The teacher will ask a question

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE ARE HUMAN PERSONS?

Discussion about the traits that defines human as persons:
Characteristics/Traits of a Human Person
Self-awareness
Self-determination
Externality (able to interact with others)
Dignity
Self -awareness
Enables to reach out to other persons and establish meaningful relationship with them.
Refers to the person having a clear perception of oneself, including his or her thoughts, emotions, identity, and
actions.

The human person is defined by a deeper awareness which is driven by rationality or human thought. 

Another trait that defines a person is self determination also refers to the capability of person to make choices and
decisions based on their own preferences. 

Dignity – or innate right to be valued and respected.

Example:
Ask yourself the following questions:
Am I a rock?
Am I a lamp?
Am I a dog?
Based on a purely physical comparison, we can confidently state that we have no similarities with a rock and a
lamp as they are non-living things

Looking, at the dog, however, you may see a number of shared traits or features. Humans and animalsshare many
attributes. We both have eyes, ears, nose, and a body.Now, compare yourself to a dog. 
Do you have eyes?
Do you have ears?
Do you have nose?
Do you have body?
Can you breathe?
Now think again
…
ARE YOU A DOG?

Let us say that we make this dog your pet. Think back on how you treat your pets. Oftentimes we treat our pets as
if they are similar to us. The following are ways pet owners treat animals as people:
You put clothes on your pet.
You give your pet toys to play with.
You make it live in your house.
You teach it to behave properly around other people. 
You give it birthday parties and invite other people to attend and celebrate.
By doing these things, is your pet a human person?
Despite the intentions of people who really love animals, animals are fundamentally different from us humans.
Now, look at your pet more deeply to really make sense of personhood.
Is your pet truly aware of what is happening around it?
Can your pet truly feel emotions in the same way that you do?
Is your pet capable of reflection? Can it question its nature or identity as a dog?
Can your pet reflect on its actions and behavior? Do you think it can feel guilt or satisfaction in the same way you
do? Try saying these words aloud: 
I am a person.
I am alive.
I exist.
I am here. I am present.
I am living at this very moment.
Do you believe that these statements are true?
If yes, then you are really aware of yourself.

 
Self-determination
Refers to the capability of persons to make choices and decisions based on their own preferences, monitor and
regulate their actions, and be goal-oriented and self-directed. We are persons because we act and we are aware of
our actions.
 
Externality
The capability to reach out and interact with others and the world.
The realization that we are not alone and that there are other persons around us enables us to reach out and
establish meaningful relationships with others.
Philosophers consider man as a social being, and that a person never exists in isolation.
We may be able to experience interiority - we imagine and think for ourselves – but we share also share these
thoughts with other persons.
Man has a natural tendency to seek out fellow human beings, and the relationships established by this interaction
is a vital component for survival
As the saying goes…
No man is an island.

Dignity
 Refers to the innate right to be valued and respected.
 Philosophers consider all humans as having an inherent worth or value.
 Each person is worth the same as another person in the sense that every person is priceless, unique,
unrepeatable, and irreplaceable.
 Putting a price a on a person diminishes human dignity since we tend to value some people more while we
may diminish the worth of others