Is every human truly unique or are we just made from the same junk in different combinations?

Question

We all have similar lives with variations in the order of events. Some experience things that others will not. For example I may never experience starvation or fear of genocide but I will experience hunger and fear of death.

Answer 1

if everyone is made from 'the same junk in different combinations' surely it is implicit that everyone is unique? What a stupid question!

Answer 2

This is a great question! Yes, I believe we are all made with the same "junk" as you say, the same opportunities and the same possibilities, the same experiences, but all given to us in a variety of different ways. We are unique in the ways that we all respond differently and so we may not learn exactly the same lesson or experience the same thing as the person next to us. For example two people on a roller coaster ride will experience the same ride differently, one with fear and the other with exhilaration, because one person has learned to be afraid from past experiences and the other has learned to overcome fear from his life's experiences.

Answer 3

Yes, but the way you choose to handle hunger and fear of death may be very different from how someone else handles it. How can you explain how, for example, my cousin and I are SO different in the way we look at life? We were raised extremely similar and yet I’m an Atheist and he is a Christian. We were set with the same set of problems in life and yet we both came up with entirely different answers.

Physically, we are all made up of the same stuff, but for whatever reason there is something that makes our minds very different. I don’t know why, but that is that.

Answer 4

Every painting in the Louve is nothing but paint slapped on a canvas (or other surface). Yet it is a unique masterpiece.

Every snowflake is nothing but a frozen drop of water, yet it is a beautiful creation.

Every English language book is nothing but an arrangement of the same 26 letters over and over in jumbled order. But each volume presents the mind, voice, spirit and heart its own author.

So humans are made from the same genetic material. That makes them no less a unique masterpiece. And God managed to do it with only four chemicals in DNA to work with. An incredible accomplishment.

Answer 5

Mmmm. We have billions of neurons and trillions of axons. That makes for a lot of possible diversity at least in thought. But, they're all ultimately configured the same way.

We're different enough that the likelihood of meeting someone almost identical to you is low enough that it'll probably never happen.

Answer 6

i believe we are a collection of our DNA, Parental Influences and Life experiences we may be all made from the same chemicals you can buy at any store for 20 bucks. But each of our paths are different we may be heading in same direction but the trail we each take varies.

Answer 7

I believe that all humans are unique in their own way. Yes, we do have similar things in common, that is so that we can help each other along lifes way. I believe that God truly made us the way He wanted us to me...Everyone is unigue and special!!

Answer 8

I belive in the soul...so my answer may be a bit skewed.

But

I may experience what you do, say a car accident...but we wont react the same way to it. I wont feel the trama the way you do, and i wont recover physically and mentally the way you do.

So i say we are unique...even if we are similar.

Answer 9

both the same junk AND truly unique I would say. It's one of them paradoxy thingamajigs.

To quote life of Brian:

Brian: Look, you've got it all wrong! You don't NEED to follow ME, You don't NEED to follow ANYBODY! You've got to think for your selves! You're ALL individuals!
The Crowd: Yes! We're all individuals!
Brian: You're all different!
The Crowd: Yes, we ARE all different!
Man in crowd: I'm not...
The Crowd: Sch!

Answer 10

We are made from the same stuff. Free will makes it very interesting.