Final Exam Assignment

The central question we’ve tried to respond to throughout the summer is “What does it mean to be human?” From scientific creations, to scientific experiments, all of our texts have attempted to answer this. Now, you’re asked to respond to it as well. As with all the other writing tasks throughout the semester, there isn’t a right/wrong answer; I am more interested in hearing how the texts we have read influenced your thinking, how your thoughts might have changed since May, and why this question might continue to be important as science advances.

Some things to consider, based on our conversations this summer:

Is “human” an adjective in addition to being a noun? That is, can organisms demonstrate human qualities without themselves being human?
Language and communication: is one the domain of “human” more than the other?
How is human learning different from other organisms’ learning?
Can science create a soul?
Does the presence of a soul (or spirit?) reveal humanity?
Is “human” born, or made—or both?
To what extent is science blurring the lines between human and not-human? Will that distinction become more or less meaningful with time?
The kids in Never Let Me Go were judged based on their creativity. To what degree is that a quality of being human?