In this article, the Philosopher and essayist Jon Hellesnes ask the question: What is a human being? Once the
answer to this question was obvious; humans were beings created in the image of god. Today the answers are
more diverse. The human can be both a biological machine, or a rational egocentric actor. This article
concerns Plessner and his work on defining the human. Plessner, as an anthropologist, claimed it near
impossible for humans to be able to define themselves. Still, a definition was to a certain extent possible
through what Plessner called Philosophical Anthropology. That is an anthropology disconnected systemmetaphysics
characteristic of modern science. Plessner sought to interpret empirically derived knowledge, in
a philosophical way. This Philosophical Anthropology never distinguished itself as a field of its own, as it
always bore with it central philosophical themes and questions. The discipline was more of a philosophical
reaction to the empirical sciences, and challenged traditional perceptions of man. Hellesnes discusses the
usefulness of Plessners position, and whether or not it can be regarded as a blind alley in seeking an answer
to the question â€?What is a human being?â€
