ABSTRACT
Throughout the ages, philosophers have grappled with the problem of defining Man. To what purpose? Ordinarily we go about defining something in order to distinguish it from something else. In criminal law, for example, definitions are given of "manslaughter," "gross negligence," or "arson" presumably to enable jurists to invoke appropriate laws in specific cases. Biologists define species of plants and animals in order to know what they are talking about. Clearly, philosophers, in searching for a definition of man, could not have such a purpose in mind, because there is no problem of distinguishing a human being from something else. Any three-year-old can do it instantly without benefit of a definition. Why, then, do they persist in those herculean efforts to answer the question "What is Man?"
