humanness
What makes us
Humanness is the quality of being human—possessing the characteristics, limitations, and capacities that define our species.
It often emphasizes vulnerability, emotion, and imperfection rather than biological classification: The film captured the humanness of its characters.
Where humanity can sound abstract or noble, humanness tends toward the intimate and flawed: His humanness showed through when he admitted the mistake.
Concern for others' distress
- empathySharing another's emotions
- loveIntense fond attachment
- joyIntense positive emotion
- fearEmotional response to threat
anger · sadness · vulnerability · grief · hope · longing · shame · guilt
Cessation of life
- agingGrowing older over time
- finitudeState of being bounded
- transienceBrevity of existence
- legacyWhat's passed down
grief · bereavement · impermanence · fragility · vulnerability · lifespan · generations · ancestors
State of sentient awareness
- reasonBasis or justification
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- creativityCapacity for original thought
language · abstraction · memory · introspection · thought · intentionality · sapience · problem-solving
Collective of connected people
- cooperationJoint action toward shared aims
- cultureCollective social practices
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- justiceFair treatment under law
rights · solidarity · governance · citizenship · equality · social bonds · belonging · reciprocity
Species changing over generations
- anatomyStudy of organism structure
- geneticsScience of hereditary transmission
- bipedalismWalking on two limbs
- primatesOrder of higher mammals
hominids · physiology · DNA · brain · opposable thumbs · upright posture · neoteny · adaptation
Fault in communication
- imperfectionFault or shortcoming
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- limitationBound on extent
- mistakeWrong action or decision
flaw · frailty · irrationality · bias · contradiction · struggle · failure · temptation
compassion
Concern for others' distress
fear · anger · sadness · vulnerability · grief · hope · longing · shame · guilt · pride
death
Cessation of life
- agingGrowing older over time
- finitudeState of being bounded
- transienceBrevity of existence
legacy · grief · bereavement · impermanence · fragility · vulnerability · lifespan · generations · ancestors · descendants
consciousness
State of sentient awareness
- reasonBasis or justification
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
creativity · language · abstraction · memory · introspection · thought · intentionality · sapience · problem-solving · metacognition
community
Collective of connected people
- cooperationJoint action toward shared aims
- cultureCollective social practices
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
justice · rights · solidarity · governance · citizenship · equality · social bonds · belonging · reciprocity · norms
evolution
Species changing over generations
- anatomyStudy of organism structure
- geneticsScience of hereditary transmission
- bipedalismWalking on two limbs
primates · hominids · physiology · DNA · brain · opposable thumbs · upright posture · neoteny · adaptation · Homo sapiens
error
Fault in communication
- imperfectionFault or shortcoming
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- limitationBound on extent
mistake · flaw · frailty · irrationality · bias · contradiction · struggle · failure · temptation · doubt
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
folklore · mythology · religion · art · storytelling · ceremonies · beliefs · values · language · symbolism
humannessroboticness
Mechanical, unfeeling demeanor
artificiality · inhumanness · mechanicalness · automation · computerization
humannessinhumanity
Extreme cruelty toward others
cruelty · brutality · heartlessness · inhumaneness · savagery
humannessdivinity
Sacred nature or nougat-like sweet
godhood · godliness · transcendence · immortality · otherworldliness