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What Does It Mean To Be Human?

Do we even know?

Joel Muddamalle, PhD's avatar
Joel Muddamalle, PhD
Aug 26, 2025
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There are certain things in life we just assume we know. We assume that the sun will always rise. The moon will always shine. And that Michael Jordan will always be known as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). Then, something happens that causes us to question that assumption.

I always thought I knew what it meant to be human. Until I was listening to a podcast interview and someone asked this question to the podcast guest and I tried to answer it in my own mind and I froze.

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Honestly, I don’t even know what happened in the rest of the podcast or how they answered this question. I only know that my basic assumptions of what it meant to be human was seriously challenged. Does being human mean:

  1. My logic and ability to reason - But what about the rise of AI? How about the reality of developmental and cognitive disability? Can humanity be defined by the pres…

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