[Account003]

Is it the believe in the christo-judean values, which are the foundation of our civilisation?
Our specific set of genes?
Being born on earth?
Depicting yourself as a Human?
Because one looks "human"?

Looking at different science-fiction works, you'll get (as expected) different "solutions".

In Farscape we have the Sebaceans, created millennia ago out of Humans. They're treated as a different/cousin race to Humans as there are genetic and cultural differences: Highly militarised civilisation, better eyesight but an intense intolerance for heat.

Andromeda Ascendant is a bit more confusing... While all are listed as sub-species, the Castalian (water breathers), Inari (low light levels and harsh volcanic planets), Hajira (genetic memory), Heavy Worlder (high gravity worlds) and especially the Nietzscheans (you just gotta love them) are very much treated (inUniverse) and depicted (by the series) as different races - with exepton of the Heavy Worlder (probably because they look like humans and the hero is 1/2 Heavy Worlder).

Star Wars is...well even more confusing (and has too much to count...). You have different "races", like Alderaanian or Corellians, where the only explanation given is that they're born on a different planet. No genetic or even optical differences. Then there are "Near-Humans" like Chiss, Miralan or Zabrak... Basicly "Humanoids". So seeing as Star Wars is more Science-Fanatsy than Ficiton (although in the Star Wars Universe there is no "breeding FFA" like in Star Trek...) probably not the best IP to look for an answer...

Then there is Trek... For me this is probably the part that is the most "not science" about the universe, no I'm not talking about the Progenitor Race and the subsequent breeding FFA, more about the double standard. Every Human in every series in "human"... No matter if you're born on Earth, Luna, Terra Nova or Turkana IV and their possible enviromental factors that could change your DNA. The only exeption are Augments, which probably are treated as a sub-species. Given, Trek does do this to all races but there's one sore thumb sticking out... Vulcans and Romulans.
Treated as different races and it was even stated, I think it was TNG 3x07, that both have drifted in only 2000 years so far apart that Vulcans are no longer compatible donors.

