What Does It Mean to Be Human? Purpose, Nature, and Society
This essay explores four interconnected questions about the human condition: what it means to be human, how to live a life of meaning and purpose, how to understand and appreciate the natural world, and how to forge a more just society for the common good. Drawing on scholarship from Philippe Rochat on human evolution and socialization, Reker, Peacock, and Wong on life attitudes and well-being, and Wendy Lee on ecological interdependence, the paper argues that humanity is defined by its capacity for connection, reflection, and purposeful action — qualities that, when cultivated, can drive individuals and societies toward greater flourishing.
- What Does It Mean to Be Human?: Biology, socialization, and connection define humanity
- Living a Life of Meaning and Purpose: Purpose, identity, and well-being across the lifespan
- Understanding and Appreciating the Natural World: Nature's cycles, faith, and ecological appreciation
- Forging a More Just Society for the Common Good: Individual actions and collective change toward justice
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What makes this paper effective
- Integrates peer-reviewed sources (Rochat, Reker et al., Wendy Lee) to anchor philosophical claims in empirical and academic evidence.
- Uses concrete, relatable examples — Mother Teresa, Habitat for Humanity, birds chirping in the morning — to ground abstract arguments about meaning and purpose.
- Maintains a consistent reflective voice that moves naturally between broad philosophical questions and everyday human experience.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses the extended definition technique: each major section takes an abstract concept (humanity, purpose, nature, justice) and unpacks it through multiple lenses — biological, religious, sociological, and ecological. Rather than asserting a single definition, the writer builds toward a composite understanding that acknowledges complexity and nuance.
Structure breakdown
The essay is organized around four guiding questions that function as thematic sections. The first establishes a biological and social foundation for what it means to be human. The second applies that foundation to individual meaning and purpose. The third broadens the scope to include the natural world and humanity's relationship to it. The fourth scales outward to collective responsibility and social justice, creating a logical progression from self to society.
What Does It Mean to Be Human?
The meaning of humanity is difficult to grasp. It is complex and often layered. People do not think of humanity as belonging solely to the animal kingdom or to some purely spiritual realm of being — it is often seen as a combination of the two. Humans bleed, have instincts, and mate. Human females carry babies within the womb. This is how any normal mammal behaves. Yet humans also think and perform conscious actions that run counter to their instincts.
Humans have, for at least 5,000 years, formed intricate and complex societies. They use games for recreation to relieve stress and promote bonding. They carry out detailed plans to build towns and cities. Humans even use religion in order to connect with each other and with their perceived spiritual world.
There are many wonderful aspects of humanity that make us more than just animals. So how does this apply to the meaning of being human? Perhaps the struggle between animal and being — the constant desire to be one or the other, or in some cases both — is where the meaning of being human lies. Humanity is a delicate balance of everything the conscious world has to offer.
In an article by Philippe Rochat (2006), he states:
"We share 98% of our genetic make-up with chimpanzees, one of our closer primate relatives in phenotype. Aside from a larger brain, the control of erect posture, dexterous hands, or complex groups of facial muscles by which we express complex emotions, humans evolved unique ways to act and to solve problems. More importantly, as a species, we evolved unmatched ways to relate and deal with one another." (Rochat 2006)
Socialization, appreciation, consideration, love, mourning — these active, long-term behaviors and feelings are unique to humans. Although animals have been observed mourning and using tools, humans do so in a way that invites a group, even the entire world, to participate. It is in this process that the meaning of humanity lies. Looking back at religion, it is a way for a large number of people to come together as one.
Religion plays a meaningful part in most people's lives. It teaches morality and allows people to connect with others, sharing one common belief. It has existed in numerous forms and provided the backdrop for many civilizations. No other animal besides humans has used anything similar to religion in order to connect.
Animals other than humans use their instincts, their natural talents and gifts, to communicate with the world around them. Humans, on the other hand, try to communicate with other humans across continents. We have invented email, cars, airplanes, and webcams — all to communicate with people at any point in time. Communication, connection, socialization: this is what it means to be human.
Yes, humans are social creatures by nature. If one looks at the primates and monkeys to whom humans are linked, they exist within groups, relying on each other to survive. Humans are similar, but they do it on a larger scale. The basic need to feel a part of something, coupled with the ability to transform this need into a tool — an effective means of learning and acquiring knowledge — is how people can not only find meaning in being human, but demonstrate that meaning to the world. Human beings are an amazing and revolutionary species. Thanks to the need for communication and connection, they will soon explore space in ways no other known living form has attempted.
Works Cited
Lee, Wendy. "The Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature, Scientific Objectivity, and the Standpoint of the Subjugated: Anthropocentrism Reimagined." Ethics, Place & Environment 8, no. 2 (2005): 235–250.
Reker, Gary, Edward Peacock, and Paul Wong. "Meaning and Purpose in Life and Well-being: A Life-span Perspective." Journal of Gerontology 42, no. 1 (1986): 44–49.
Rochat, Philippe. "What Does It Mean to Be Human?" Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 17, no. 2006 (2006): 48–51.
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