But these questions become muddy when you consider the ramifications. Of course a human has different genetics than an animal of course a person is intelligent and emotive.

Still more may fight for a definition of humanity that includes the ability to feel emotion. Others still may argue that any form of intelligent life constitutes a person. Others, religiously affiliated, may believe that a person is composed of a soul, and that the body is just a housing place for the spirit. With new waves in thinking over time came new ways of seeing ourselves: take the famous “I think, therefore I am,” brought to mind by Descartes, that argues any person who is able to think about their own thinking must be alive. Plato considered mankind to be biological: humanity has certain genetics that separate them from animals. When Plato asserted that man was a featherless biped, Diogenes stood, brandished the bald chicken and shouted, “Behold-a man!” Plato, perhaps missing the point of Diogenes’ criticism, then continued to amend his definition to “featherless biped with flat, broad nails.” In a humorous scene, Diogenes the Cynic, hearing Plato’s definition, plucked a chicken in his home and brought it to one of Plato’s lectures. He settled on a scientific definition, naming man a “ featherless biped,” two characteristics that distinguished humanity from other animals. Plato famously attempted to define a man, using references from his mentor Socrates. The ancient Greeks debated this topic feverishly.

But philosophy goes deeper than that it does not also ask the question of how we should act, but rather, how do we figure out who we are? What defines a human? Everything on this blog so far has been concerned with how a person should act, exploring some schools of thought concerning the most “moral” way a person should approach a situation.

Diogenes chicken