“Even though I’m no better than a beast, don’t I have the

right to live?”

What makes man truly human? What defines a human being as fully human?

What makes man capable of being respected? These questions are just few of the

many intriguing questions about man as truly human. In knowing how man can be truly

human, man is ought to question himself the reasons or the cause of his existence; the

eternal search for truth and the undying seek for man’s end.

In understanding the meaning of being a human is the same as understanding

what is the why of one’s being human. The being of man is the being that continuously

searching for truth and meaning in life. One can find truth but did not achieve its full

meaning while some able to find the meaning but does not end with truth. A sick man

might be able to find the truth behind his illness but not able to discover why that truth

exist. The unending search of man for truth and meaning leads him to discover many

potentialities that are innate in him.

When Oh Dae-su aggressively searching for the person who took him imprisoned

for 15 years he was then slowly becoming a monster; that becoming a monster is the

unraveling of his real identity. According to Blando (2017), the possibility of failure,

success, truth, lie, pain, joy, betrayal, trust, love and rejection are essential in the

making man to be truly human because when one finds the truth and meaning of his

‘being’ he is now more closer to living a life fulfilled.

What makes man truly human?

Becoming truly human beings is not necessarily human. Fr. Moga (1995)

believed the following:

It takes much time and effort for a human being to grow to the point where his

own nature has reached full realization. When born he acts like a little animal, not

yet being fully human. It will take many years of training and education by his

family and society, many years of effort and struggle on his own part before the

fullness of humanity can be achieved. Until that state of full humanness is

attained we cannot say that he is fully human. (p. 3-10)

According to Aristotle, a soul is a particular kind of nature, a principle that

accounts for change and rest in the particular case of living bodies, i.e. plants, animals

and human beings. For him the soul is the life giving principle. For this reason, I can say

that what makes man truly human is his soul. The soul in some way or the other

responsible for a variety of things living creatures (especially humans) do and

experience. It is somehow that the soul is the cause of all the necessary actions of living

things.

Saint Augustine claims that man is a unitary being, created by God, but he is

composed of both body and soul. The soul is a special substance, endowed with

reason, to rule the body. It is somehow the captain of the body.

 For Heidegger, one becomes truly human when he lives a life of anticipation, of

knowing the truth about death and by allowing the Dasien to live a life authentically.

Meanwhile, Fr. Moga believed the following:

That the question of how to become truly human is not only limited to

Philosophical discourse, it also involve social, anthropological, theological and

contextual paradigms which implies that there are many humanisms and

religions around the world that have formulated their own quests to discover the

heart of humanity this now created many dichotomies in understanding humanity

as a whole

These dichotomies have to be reconciled by reformulating the given question by

asking, “What is the ‘essence’ of becoming truly human? Why our labor should become

an extension of our identity? Why do we need to anticipate death and why do we need

find the truth and meaning of our existence?

Blando (2017), states that the reason why man needs to be truly human is

because it is the ultimate goal of man’s existence. The goal of a durian tree is to bear a

fruit, the goal of bees is to pollinate flowers and produce honey while the goal of man is

to find the truth and meaning of his existence, the kind of goal man establishes in him

makes him the center of all creation. Same goes to Oh Dae-su, he did not become truly

human because he was not able to achieve his ultimate goal, the goal of knowing the

truth; though he knew it then, yet he still chose not accept the truth because he thought

it would be more painful and intolerable.

What defines a human being as fully human?

To be human is a great achievement. It is possible for human beings to be

inhuman, to fail to achieve humanness in their lives. Full humanness requires an

expansive imagination, depths of courage and an ocean of patient persistence. It is the

achievement of a lifetime. Ashwin Srikanth (2017) believes the following:

When you're fully human, you are ultimate life. You are using the best of your

abilities and prove that you are worthy to be the most conscious and intelligent

being in this planet. You are constantly learning and raising the bar. There is no

end to your satiety. You are always joyful and have a huge perspective which is

being consciously enlarged.

You are able to discover things which you never knew you were capable

of understanding and perceiving. You know you are human when you're nature's

friend and never ever think of causing harm to it. You live in harmony with all the

living beings. You are fully human when you realize the intensity and potent

of being one.

Thus, man is fully human if man is inhuman. It is his humanness which makes

man a man. What defines man to be fully human is his capability of becoming human;

his ability to affirm his existence; because when man attempts to ask question about

himself he is affirming his existence. Jean Vanier was said, “To be fully human is really

to discover who I am ... To discover who I am, is to discover also the unity between my

head and my heart."