Last but not least, The Expanse. It does, thus far, the best job at it. While Earth trys to unite themselfs, the Martians and the Belter under the umbrella of "Humanity", it is clearly shown that both don't see themselfs as "Earthers" and therefore as their own "identity". And the genetics mostly also checks out. One thing the universe gets wrong though... Martians and especially the Belter should be as white as ghosts. Anyway...

~~~

I could also analyse Babylon 5 (never showed much) or Firefly (totally different solar system, dozens of different planets but no infos at all because canned after one season) or BSG but yeah... Post is already a wall of text...
My opinion?
I'm unsure. But still looking for possible answers...

So, what's your take?

[Three of Seven]

I don't think you can look at science fiction to determine what humanity is, nor is humanity based on "christo-judean", civilisation began before those values. For the question of what is humanity, it depends how complex you want the answer, at the basic form, humanity is just the human race, people from Earth. Or you can get quite philosophical as to what makes a human, human.

I don't think there is really a deep meaning, we are human, because that's what were are, what defines humanity? Our existence as said species, you can't stop being human, and you should never treat other humans as less than what they are.

[aceman67]

human civilization based on "christo-judean" values

Yeah, about 4 and half billion non-Christian/Jewish people whose civilizations pre-date all others in some aspects by millennia, would have an issue with that statement.

To be honest, it comes down to basic storytelling. If you want to write a convincing and relatable story, you 'write what you know', so when it comes to Science Fiction, what we know are humans, so we make our aliens human-like or human enough so that we can relate to them on some level.

This has been happening with fantasy as well, with Elves, Hobbits, and Dwarves being good examples.

Then there is the money aspect: Every one of the shows and movies you mentioned was made when CGI was either non-existent or very expensive, making practical effects and makeup necessary. The Expanse is an outlier though, as that is actually one of the most accurate portrayals of what would happen to humanity when away from earth for over a century.

[Sul-Matuul]

Star Trek and actually a lot of "sci fi" shows miss this point quite wildly it seems. Every single planet in the galaxy will have different gravity, atmosphere, sunlight, ecology, rotation speeds etc. This should all affect any life living there and humans from one planet should differ over time from those on another. Even simply things like a tendency to have more of one skin colour of hair type to survive the sunlight etc would be fairly quick changes.
But very few shows account for this very much. Humans just all seem the same, Vulcans are all the same etc.

The only IP's I've seen which come close are the Expanse which has Mars, Earth and Ceres as host planets with different groups; and the WH40K universe which has humans living on planets with different environments develop quite differently (denser bone/muscle mass on high gravity worlds etc.).

[Account003]

I don't think you can look at science fiction to determine what humanity is

But were else to look? Most of our "metaphysicians" are more busy with exploring how many genders there are, rather than actually advanceing mankind. With stuff like V.I./A.I. on the horizon aswell as cyberization, the possibilities gene modification could offer, the continuing tribalisation and de-humanisation of certain groups or if Saint Elon keeps his speed and settles Mars in my lifetime,
I think it is high time someone should think about that and formulate ideas.

[Raz Beraht]

A quick wikipedia search can answer this question rather easily.

[Brask]

Why just focus on Humans? What makes a Cat a Cat?

Would Cats still be 'Cats' after years of living on other worlds? Or on a spaceship? I refuse to believe that when we go out to colonise the galaxy that we'll leave our beloved pets behind.

What might happen if some cats were left for 3 million years, isolated on a spaceship, to evolve and develop?



Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh.
Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh.
It's cold outside.....

[Novalance]

I want Technological Augmentation. I mean how cool would it be to have the V.A.T.S targeting system from fallout in your head, should make things like aiming for the Trash or for those of us requiring to stand up while urinating to NEVER MISS! (or at least have a 95% chance) but even with technology inside us our DNA would still be human right?

[Account003]

Why just focus on Humans? What makes a Cat a Cat?

True.
But sadly cats aren't the ones who establish complicated rules for themself in that regard. Cats just live and (unless you're prey) let live. I'm a "cat person" btw!

In regards to your OP, people like to look for a greater meaning or explanation then what there actually is.

Look, I don't think that the question on "what humanity is" can solely be answered by only looking at genetics. What was that quote from Star Wars about that you never can fully understand The Force by only looking at one side of it?
If we take Brasks example of cats: According to this paper from 2008, house cats, while there's in general less genetically variable compared to humans, within isolated populations there is less genetic diversity when compared to humans, yet house cats are categorised to have sub-species (American Bobtail, Maine Coon ect). Humans don't. In fact, the vast majority of their "features" stem from massive inbreeding.
So it's only logical to assume that there are also environmental and social factors which shape ones understanding of "humanity".

About that "Judeo-Christian" thing, some of you seem to hung up on:
It is generally agreed on that western or liberal democracies are based on the values both religion have in common, the Ten Commandments as an example. And this style of government is not exclusivly used by "western countries" (imo basicly every nation that "birthed" out of "christian kingdoms" - yes that includes Abyssinia) but also such countries as India, Japan, the Republic of China (Taiwan) or South Korea.

But as I stated in my Introduction, I'm a non-native english speaker and what sounds good in german sometimes can be misinterpreted when translated into english.
I even said "christo-judean" because in german you use the word with the lower starting letter (in that case "C") first...

But I promise, if that is an evil topic, I will refrain to speak about democracy in the future.

[Account003]

Stating something as a a fact does not make it a fact. This argument is commonly peddled by Christian groups as an argument for the role of their faith in society. To say that Judeo-Christian values are the foundation of Western society, is a misrepresentation of the facts only backed up by the very groups that want it to be true.

So Wikipedia and all its References is lying? I even got the stuff, I said earlier, thought in school (1991-2001) and in the german school system there is a very very special emphasis on that, so that 1933 to 1945 never ever happens again!
So yeah... Just trying to understand your point here...

I also don't think I blow anything out of proportion, if I ever do you'll know. #LookingAtMyself20YearsAgo

Also also, I don't think of this discussion as off topic because as I also stated earlier, I don't think you just can use genetics as a frame to determine "humanity". Because if you do, where do you draw the border? How much genetic divergence until you're no longer considered "human" as in "humanity"? What if we create (and we probably will at some point as we're no longer in the science realm of "can or can't do" but rather "can or should we do" - we crossed that by inventing nuclear weapons) real sentient A.I. and giving it our set of values (in the hope it dosn't goes all Skynet on us) - is it then part of humanity or not? If not, can we blame it if it decides to go Skynet?
Or cybernised humans, as Novalance is a fan of?

[Novalance]

Cyborgs are the future, I mean look at how addicted people are to their smartphones, everywhere you go there's people staring at their screens while walking around and the occasional idiot checking their phone while driving, integrating that tech to some degree will be the next step even if its just to stop people walking into roads, rivers, other people etc

[Seven of Eleven]

I'll take a set of cyborg eyes over reading glasses any day!

[Palechimera]

I want Technological Augmentation. I mean how cool would it be to have the V.A.T.S targeting system from fallout in your head, should make things like aiming for the Trash or for those of us requiring to stand up while urinating to NEVER MISS! (or at least have a 95% chance) but even with technology inside us our DNA would still be human right?

Why do i get the feeling that becoming a cyborg is one of your wet dreams?

[Heyallo]

Data's quest to be more human on TNG sometime's reminds me that even we humans don't know what is it is to be human sometimes which to me makes it even harder to define it =)

[Account003]

Wikipedia is not a good source at the best of times but you are misrepsenting what that article says. You said that our mutual values are based on the Christian/Jewish faiths and that they form the foundation of our civilisation. That is not true and a lot of our values cone from a time well before the emergence of either faith.

Our civilisation is a melting pot of lots of cultures. But modern democracy as we know it, likely comes from ancient Greece and the Roman empire.

If you have been told that our civilisation is based off of Christianity then that white washes thousands of years of human achievement and progress.

Both judaism aswell as christianity borrowed very heavily from stuff that came before, as did every other religion currently in existence - the acient romans as an example copy/pasted the whole greek mythology. The only exeption maybe is Buddhism (don't know enough of it tho) but enough lunatics don't see it as a religion because it has no "god".
Religion is not about a god, it is about faith. This is why in the brain of apple fanbois (and all other fanbois of other stuff and cultlike movements who think of themselfs as the "good") the mere thought about that thing triggers the same parts as in someone who is thinking about his/her religion. Click me
But so did the other things borrow from what came before them... Evolution.

I don't know if we really want to associate us with ancient greece and rome. I mean they were slavers after all and at least in the case of rome most of it was based on slaves. And slavery is bad right?
Sorry for being a "slav on the internet" again...but I think in a more normal tone this is a valid question.

I not "have been told", I was thought in school by teachers and at that time freshly printed school books (in germany books are given out by your school and you have to write your name into said books so that they know who damaged them, if damage happens).

Cyborgs are the future

Probably but I don't think that is a "good idea"...
While, as stated in my first post, I'm unsure what defines "humanity" - I do know that if we really want to "make it", we need to start doing massiv genetic research and start formulating plans to implement genetic modifications.
Not only because all the good things like being stronger, faster or more resilient to diseases/viruses but also because the gap between our technological advancement and our body and society has grown so wide...