The Essence of Human Reality: A Philosophical Inquiry
What is human reality?
Human reality encompasses everything that lies beyond the border of the skin, extending into the world we perceive and interact with.
What are the areas of human reality?
The areas of human reality include:
- The world of perception
- The inner somatic world (body sensations)
- The psychic world (thought, emotion)
These are all integrated into a single, unique reality that varies from individual to individual.
What did Immanuel Kant call the ‘thing-in-itself’?
It refers to the ultimate reality, which remains unknowable to us; its comprehension is beyond our grasp. We cannot truly know the soul, mind, or spirit in this ultimate sense.
What was the concept of ‘man’ for St. Thomas Aquinas?
For St. Thomas Aquinas, man was a spiritual and material being, a unified entity that functions both spiritually and materially.
What is the current understanding (21st Century) of humanity?
In the 21st century, humanity is seen as a creator of culture and environment, capable of self-understanding and self-possession. Humans are also symbolic animals: they create symbolically (e.g., language, gestures) to communicate and express reality.
What differentiates humans from other animals?
Humans perceive things in ways animals do not. Animals do not speak or create names; they only vocalize. An animal is a prisoner of its inner reality and its surroundings, from which it receives stimuli. Furthermore, animals are unable to symbolically construct their future or conceptually reconstruct their past.
When did hominids become human in evolution?
If the earliest hominids (ancestors of modern humans) were no more than beasts, then hominids became human when their cerebral cortex reached an evolutionary degree that conferred upon them the power to give names and to symbolize things and events through conventional phonemes.
Why is Tarzan considered more than a beast?
The character Tarzan, though raised in solitude among animals, is considered more than a beast because he perceives things that lower animals do not. He is also capable of speech and naming things and events.
Is a newborn (human infant) considered a human being?
Thinking is a uniquely human faculty that involves evoking and relating ideas that symbolize things. Since a newborn does not speak any symbolic language, and without this, one cannot conclude that a newborn is a fully developed human being in the same sense as an adult.
Which reality will robots never match in humans?
Of the three realities—perceptual, somatic, and psychic—a robot will never match the psychic reality. This is because a robot has no life, and what has no life is not psychic. A robot executes commands that are not part of a true learning process. The psyche is equivalent to brain organization, and learning implies understanding values.
What does ‘Every head in its own world’ mean?
This popular expression means that every individual is strictly singular; there is no one else exactly equal, nor ever will be. Each person’s psyche is unique.
What are the two dimensions of human reality?
The two dimensions of human reality are the subjective and the objective.
What is meant by the term ‘subjective’?
The term ‘subjective’ pertains to or is related to the way we think and feel, rather than the object itself.
What is meant by the term ‘objective’?
The term ‘objective’ pertains to or is related to the object itself, independent of how we think or feel.
How can knowledge of human reality be achieved?
Knowledge of human reality can be achieved through introspection and extrospection.
What is meant by ‘introspection’?
‘Introspection’ refers to the conscious self-reporting of an individual’s own experiences.
What constitutes ‘extrospection’?
‘Extrospection’ constitutes external observation, controlled and measured objectively.