What Makes Us Human?

“Man is not only that which he conceives himself to be, but that which he wills himself to be, and since he conceives of himself only after he exist just as his well himself to be after being thrown into existence, man is nothing other than what he makes of himself. This is the first principle of existentialism.“

— Jean-Paul Sartre

The concept of “being human” often appears self-evident to us. Yet, when we genuinely attempt to answer the question “what makes us human,” we quickly realise that it is far more complex than it seems. We tend to define “human” as a being endowed with emotion, language, memory, and consciousness; however, when the discussion shifts to the level of “humanity,” any single explanation proves insufficient.

Throughout the history of philosophy, art, and science, countless thinkers have sought to answer this question, yet no consensus has ever been reached. Some argue that rationality defines humanity; others emphasise the uniqueness of emotion; still others believe that language, order, or social structures constitute the essence of being human. These perspectives often contradict one another, yet each remains valid in its own way—revealing the irreducible complexity of humanity itself.

For this reason, humanity cannot be understood as a fixed concept that can be precisely defined. It possesses no stable or predetermined essence; rather, it is a process continuously shaped through experience, choice, and relationships. Becoming human does not stem from an a priori definition, but emerges gradually through encounters, judgments, and actions within life itself. Therefore, the question “what makes us human” has no singular or universal answer; instead, it unfolds across individual experiences that are at once shared and deeply personal.

It is precisely through the persistent questioning of this issue that we begin to construct our understanding of ourselves and others. In repeatedly reflecting on what it means to be human, we are not merely theorising humanity—we are, in the process, slowly becoming human.

“人不仅是他所认为的自己，更是他希望成为的自己；并且，由于人在被抛入存在之中之后，才开始构想自身，他也正是在这种被抛入之后，才意愿成为某种存在。因此，人无非就是他自己所造就的样子。这正是存在主义的第一原则。”

— 让-保罗·萨特

“人”这一概念对我们而言似乎是不言自明的，然而，当我们真正尝试回答“何而为人”这一问题时，却会发现它远比想象中复杂。我们往往习惯将“人”理解为一种具备情感、语言、记忆与意识的存在，但当讨论上升至“人性”层面时，任何单一的解释都显得不足。纵观哲学、艺术与科学史，无数思想者试图为这一问题提供答案，却始终无法达成共识：有人认为理性使我们成为人，有人强调情感的独特性，也有人认为语言、秩序或社会结构构成了人类的本质。然而，这些观点彼此矛盾，却又各自成立，恰恰揭示了“人性”本身的不可简化性。

正因如此，“人性”并非一个可以被精确定义的固定概念。它不拥有清晰、恒定的本质，而更像是一个在经验、选择与关系中不断生成的过程。人成为人的方式，并非源于某种先验的定义，而是在生活中通过不断的遭遇、判断与行动逐渐被塑造。因此，“何而为人”并不存在一个唯一或标准的答案，它更多体现在个体既相似又彼此不同的生命经验之中。

也正是在不断追问这一问题的过程中，我们逐渐建立起对自身与他人的理解。通过不断反思“何而为人”，我们并非仅仅在思考人性，而是在这一过程中，慢慢成为“人”。