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1.5.5.2 Uniquely HumanVersion 1.0 November 2022         (Previous Version) A variation on this theme is that uniquely human attributes are good: attributes of animals are bad. ●  Many people, especially ancient philosophers, have assumed that only humans are rational. This supposedly unique human characteristic must be good, because it is part of our essence. So, they say, we should all strive to be rational because that is being human and being human is good.      This is false. *   It is good to be rational but NOT because it is a human characteristic. *   Some animals do show signs of being rational in some circumstances. *   We, like they, should be rational because it works: it helps us make better choices. ●  Apparently only humans wear clothes. Animals don’t. So all humans must wear clothes.      (But if being natural did mean it was good, we were born naked, so perhaps naked we should be.)      Nudists can attest there is nothing innately wrong with not wearing clothes, so long as we don't spread diseases and avoid blatantly offending the general public with the sight of our bodies. ●  Rules about eating habits often exhibit this fallacy. Some people say animals, such as dogs eating a bone, hold their food with two paws, so humans should use only one hand to hold food. it's ridiculous, and awkward sometimes! Of course, we arrive at our values, we choose our core values, because we are human. ●  We feel as though we can decide what is true, despite the evidence, so we value Truth. ●  We feel the need to converse with others about what is, and what we can do, so we value a shared public Reality. ●  Our minds are so constructed that our analysis leads us to see that we as individuals are not special in the context of the world, so we choose as core values Diversity (accepting others form different conclusions and make different decisions) and Equality (taking the needs and desires of others into account as well as our own). Minds constructed differently to normal human minds may analyse things differently. ●  We feel empathy for other people, so we choose Love as a core value, acknowledging that some people apparently don't feel much empathy, and so probably don't value Love. ●  Humans have an inbuilt sense of fairness or justice, even if it is often warped, so we value Responsibility. ●  Humans need inspiration on times of darkness, so we value Beauty and Hope. In summary: 1.5.5.2 We can't determine what is good by considering what an ideal human is. ●         The attributes of the ideal human are hotly disputed. Identifying a specific few, like rationality or compassion, would be hard to justify as being the definitive set. ●         Considering the attributes of successful leaders, in politics, religion, science or art doesn’t give us a good guide. Here also Is ≠ Ought. ●         But still we acknowledge that we make the core value choices we do because we are human, with feelings of empathy and capable of logical analysis.
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