Humankind and the Power of Abstract Reasoning Christopher Lee 12th Grade

What separates humans from the animals we keep in cages? What makes our specific collection of bones classify as human? Over 200,000 years ago, humans evolved into the modern man and since then, brilliant and seemingly impossible feats have been conquered not by animals, but by people. These achievements are the result of individuals who have the mental capabilities to create advanced thoughts. To understand why thought defines humans, we must start from the beginning. A person is defined as an individual who has the mental capabilities to create independent, rational, and most importantly, abstract thoughts, which is proven through the advancements of humankind as a whole.

First, a human is biologically defined as a bipedal primate belonging to the genus Homo Sapiens. While this might represent only a simple concept of who we are, it is far too general. This idea refuses to mention the idea of something beyond. Millions of years ago, humans were simply hunter-gatherers who migrated constantly in order to survive. As we continued to evolve and develop our minds, we became more advanced beings through creating technological advancements in countless areas of importance. As language was created and developed into a proper form of...