facets of activity, etc.. These factors can be set up into a quadrant system, leting us to see them all individually. Bing viewed individually, these things go # 8220 ; holons, # 8221 ; each bing entirely, while at the same time bing as portion of another. ( Sverduke talk 1996 ) All of these, along with many more things, do up the homo. Take for illustration the action of weight-lifting. On one manus, the lifter feels the hatred, disgust, or assurance brought about by his action. This facet falling into the upper-left quarter-circle. The jock besides feels the Torahs of biomechanics. Thingss like gravitation and the Torahs of gesture. All of these falling into the upper-right quarter-circle. Phyco-social facets besides enter into the lower- left manus quarter-circle. These are things like values and inquiries as to why the lifter is raising ( i.e. : to affect others, or for his ain wellness ) . The last quarter-circle is reserved for the existent kinesiology of the lifter. He can experience his bosom rate addition, his take a breathing addition, etc. A holistic position incorporates all four quarter-circles into the # 8220 ; complete # 8221 ; individual. It is all of these # 8220 ; truths # 8221 ; that draw people to the thought of holistic theory. For a holist, physical instruction is merely every bit of import as mental instruction. It is merely every bit of import to travel intelligently as it is to believe intelligently. Holism is a spot like a piece of paper. You can non hold a piece of paper with lone one side. Each side is separate, yet each are indispensable to organizing one entire piece of paper. ( Beal talk 1996 ) Taking into consideration all of this information, I am now able to make my ain personal doctrine as to what it is to be human. It is a really hard undertaking so, to sit and believe entirely about what comprises my human presence. To make so, one must see values, moralss, and their beliefs. To be homo, in my head, is much more than simply the head and the organic structure. It seems strange to me that such a complex being could be explained by a school of idea such as dualism. Dualism seems a spot excessively obscure. I believe that I would take a more holist attack to this inquiry. Possibly this is due to the fact that I can associate to all the sub-groups in a holistic attack. I have felt all of these countries, and hence seem to believe a spot more in this thought. To me, the homo is a being comprised of a head that takes into consideration clip and infinite, every bit good as emotions and feelings, and a organic structure that exists kinetically and spiritually. The physical facet of life is merely every bit of import as the mental 1. A human is a being that experiences life with regard to all these countries, and works throughout there lives to make the best life they can. The human hunts for, and wholly defines his beliefs. I believe in the experiential thought of being proceeding kernel. # 8220 ; # 8230 ; .first of all, adult male exists, turns up, appears on the scene, and, merely afterwards defines himself. # 8221 ; ( Vanderzwagg 1969, 48 ) I do non believe that the homo is born # 8220 ; into # 8221 ; a life, but works to make one. Whatever the homo may be comprised of, it is no uncertainty that it is a hard inquiry to reply. Different people believe different things. I am in no manner to do the determination that tells specifically what the homo is, but possibly neither is anyone else. Possibly the of import thing is that we answer the inquiry separately, each coming to our ain beliefs and apprehensions.