"Human being" is a term for a human that emphasizes the role of a human not merely as a social animal, but a thinking person. Judaism, Christianity and Islam hold that human beings were created in the image of God.
The academic study of human beings falls under any of the following fields of study, which collectively are known as the "Social Sciences":
Origins of human behavior
Much of Christian theology holds that, while created in God's image, humanity is essentially sinful, and, by embracing Jesus Christ as a savior, can be rescued from this sin. St. Paul wrote, "Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish." (I Corinthians 15:35-44)
Moral naturalism rejects divine revelation as the source of human behavior, ethics, and morals, holding that they emerged from natural causes. The nature of these natural causes is widely debated, ranging from features inherent in the nervous system of humans to natural pressures that led to emergence of the best course for survival as a society, much as instincts emerge as the best course for survival among animals in the wild.
- ↑ "Male and female He created them." (Genesis 1)