¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Phenomenon: Humankind     or     The Human Phenomenon

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 Wikipedia on Phenomenon

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0  

A phenomenon (Greek: to show, shine, appear, to be manifest or manifest itself, plural phenomena) is any thing which manifests itself.

Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as “things that appear” or “experiences” for a sentient being, or in principle may be so.

In modern philosophical use, the term ‘phenomena’ has come to mean ‘what is experienced is the basis of reality’.

In scientific usage, a phenomenon is any event that is observable, however common it might be, even if it requires the use of instrumentation to observe, record, or compile data concerning it.

Group phenomena concern the behavior of a particular group of individual entities, usually organisms and most especially people. The behavior of individuals often changes in a group setting in various ways, and a group may have its own behaviors not possible for an individual because of the herd mentality.

Social phenomena apply especially to organisms and people in that subjective states are implicit in the term. Attitudes and events particular to a group may have effects beyond the group, and either be adapted by the larger society, or seen as aberrant, being punished or shunned.

In popular usage, a phenomenon often refers to an extraordinary event. The term is most commonly used to refer to occurrences that at first defy explanation or baffle the observer.

¶ 11 Leave a comment on paragraph 11 0 Here, I use “phenomenon” in the scientific sense, with a shift more to the “objective” and away from the “subjective” phenomenal. However, I don’t want it limited to Material Reality: “physical”, matter/energy systems.

¶ 12 Leave a comment on paragraph 12 0 The whole of a phenomenon can never be observed, or thought of, or described – in a finite interval.

¶ 13 Leave a comment on paragraph 13 0 Consider “the era of dinosaurs” as a phenomenon, with a pre-history, beginning, era of existence, extinction, post-history (& birds). We study this phenomenon from “afar”, weaving “stories” from “evidence”. Our primary focus are the dinosaurs, in the context of their environments.

¶ 14 Leave a comment on paragraph 14 0 The “era of humans” is much shorter, with some controversy as to beginning and who were the early members. It has been expanding rapidly. disturbing its environments, and threatening extinctions. I have long labeled this “era of humans”, “humankind”. I reserve the term “humanity” for a future “state/form” of humankind, when it is more analogous to a viable biological organism at balance with its environmental niche.

¶ 15 Leave a comment on paragraph 15 0 This perspective of humankind as a phenomenon arose, with unique relevance, during the recent explosion of FAKE news and realities. There are multiple, contradictory claims as to descriptors for THE TRUE humankind, where all others are FAKE. The “phenomenon of humankind” [phehum] is not any of these ideologically biased and grossly limited perspectives. But, the diversity of humankind has long been with us; when we consider the diverse cultures and languages, over millennia and centuries. “FAKE” must be applied to ALL reports and perspectives, even those you believe in: “fake” in the sense of being very incomplete and based on assumptions that are not universally valid.

¶ 16 Leave a comment on paragraph 16 0 But phehum is more that the Material Reality (MR) collective movements of all atoms in all humans, and in exchange with their molecular environments. This MR scenario would contain nothing about humans, as are described in diverse human languages.

¶ 17 Leave a comment on paragraph 17 0 Phehum is also more that the sum of all the human sciences (anthropology, archeology, psychology, history, etc.), although human discourse about phehum may use terms and concepts from these scientific disciplines.

¶ 18 Leave a comment on paragraph 18 0 Imagine phehum to be what an alien research expedition would report back to their home planet after an extensive study of humans and their environments. This would include interpretations of human created sems (semiotic structures – e.g., text, videos), as well as results of studies of human brain process under different conditions. Subjective reports (claimed to be objective) by different cultures (or different “true silos”) would be part of their reports. Of interest is how they might analyze the diverse “worldviews” and their interactions and evolution. It is this type of analysis that we nu-humans must explore, in our attempt to comprehend and influence Human Reality (HR).

¶ 19 Leave a comment on paragraph 19 0 Considering Humankind as Phenomenon, in no way, implies a strict determinism or the absence of intrinsic creativity.

¶ 20 Leave a comment on paragraph 20 0 HR may be the same as “the phenomenon of humankind” (phehum).