Arnold Gehlen, reflections on human being

Abstract

This manuscript addresses Arnold Gehlen’s conception on being human. Gehlen’s thesis is that of the man biologically deficient that through his activity transforms the matter and the environment according to his needs, establishing himself different with respect to other animals. That human way of acting, which leads to progressive distance in relation to other animals, presupposes the specifically human openness to the world. Culture is considered by Gehlen as the space and the environment necessary for human life. Currently, neither the biological vision nor the cultural approach succeeds to establish what is being human. This work contrasts Gehlen’s concern with what differentiates us from other animals, with a contemporary vision that emphasizes our common characteristics and that could be the origin of the end of human exception.

Key-words: Human openness to the world; Man as being in action; Human being.