Humanization & Self: Unraveling the Essence of Being

The Humanization Process: Evolution of Being

It is evident that bipedal posture permits arms to be no longer just a support for the body: the hands are free and can perform functions that were previously done with the mouth. The facial muscles weaken, allowing for language articulation. This distinguishes humans from animals.

The process of humanization begins the moment intelligence emerges. The human species develops its intelligence and its body because the quality of being human does not admit degrees.

The Greek philosophers claimed that humans were intelligent because they expressed themselves through their hands. Intelligence serves as a tool for acquiring knowledge.

The Human Being in the World: Rationality & Purpose

The human being is a rational animal. While other living beings are limited to merely existing on Earth, humans set their own goals. Intelligence and freedom enable human beings to be masters of themselves. Only they are the center of their own world, yet eccentric to the world itself. This ability is called reflection: each individual can become the object of their own thought, observing themselves from an external perspective.

Someone, Not Something: The Unique Human Identity

When humans turn their attention to themselves, the first question asked is: "Who am I?" Human individuals do not fully identify with their own species or subordinate themselves to it. The human being is a person because they become the author and actor of their own life, their biography.

The Self and the Person: Understanding Human Identity

Humans know that their being is not like other existing things. And that's because humans are also a 'self' that had not existed before, consequently bringing something new to the world.

The psychological 'self' is the 'I' that one becomes aware of, emerging simultaneously with one's existence. One becomes aware of the psychological 'self' and its personal status. But perhaps the 'I' exists insofar as there is an ontological 'I' that precedes it, meaning that if I am conscious of myself, it is because there is already an 'I' within me before I know it, thus enabling self-knowledge.

Being a 'self' (a person) does not inherently require consciousness. This depends on factors like age or health. Self-consciousness depends on the ontological existence of a 'self' that is capable of saying 'I,' whether at this moment, in the next eight hours, six years, or for the remainder of its life, even if not yet fully developed.