Final: On Being Human

It has always been in man’s understanding that he is other than the rest in the animal kingdom. He obviously possesses faculties which other animals do not, and does things that no other animal does, but what is it that man has that makes him human? Certainly he can be more of something than any other animal, making him rise as superior. But we may consider that even if a mutated race of beasts  were to rise above man in intelligence and strength, there would still be something which sets man apart, making him remain the master species. So let us define man. In Aristotelian material logic, things may be defined by the four causes: Efficient cause, formal cause, material cause, and final cause. In this case, and what the crux of my point will be, the final cause is what best defines man. This will be the focus; in a sense, answering the question “Why are we here?” not in the sense of “how did we get here,” but rather “what is the purpose to our existence.”

It seems appropriate that the idea of “purpose” in anything is first discussed. I have assumed it as a given truth, or rather, a necessary starting point to even write on this subject. For if I were to omit the premise of there being purpose to all things, this would be a long, grueling read on the biological traits of the homo-sapiens. If this were so, the conclusion would also be ridiculously unsatisfactory, for we would find that man is not that much different from any other animal, he is just highly evolved and has a more developed brain than all of the other animals. Now, each thing which man makes serves some kind of purpose. Clothing protects and covers our bodies, knives cut things, shelves hold books and other things. There are also things like fine jewelry, which are crafted at great expense, and have absolutely no practical use, but are made so that people may deck themselves with lovely adornments, hoping to enhance their own beauty, bringing pleasure to the eyes of others (maybe something far less innocent, like using them as a status symbol; it varies). Some wish to dine with fine china, because it simply is nice, and pretty. All of these things, even those without practical application which seem meaningless, still are made to serve a purpose. Man does not create anything if it has no purpose. In any case, the following rule applies: When purpose is removed from something, it becomes arbitrary. Clothing, knives, shelves, jewelry, and china are all arbitrary things when separated from their purpose. Without a cause, any given thing is effectively meaningless. The same applies to man. I would like to refer to the book of Ecclesiastes; Solomon writes this book first by musing on the meaninglessness of life, how all things simply decay into nothing and the next generation follows, and so on. He then concludes on this note:  

“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

In his wisdom, Solomon understands that the final cause of all things in the universe is ultimately to return to God; in other words, God is the final cause. In His absence, the universe would too, be arbitrary and meaningless. Now, one could very well argue that the human existence is of this nature; arbitrary and meaningless. This is fine, but it would leave man with many restrictions, at least logically. If there is no purpose in our existence, why would we seek purpose, why would we try to live fulfilling lives? The man who believes that man’s existence is meaningless can do no more than indulge in his pleasures whatever they may be, disregarding any ideas of “right” or “wrong.” So, for this reason, I am standing on the premise of there being purpose to all things, including the life of man. If I weren’t, this paper would be much shorter.

Now that that is said, I will transition to discussing the properties of man in contrast to his defining characteristics. I will first discuss, what some claim to be the difference between man and beast, intelligence; or at least more of it.

Certainly, man is the most intelligent of all creatures and things, but only the most, not the only. All living things possess a degree of intelligence. Yet, there is something else which a person has, which when it is lost, causes him to be less than human, and when regained, causes him to “become human”. Already it is something that sets man apart; having something which makes them human which can cease to be. No matter what, a rose never ceases to be a rose, a fox does not cease to be a fox, a cat does not lose her feline nature, and wood cannot lose its woodiness. Just as one can lose their mind, thus becoming insane, one can likewise lose his humanity, thus becoming sub-human. This already suggests that our humanity is spiritual.When one loses his intelligence, does he lose his humanity? If he does not, then intelligence is not what makes us human. If he does, then the less intelligent people are inferior and less human, which seems to greatly go against the conscience. For this reason, I will proceed with the former conclusion. So our intelligence is not the only thing that makes us human, however, it is most definitely true that our intelligence is a tool; a point which I will return to.

So yes, our intelligence is part of what makes us human, but it is not what comprises our humanity. What is it then? Some may say our emotions, and the depth of them; that beyond the simple passions of an animal. Animal emotions are immediate reactions to events, causing them to act for survival. Human emotions are more than mere reactions to sudden events, for they may linger with no intention for us to act, and come about with different causes than sudden events. A man may weep at the sight of something beautiful enough, a man may break down as he confesses to a sin or crime, not for fear of the punishment ahead of him, but for remorse and knowing he has done wrong. A man is likely more angered at the injury of his fellow man than the injury of himself. A man may become sick at the sight of a dead body, whereas an animal would pass it by and leave it to the scavengers to consume. A man may be overjoyed by the good he sees, and have great hatred towards the evil. From these examples alone, the depth of man’s emotion in contrast to the feelings of beasts is evident. Why are these emotions deeper? Because they are enlightened by something greater. Man weeps at beauty because he feels overwhelming joy at the sight of that which he so longed for and sought. Man feels remorse and seeks redemption because his conscience whispers the truth of justice to him. Although man does experience brutish passions, he still can be guided by reason, and sometimes the emotions are themselves enlightened by reasonable things.

