At what point in history did we become 'Humans'?

At what stage in our evolution did we become sentinent beings?

Post your thoughts.

 

Too broad of a subject to debate on.

 

When the ability was developed enough, for us to communicate, and think consciously to a level where we could do everything for a purpose not a natural instinct.

 

Doesn't that "natural instinct" make us human?
human - characteristic of humanity
I'm going off that...
Not all of us are yet human...

 

One of the stupidest things I've heard is "the difference between animal and human", there's none, us human are animal as well.
So we've never quit being animal, with that said.

The evolution to human were a long process, you can say that "we became human when we got the body and mind we're having now". It's hard to tell the difference between some instincts and what we've learned trough parenting.

Also, all people are different, some more than others. Does that make some people less human then others? I'm using "people" here, because of lack of any better word.

 

Yes, but all animals are different. At what stage in evolution did Humans evolve to what we are now? What major milestone in our development marks the transition point? The development of standing on two feet? Opposable thumbs? Front facing eyes? Rational thinking?

 

The fact of the matter is that we've always been human, and always will become human. If we were able to feel the "key" emotions from from day one, then it's safe to say that we've been human since day one. That's hypocritical to say though, either way.

 

Actually, what makes humans apart from animals (besides technology, etc.) is that Humans are the only species that are able to reason.

 

DingDingDing: We have a Winner, The answer is... Natural Selection!

you cant mark a transition point, because it took millions of years for humans to become what we are today, however, a point were i would believe we would class ourselves as humane is when we started to have scientists and Philosophers.. Humans that were determined to help increase the knowledge of man.

oh and guys, why do you speak in such a way? you make it seem that human is alien. >.>'

 

The evolution have been going on for billion of years, and will continue. It's not like everyone woke up a day saying "good morning everyone, now we're human".

This is probably the best way to put it. Well said.

 

Thats if you even belive in evolution... 5300 BCE is the earliest known civilization in the world so sometime before then lol.

 

yes, humans and animals, are the same.

there is no seperation except for the fact that we learned to advance and work tools(which manyy animals can work, just not to advance stages) the ONLY reason we took over is because of advcaning tools, if not plenty of animals would've loved us for lunch.

 

That is actually a fallacy.

What gives you the assumption that we've always been human?

 

Touché

What gives you the assumption that we haven't always been human?

But maybe you're right. A long period of evolution could have made us the way we are today, and could probably do the same toward other organisms.

 

Because all organisms on Earth descended from a common ancestor or ancestral gene pool.

Therefore we couldn't descend from ourselves.

 

Can't other animals reason?

When an animal sees a piece of food, and another further away, surely it uses reason to decide that if it can only take one piece, it should take the closer one.

While this obviously isn't reasoning in the sense we use the term today, this is why we cannot use the ability to reason as the moment we became 'human'.

 

You and I, are compatible non-homos.

The first organism couldn't descend from nothing though. If we're talking about our descendants, then the technical way to say it is that we weren't always humans.

But if we're talking about our physical structure, rather than our mental structure; we can't declare ourselves human unless we think back to the point where a human requires those "key" features.

It's a double negative in my POV. We were always human, but not always human at the same time. At least not until that one man done is declaration to what a human is.

Thinking technically:

You and I are no different than a stray dog.

 

Your arguments contradict each other. Do you believe we were always humans or not?

 

Sometimes people's opinions contradict out of confusion. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Classic question that no matter what, you contradict yourself out of not knowing. This is common. I believe that we were humans when we met certain standards.

 

So we were a human from the day that we first came into existence, as some sort of microscopic ogranism?