How We Are Human

Magdalena speaks with Pin Lean Lau, whose research has been focused on pre-implantation genetic interventions, particularly regulatory models for biomedical technologies of this nature, whose development move at the pace of lightning speed. Pin Lean dispels myths about ‘designer babies’ with blue eyes and blond hair; and instead, asks us to think about the kind of equitable future we want to have access to: to be able to harness the benefits of technologies such as genome editing, but also to be able to ensure that our humanity, human rights and human nature are not compromised at the expense of individual hubris and greed. She suggests using a rights-based approach that is infused with a renewed and renegotiated understanding of human rights universality, shared common values, and a symbiosis of different regulatory designs that work to complement formal laws or legislation.Music: Nordlys by Lauge & Baba Gnohm

Dr. Gabor Maté, renowned expert, speaker, and author, in conversation with Magdalena Smieszek, reflects on human development and the interplay of biological, social, and psychological factors in a human being that he calls biopsychosocial. He talks about his childhood in Hungary between the Second World War, as a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, and the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 at which point he migrated with his family to Canada. The discussion covers a range of subjects, considering child development, genetics and the environment, multigenerational pain and trauma, identity formation, addiction, and the historical political conflicts around the world caught in a cycle of oppression and retribution. Gabor Maté considers different healing methods for the mind and body and calls for a sense of individual and collective responsibility.Music: Move Forward by Edoby Beats

Magdalena Smieszek speaks with Mate Tokic, Humanities Professor at CEU, joined by Azka Zia, Patricia Velicu and Julia Hasani, participants in the course on "The Other in European History and Politics".The discussion considers the formation of European identity and thinking critically about what it means to be European, how the process of inclusion and exclusion has challenged and continues to reshape what is and is not Europe. How does this ambivalence between unity and inclusion on the one hand, and exclusion and difference on the other play into the discourse of Europe in politics and society? In what ways do migration, human rights, religion, nationalism, citizenship and numerous other issues around identity politics affect Europe's self-definition? We reflect on the historical and contemporary manifestations surrounding the idea of Europe, its development through the encounter with what's been traditionally or newly considered the Other, as well as prospects for the future of Europe.

John Evans discusses his book What Is a Human? What the Answers Mean for Human Rights, the results of his empirical study across the United States. The research concerns long-standing academic debates about how the human is defined: whether primarily as a biological being determined by genetic makeup; whether defined by certain capacities that philosophers have outlined, such as rationality; what it means to be made in the image of God; and whether the promotion of these perspectives affects viewpoints on human rights issues such as genocide and torture. Are the critics correct that propagation of the biological and philosophical view of the human leads to less value for some humans, and thus for human rights?The results from respondents in the American context reveal nuance in how the perspectives interact. Moreover, a socially-conferred perspective is also included, one in which humans are recognized through social relations. This approach can be positive if it is fully inclusive, and significant as technology advances. Conversely, it can go astray and lead to dehumanization. A distinction between a human being and being human emerges in the responses, the latter focused on the expression of compassion and love. Based on the overall findings, a call is made for human sacredness to be firmly incorporated in the definitions.

How do we humans study the human? Hosted by Magdalena Smieszek, this episode of the How We Are Human podcast presents a discussion with Maria Kronfeldner, Professor in the Philosophy Department at the Central European University, and three Master's students, Olesya Bondarenko, Noha Hendi, and Rachel Sanderoff, as part of the course entitled Topics in the Philosophy of the Human and Social Sciences (ToPHSS).The discussion considers how concepts travel between scientific disciplines and philosophy in the study of the human. A focus is placed on the interaction between facts and values within the scientific findings as well as communication of the findings to the public. The outcome is that science and society influence each other, through communication of science and its connection with everyday language. Some examples are discussed, namely the study of rape and aggression within disciplines such as evolutionary psychology, and how the social and biological aspects of human behaviour are interlinked. Categorizations of humans, such as categories of race and sex, are also considered in terms of their social and biological sources. Finally, the discussion reflects on what it means to think of ourselves as biological beings, the emancipatory as well as potentially discriminatory elements. This leads to reflection on the interaction of the biological understanding of the human with the social environment.The ToPHSS course was funded by the CEU Humanities Initiative. The podcast was created by Magdalena Smieszek with the support of the CEU Centre for Media, Data and Society as part of the AudioFiles Project funded by the Intellectual Themes Initiative.

Do we know ourselves better biologically or socially? Hosted by Magdalena Smieszek, this episode of the How We Are Human podcast is part 2 of the discussion with Maria Kronfeldner, Professor in the Philosophy Department at the Central European University, and three Master's students Olesya Bondarenko, Noha Hendi, and Rachel Sanderoff, as part of the course entitled Topics in the Philosophy of the Human and Social Sciences (ToPHSS).The discussion continues to consider how humans understand themselves, the separation of cultures within the natural and social sciences, as well as the implications for knowledge and even politics. The conversation touches on how the theological understanding of the human connects with the human sciences. In discussing whether there can be a unified concept of the human, the agreement is that that there are different ways of connecting and unifying, and a continual contestation and negotiation is part of that process of agreeing on what we mean when it comes to the varied conceptualizations about humans. We can be guided both by what science tells us about human nature but also how we envision ourselves, and how these concepts come together in considering the facts and making decisions about what is essential for us. This involves bridging the divisions between knowledge coming from the West and East in a number of areas, including human rights discourse.The ToPHSS course was funded by the CEU Humanities Initiative. The podcast was created by Magdalena Smieszek with the support of the CEU Centre for Media, Data and Society as part of the AudioFiles Project funded by the Intellectual Themes Initiative.

What is a human and what is humanity? Hosted by Magdalena Smieszek, this episode of the How We Are Human podcast is part 3 of the discussion with Maria Kronfeldner, Professor in the Philosophy Department at the Central European University, and three Master's students, Olesya Bondarenko, Noha Hendi, and Rachel Sanderoff, as part of the course entitled Topics in the Philosophy of the Human and Social Sciences (ToPHSS).The discussion considers the different ways that the question about the human can be asked, how we can delineate between human properties, relations, and other aspects of the human. We consider how different societies approach the question of what is a human, humanity and human nature, whether from the religious or the scientific discourse. Finally, we reflect on whether the category of human as a historical construct will disappear, and what the subsequent constructs will mean for the relations between humans, humane treatment and human rights.The ToPHSS course was funded by the CEU Humanities Initiative. The podcast was created by Magdalena Smieszek with the support of the CEU Centre for Media, Data and Society as part of the AudioFiles Project funded by the Intellectual Themes Initiative.