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What Does It Mean to Be Human? (Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, and Other Considerations)

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Part of the book series: Science and Fiction ((SCIFICT))

Abstract

Humans are the highest form of intelligent life on Earth. But what is it that makes us distinctly human? From a purely scientific perspective, what, if anything, sets us apart from other forms of life? Are there other important considerations, apart from the natural sciences, which might be necessary, if we want a complete picture of what it means to be human? In this chapter, we will explore these and other questions related to our humanness. We conclude the chapter by focusing on the question, what can we learn from an android about what it means to be human?

I am superior, sir, in many ways. But I would gladly give it up to be human.

—Data

Star Trek: The Next Generation

“Encounter at Farpoint”

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References

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Human Teleportation

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Barry B. Luokkala

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  1. Barry B. Luokkala
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Luokkala, B.B. (2019). What Does It Mean to Be Human? (Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, and Other Considerations). In: Exploring Science Through Science Fiction. Science and Fiction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29393-2_6

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