TL;DRAbstract
In this chapter, I shall problematize the boundaries of the human, arguing that ‘being human’ is not a clearly defined or definable state of being. It is more strongly a normative than a descriptive concept. To be fully human is an aspiration by adults, yet both children and adults are fully human insofar as they work towards attaining full humanity, which cannot be attained. Humanity is therefore as much a regulative ideal as a species descriptor: like ‘beauty’, ‘justice’, ‘truth’ or ‘perfection’, it is regarded as worth striving for even though it can never be fully attained.
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In this chapter, I shall problematize the boundaries of the human, arguing that ‘being human’ is not a clearly defined or definable state of being. It is more strongly a normative than a descriptive concept. To be fully human is an aspiration by adults, yet both children and adults are fully human insofar as they work towards attaining full humanity, which cannot be attained. Humanity is therefore as much a regulative ideal as a species descriptor: like ‘beauty’, ‘justice’, ‘truth’ or ‘perfection’, it is regarded as worth striving for even though it can never be fully attained.
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