What makes man capable of being respected?

Respect can never be bought or demanded, it has to be earned and

commanded. One of the necessary conditions to gain respect is to give respect. A

person who does not respect himself/ herself can never hope to win the respect of

others. In other words, if you don't value yourself, nobody is going to value

you. Confucius (n.d.) once said, “Respect yourself and others will respect you.” Respect

starts with respect for one’s self. Man is capable of being respected if he himself knows

how to respect himself. Thus, respecting oneself means giving and defining one’s own

worth and value as a human being. Monson (2004) claims the following:

Respect for persons maintains that human beings have intrinsic and

unconditional moral worth and should always be treated as if there is

nothing of greater value than they are. This principle rests on the unique

capability of human beings to behave as rational agents, that is, self-aware

and capable of objective thought and the ability to reason. The ability to

reason is believed to give humanity an intrinsic dignity that must be

respected above all other considerations.

Just like Dae-su in the movie Oldboy, if he wants to be respected or

treated as truly human then he needs to respect himself. Show respect for

himself. Man should appreciate all of his imperfections. Man should embrace his

own scars. Man should learn to love his own life unconditionally. After all, what

makes man capable of being respected is he himself showing respect to his own

worth or value.
 According to a Kantian conception, human beings deserve a very special basic

kind of respect: They have dignity because they are rational and autonomous moral

agents. Moral persons have (human) dignity because they both give and respect the

moral law-whether they break or obey it. This inherent value attributed to human beings

means that each person is an end in him or herself and should not be treated solely as

a means to some other end. Principles of truth telling, loyalty, privacy, and

confidentiality are all rooted in this basic requirement of unconditional respect and

value.

Respect-for-persons have been used to justify various moral rights and duties-

the rights to which a person is entitled out of respect and duties we owe to others out of

respect for them. Philosophers have variously argued that a principle of respects for

persons justifies all moral rights, only some moral rights, all the moral duties of an

agent, only some moral duties to others, as well as principles of equality and justice.

Respect is one of mankind’s most noble sentiments. The highest levels of

respect are always earned – never given. This is true of self-respect as well as respect

for others. Before granting the highest level of self-respect or respect for others, make

sure the person is worthy of the honor.

In general, what makes man truly human is his humanness- his existence; his

searching for truth and meaning of life-his purpose. Man would able to realize its full

potential when man realizes its existence-his real identity. In becoming a fully human

man needs to discover why he existed in the very first place. In discovering the truth

and the end, man should not forget to respect itself because he is capable of being
respected because man is a rational being, and by being rational man is capable of

distinguishing what is right from what is wrong, what is good from what is bad, or what is

just from what is unjust. Therefore, man is truly human if he knows what he existed for

and what he is capable of.

April Mae R. Densing PHILO 31.3 H

 REFERENCES

Blando, R. (2017) Martin Heidegger's Concept of Authenticity: A Philosophical

Contribution to Student Affairs Theory, Journal of College and Character, 10:7.

Blando,R. (2017). “The ‘Why’ of my being Human: A Philosophical Inquiry”. Retrieved

from Academia.edu

Cf. Kant, Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten, AA IV, pp.400f., 434f., 449,459-61;
Kant, Kritik der praktischen Vernunft, AA V, 71-89, 116-19 (Trans. of the Kant quotes:
Mary J. Gregor).

Moga, M. (1995). What Makes Man Truly Human? A Philosophy of Man and Society,
Makati City: St. Paul’s Press, 1995, pp. 3-10.

Monson, D. (2004). “Principle of Respect for Persons.” Retrieved from

https://rhchp.regis.edu/HCE/EthicsAtAGlance/RespectForPersons/RespectForPe
rsons_01.html

R.S. Downie and Elizabeth Telfer, Respect for Persons (London, 1969), p. 38, hold this
view and possibly Joel Feinber, Social Philosophy (Englewood Cliffs, 1978) pp.88-94,
does as well.

Srikanth, A. (2017). “What does it mean to be fully human?” Retrieved from

https://www.quora.com/What-does-it-mean-to-be-fully-human

Vanier, J. (n.d.). “What does it mean to be fully human?” Retrieved from http://www.jean
vanier.org/en/his_message/jean_vanier_on_becoming_human/to_be_fully_human