This thing, Reason, has been understood as a human faculty since philosophy was very young. Man possesses an understanding of Reason, but it is also important that he live in accordance with it to live a good life. The fruit of Reason is self-control, fortitude, courage, and temperance; the cardinal virtues. Reason is not only the means by which man reaches reality, but also the reality itself. In The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis, Lewis states that there are first principles that are neither reasonable nor unreasonable, but they are rather Reason itself. This is because they are concrete in the human conscience, therefore they are indicative of how we should live. To act in accordance with Reason is to act towards the purpose of our existence. To Plato, that which is most high are the gods, and man’s goal was to ascend to the level of the gods, and Reason was the means. To the Stoics, Reason was what made them imperturbable; the goal of man is the gods, therefore we shall live according to the role we are assigned, but not fear loss of anything, for we have a greater concern. Epictetus says in Enchiridion: “If you are a sailor on board a ship that makes port, you may decide to go ashore to bring back water. Along the way you may stop to collect shellfish, or pick greens. But you always have to remember the ship and listen for the captain’s signal to return. When he calls, you have to drop everything, otherwise you could be bound and thrown on board like the livestock. So it is in life. If, instead of greens and shellfish, you have taken on a wife and child, so much the better. But when the captain calls, you must be prepared to leave them behind, and not give them another thought. If you are advanced in years, don’t wander too far, or you won’t make it back in time when the summons reaches you.” Also, at the end of Enchiridion, he cites these other statements, telling those reading to bear these sentiments in mind: “1. Lead me, Zeus, lead me, Destiny, To the goal I was long ago assigned And I will follow without hesitation. Even should I resist, In a spirit of perversity, I will have to follow nonetheless. 2. Whoever yields to necessity graciously We account wise in God’s ways. 3. ‘Dear Crito if it pleases the gods, so be it.’ 4. ‘Anytus and Meletus can kill me, but they cannot harm me.’”

I cite from Epictetus because he seems to me the clearest example. To finish the point, I will also point out that to an Epicurean, where the goal of life is pleasure, Reason is whatever causes one to live pleasurably. Now the definition of Reason is clear. When I refer to Reason from now on, I am on the plane more of C.S. Lewis and Epictetus.

So it is evident that man has the ability to understand Reason, and that Reason is the good way of living. But where do we see man living fully in accordance with Reason, with his will under his entire control, or a man living a perfectly just and virtuous life? Only God incarnate could be perfectly virtuous, being the origin of virtue itself. Man falls short of virtue, he neglects Reason, rejects Goodness, and indulges his passions. He gorges himself of things though his conscience knows that they are bad things. His knowledge of justice is impeded by the force of bloodlust. He may destroy his own soul so that he can feed his brutish desires without remorse. Hey may let his soul be darkened and then buy a new kind of reason to replace the old; one which excludes such concepts as “value,” and “divinity” thus stripping away his own value, then becoming an animal. An animal with the level of human understanding is the most dangerous one. When Reason is lost, so is one’s humanity. Without this human faculty, one becomes an animal, but left behind is profound human intelligence and ability; and this equips a most dangerous machine. This is why I said that intelligence is a tool; when Reason is behind it, it yields good, when passions and vice rule it, it is a terrifying weapon.

If this is so, why is it that we do not find animals committing such acts of evil outside of necessity? It is simply because what animals do we do not consider evil, for they are just acting according to their instincts. Evil is corruption, and when man succumbs to the level of beasts, he is corrupted, for the thing which makes him human is abolished. The final cause of a beast is to survive as a part of nature and the environment, therefore, an animal serving its passions is right, since animal passions are simply there for survival. To an animal, enslavement would be entrapment. This way, it cannot live the life of an animal, rather it goes insane and eventually dies. It is the same with man, only enslavement is to a different master. Man becomes a slave when he gives his life to his passions, thus turning his back to Reason and Goodness and becoming corrupt. Like Epictetus, a man can learn to be happy and well as an actual slave, since his sanity is rooted in the soul and spirit, not the flesh. Freedom, to a man, is sought through Reason.

It is clear, then, that man has a purpose which sets him apart from beast, and unites him with his fellow man. His emotions, intelligence, and conscience lead him to goodness, truth, and beauty, but also to one another. Goodness is all the more sweet when looked upon with a companion. Friends, father and son, husband and wife, are all one. On this earth man makes relations with his fellow man. He weeps when he weeps and laughs when he laughs, and accompany each other on the walk of life, on the path to truth. Man is united for he shares the same goal.

Mankind is one in his Creator; his origin and his ending. He longs for Goodness and seeks the health of the soul. God, our Creator is Goodness, Truth, and Beauty itself, Reason is that which leads us to him: The Holy Spirit and the Word of God. A rejection of this Reason is a rejection of God, whose absence constitutes evil, for our nature is in Him and we are made in his image.

“Man is a beast without God.”

“For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

“You cannot serve both God and Mammon.”

And by this Reason, man should live.

I conclude now with the definition of man. Man is created by God. Man is a creature made in the image of God. Man is a creature which is to seek Truth so that he may become one with his Creator. With the understanding that God is the Ultimate Reality of the universe, let us act accordingly. But if this all be a wild fantasy, it is a rather great one.