Twelve Hallmarks of Humanity
--by Robert Arvay

Were we to discover (or when we do) that on an exoplanet, there exists a civilization comparable to our own, or even much farther advanced than us technologically, our initial impulse might be to declare that, “We are not alone!”  “We,” being humans.

But not so fast.  Despite such a discovery, we might yet be alone after all.

What if, on further investigation, we discovered that what we had thought to be sentient exo-creatures were instead, merely beings that had none of the inner thought processes that we have, but were instead organisms which were only outwardly similar to us, but otherwise mindless, with no true awareness of the technology they were creating—somewhat like bees building a beehive, but on a vastly larger and more complex scale?

Although this is extremely unlikely, the question forces us to ask, what quality truly separates us from other creatures? What makes us human?  Are we truly apes which took an unlikely turn in the purposeless path of evolution?  Or are we more than that?

Let’s take a look at a few of the most important features, discoveries or inventions, that might, or might not, distinguish us from other biological creatures.

1.       Fire

2.       Wheel

3.       Art

4.       Writing

5.       Agriculture

6.       Mathematics

7.       Worship of God

8.       Scientific Method

9.       Relativity and Quantum Theories

10.   Electric Motors

11.   Space Travel

12.   Anti-gravity (?)

In each of these categories, there are those who might quibble over this or that similarity to be found in various animals—but in humans, these characteristics are far more definitive of us than they are of any animal.   

1.        Fire

As far as I know, there is no known life form apart from humans which can deliberately start and control fires as a useful tool.  This essential ability both encompasses and enables our technological advance beyond that of, say, the chimpanzee, or any other creature.  (While a chimp may be taught a rudimentary form of this skill, it is at most only a pale imitation, and could quickly turn to disaster for the chimpanzee and others.)  There is much more to fire technology than starting one.

2.        Wheel

The pre-Columbian natives of Central America managed to build very large stone structures without using any wheeled devices—not even a simple cart.  This demonstrates that the invention of the wheel was not necessarily inevitable, not even in an advanced society that was skilled in mathematics, astronomy and architecture—not even when necessity might have been its mother. 

Despite this, it is all but unthinkable that modern technology could have been developed without the invention of the wheel.  Sorry, chimps.

3.        Art

While some purists might dispute the importance of art as a technology, art is not necessarily always for “art’s own sake.”  It has a dual importance.  First, of course, it is expressive of the human spirit in its many dimensions, from the earliest cave paintings onward.  This feature of art should not be underestimated.  Art expresses humanity, both for better and worse.

But, very importantly, the ability to interpret the existing world through art, is also connected to the ability to imagine, design, and innovate new technology.  Many artists would not connect their work to that of the engineering draftsman, but his drafting skills would likely never have been developed without the artistic impulse that is unique to humans.  And without this skill, especially before computer assisted design, technology would have remained far less advanced than otherwise was the case.

4.       Writing

Writing is so common today that we often do not appreciate its truly revolutionary impact.  Writing was the first significant, precise means of mass memory storage external to the brain.  It allows communication across not only vast distances, but across centuries, from generation to generation.  No animal apart from humans has ever developed writing.

 

5.       Agriculture

The ability to grow food and store it, in quantities to last an entire year, freed human society from the need to hunt and gather food each day.  It became a safeguard against short periods when wild food was utterly unavailable, during which time hunger, perhaps starvation, might destroy a clan or tribe.  Although there is a kind of ant (leafcutter) which seems to cultivate fungus for food, this is a far cry from the complex ability of humans to schedule food production.  Society’s customs and laws are traceable to the social structure imposed by agriculture.

 

6.       Mathematics

Mathematics gives humanity not only the ability to count, but also, to measure indirectly, in cases where direct measurement is impossible.  For example, the Pythagorean theorem allowed men to calculate the distance across a river, before ever having crossed it.  We were able to calculate the distance to the moon before ever getting there.  Mathematics is so foundational to physical reality that one prominent physicist (Dr. Max Tegmark) has stated that mathematics does not merely describe the universe, it is the universe.

 

7.       Worship of God

No creature other than humans has a well-developed sense of the Creator, the Supreme Being, the source and foundation of all justice, mercy and salvation from sin.  While it is fashionable to credit primitive superstitions with the origin of human worship of God, this is an explanation more of convenience than demonstrated fact.  Modern philosophy and science have both struggled and failed to explain why there is something instead of nothing.  They cannot explain how consciousness arises, nor even what it is.  Physicalism denies that free will can possibly exist, which of course would make all human activity a farce, the acting out of a script that nobody wrote.  In the context of God, life has plan, purpose and meaning.

 

8.       Scientific Method

It is likely that few non-scientists understand the critical role of the scientific method in modern civilization.  Introduced late in human history, it imposed strict discipline on human thinking.  Until then, brilliant minds had generated strong advances in science and technology, but they had mistakenly believed that thought and contemplation alone could unravel the mysteries of the universe.  The scientific method is highly structured.  It depends on physical proof, repeatable by skeptics.  Science is not all encompassing, and its methods do not always work well in, for example, areas of philosophy and religion, but even so, the scientific method has revolutionized our ability to comprehend and even predict, physical phenomena, with amazing detail and accuracy.

 

9.       Relativity and Quantum Theories

These two theories are counter-intuitive, meaning that they defy ordinary commonsense.  Even so, they have proved themselves to be demonstrably accurate and predictive explanations of physical phenomena.  There are of course many other areas of science which might fit this description, but these two in particular reshaped scientific thinking in the early years of the twentieth century, and have prepared the way for many other innovations among scientists.  So there, chimpanzees.

 

10.   Electric Motors

Nicola Tesla was the applied scientist’s equal of pure scientist Albert Einstein.  In a sense, Tesla invented the wheel.  Remember we said that the invention of the wheel was not inevitable.  This is also true of Tesla’s electric motor.  Tesla’s motor is at the heart of modern technology, and had it not yet been invented, we would probably still be struggling to implement a practical electronic technology.

 

11.   Space Travel

Clearly, no creature on earth, other than humans, has ever developed the ability to travel to the moon and back, or to send photo reconnaissance space-ships to Mars, Titan and beyond.

 

12.   Anti-gravity (?)

But wait, you well might say, humanity has not yet developed a true anti-gravity device, something which harnesses an as yet undiscovered law of nature, one that allows us to negate the local effect of gravity, without using the brute force of rocket engines and the like.

Indeed, we have not done so, and who knows, may never.  I include this final characteristic in the list for reasons that are partly symbolic, partly prospective.  Humans have the ability, unique among animals, to imagine doing things that have never been done before, that defy the limitations of the possible—and then to make them possible.

 

Are humans special?  If so, in what way?

Characterizing humans as being at the center of nature, or even above it, has been scorned by many who see us merely as yet another physical phenomenon of the universe.

Such scorn is often primarily emotional.  On the other hand, those who regard humans as spiritual beings inhabiting a physical body, often fail to make a persuasive case to skeptics.

It is important for each human to humbly admit that he cannot answer the eternal questions, and to remain inquisitive about them.  That is a lifelong endeavor.