Thursday, February 16, 2012

On Being Only Human

In the movie The Matrix, there’s a scene where Agent Jones stands over Neo, his gun to Neo’s head, and Agent Jones utters “Only human,” as prepares to pull the trigger to end Neo’s life.

Naturally, Agent Jones is thwarted from ending the only human Neo’s life, since it is a movie and there are two sequels to follow, but that phrase, “Only human,” somehow resonates with us humans, but typically in a most self-deprecating way.

Jonathon Pearce considers the phrase “it’s only human” in the Samizdata quote of the day post, responding to Bryan Caplan quoting a portion of John Galt’s speech which contains the phrase “it’s only human,” but not as a statement of self-deprecation.

...if we say “it’s only human” when we refer to someone being an asshole, or forgetful, or inconsiderate, or loses their temper, or some such, shouldn’t we also say “it’s only human” when a person is thoughtful, considerate, productive, courageous and adventurous”?

On a slightly different tack, though, I think people often use the “I am only human” when, as the use of the word “only” implies, we are talking about the limits, and inevitable fallibility of we creatures. But then again, it is precisely because of our limits and partial knowledge, that it is all the more admirable, and worthy of note, when we imperfect creatures do the right thing, do things well, and show excellent character.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/16 at 01:07 PM
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