What does it mean to be human?

Final Exam Assignment

The central question weve 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, youre asked to respond to it as well. As with all the other writing tasks throughout the semester, there isnt 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 madeor 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?
Requirements:

5 well-developed paragraphs, with a controlling idea outlined in the first paragraph and a strong introduction & conclusion
2-3 points in support of the controlling idea, demonstrating smooth transitions, detailed evidence, critical thinking, and appropriate mechanics
Direct quotations from at least 2 of the texts we have read/watched/listened to, cited in MLA format
Submitted in Word or PDF format.

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