Evelyn Glennie: What Makes Us Human?

Humanity, and the complexity of what sets mankind apart, remains the world’s most pondered question. Numerous philosophers and scholars have contemplated the question “what makes us human” for centuries, however none have discovered a definite answer, only philosophies and opinions. Evelyn Glennie’s answer to the vast question takes a unique perspective that both enlightens and encourages her readers. Glennie’s outlook on what makes us human sparks a second thought, when pondering humanity. Physical traits such as the ability to move, see, speak, hear, smell, taste, and feel, may be attributes of a human being. However this fact does not the answer the question, because many suffer from disabilities that inhibit them from doing these actions and does not make them any less of a human being, which Evelyn Glennie exemplifies perfectly. While Evelyn cannot hear through her ears, she does not identify as being deaf. Holding the title of the only solo percussionist, to maintain a full time performing career, Evelyn, has never bragged that she has accomplished her goals, while being deaf, because to her, mentally, she possesses the ability to listen, in fact she has …show more content…
Inquiring the purpose of life and what makes each person a human pertains to the human race specifically. Perhaps in essence, the ability to assemble the thought of “what makes us human” proves our humanity. Combining the population’s ideas of what humanity means aids in finding the answer. What humanity means to Evelyn Glennie, stands apart and unique from René Descartes opinion of “ I think, therefore I am” and so on. All philosophies on “what makes us human”, offer great lessons, especially from individuals such as Evelyn Glennie, who turned her deafness into a revolutionary way of understanding what listening really