Thread: What makes you unique? How are you special?

Originally Posted by Xei

This is not really a meaningful statement. If his brain had the same structure as somebody else's, he would have thought he were them, and he would have been indistinguishable from them except for appearance.

Eh, wasn't too clear on that. To be a bit more specific, comparing to most other human brains, Einstein had a brain smaller than average, his parietal lobe (spacial and visual cognition, math) was about 15% wider, and patterns of ridges grooves had likely been involved with visualization towards physics. New Features Found in Einstein's Brain to be exact.

For once, it's perfectly justified to have a brain in your kitchen for well over 40 years I believe it was.

Interesting, I wonder if Nikola Tesla had a misshapen brain as well because he claimed a unique visualization ability that allowed him to easily imagine 3d models in his head.

Originally Posted by GlitchyFS

Plus self-promotion is so common in humans that thinking self is unique just helps blend that person into the rest of the crowd. Perhaps the truly unique ones are the ones who don't care about uniqueness and sees things for how they are.

There are different types of uniqueness. Are you saying that people are only properly unique when they don't realize they are?

In that case I'm unique because I am unique and I realise I'm unique.

If someone has an identical twin, does that make him more or less unique?

How can you be more or less unique? It seems like you are or you aren't...

I feel I know more stuffs than the average person, even from a young age.

I'm just... Not good at expressing them in words.

Me too man, me too.

I am unique becuase I don't mind doing things that defy social norms and tradition. I do things that mos tpeople dont think of doing.

For example, what typical person would sleep in a closet or under their matress, making htemselves a human sandwhich" Well if so they wouldn't admit it to many people.

I dont want to give myself any credit for thinking that I am more intelligent, or am deeper, becuase even the dumbest or shallowest of people believe they are intelligent and deep becuase that is human nature. I dont know what goes on in the average persons head, so i cant say i am more philisophical or more intelligent. But i can say that I act much differently, becuase i can actually see the physical difference.

I always thought that I was more intelligent and deeper than the average person because I slept in my closet too!

Will you be my new best friend?

What's with this assumption that intelligence is the determining factor? Sure, 'intelligent' people (by this culture's ridiculously short-sighted definition) are more rare, it's statistically inevitable, but I'd wager that people on the other side of the bell-shaped curve (in other words, people deemed 'retarded') are equally as, if not far more, happy. That's what I'd put it all down to, enjoying who you are and making sure others can do the same.

The OP implies that those not at the same level of intelligence are worse people because of it, while, as well as it being unlikely to be their fault (be it genetics or environmental factors), everyone has the same worth and part to play in the world.

Originally Posted by Carrot

I feel I know more stuffs than the average person, even from a young age.

I'm just... Not good at expressing them in words.

Tell me about it...

I think everyone, no-matter what their status, beliefs, race, gender, ect.. is unique in their own way. Everyone has something that they are talented at, or unique about them. However, it is up to each and every person to find their own uniqueness and believe in themselves.

Some time in the future, after the Android Uprising, we will come to realize that perfection is represented with a single prototype, which all androids will be exactingly replicated after and further, that everything we knew as "uniqueness" and "individuality" were just the particular configurations of flaws inherent to biological life forms we happened to be afflicted with and in our naivety came to identify with.

I have yet to meet anyone who can be replaced by another

Ehhh no clue if I'm unique, no clue if I'm really special, but I feel I'm unique and I feel I'm special and I like making other people feel they're special , I have my issues but I think I'm okay.

Originally Posted by PhilosopherStoned

How can you be more or less unique? It seems like you are or you aren't...

If two copies of a book are made, wouldn't they be more unique than if there were 700 of them? Or maybie unique isn't the world (I hate English). Less common, rarer, more exclusive, you see my point.

The word unique means that there is only one of them in the world. It isn't the same as rare. Taking this definition into account, the original question isn't very clear.

We're all unique; there are no two people who have dreamed the same dreams, who have come to the exact same conclusions from the sum of all of their knowledge (which is also unique to them alone.) There are stories that I've written that no one else has written, other childhood worlds imagined that no one but I will ever know or understand.

I think that makes us all pretty unique, and that's what I love; no two people have the exact same idea about what "God" is, no two people have ever imagined the same exact images while reading a book... It's quite strange, really, to think that no one will ever be able to "see" what I saw when I was in my imaginary world with my imaginary friends as a child. It's unique to me, which makes me unique.

As long as I am human I am just another tiny insignificant spec in the crowd, regardless of the meanings I put to myself.

While it may be true that most of us have more in common than we will ever have different, that does not make any one of us not unique. What truely makes a person unique is the sum total of several aspects: sequence of events in their life and how they perceive these events, particular tics, likes/dislikes, physical characteristics, and even more. No matter how similar two people are you will not find anyone 100% the same, even identical twins.

It is a real mystery how even identical twins do not perceive the same event the same way, and one that I will look forward to science figuring out.

As for me...I dont know too many other blond haired, green eyed engineers who compete in mixed martial arts but also has a strong attachment to folklore, fantasy novels and anime. You could probably find more people like me (bonus points if its a girl!), but then we would just keep getting more specific and eventually you would find differences. Whether it be views on religion, morals, family, whatever. In fact, even if they liked fantasy novels and anime our tastes within those genres may be completely different...but I think Ive made my point by now haha. There will always be something to distinguish you.

Of course, there may be some variance here and there. Some might have different world views than others. Psychologically and biologically, some may operate in slightly different ways. But, is this truly in anyway, unique. The answer is simple, no. Actually, anyone who believes that they are unique, are expressing a very common trait. Everyone wants to believe that they are more of "this or that."

I am not afraid to admit that a lot of the time, I believe that I am unique, when in fact this is just a delusional thought process. I believe, even most of the people who say that most "aren't unique", believe themselves to be unique. This is nothing to be ashamed of though, it is a common thought after all...