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Man vs Human Being- correct usage in the context of evolution 论题张贴者: Bhavna Bajaj
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Hi,
I am translating a text on evolution. I am unsure whether i should use the word "Human Being" or" Man" in this context? For e.g. the sentence- Has the Man/Human Being descended from monkeys? Isn't "Man" more gender-specific? Which word is used more commonly in this context?
Thanks!
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Heinrich Pesch 
芬兰
Local time: 15:36
正式会员 (自2003)
Finnish芬兰语译成German德语
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| Why not post on Kudoz? | May 5, 2009 |
In Kudoz someone might get points for this.
IMO "human being" is wrong in this context. It is "man" or "homo sapiens = modern man" when speaking about evolution.
Regards
Heinrich
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You've included the phrase but not the rest of the context, so it's hard to guess.
'Man' is perfectly used in the context of evolution, although some people might have a problem with it, and unfortunately for more reasons than just a gender-specific issue. 'Human being', 'Homo Sapiens' or 'Homo Sapiens Sapiens' are also used but if you want to keep the same informal tone as 'man', you could use 'people'.
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Mankind might be a better term
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milinad
Local time: 18:06
German德语译成English英语
I will go for 'man' in this context
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Saeid Hasani
加拿大
Local time: 08:36
波斯语（法尔西语）译成English英语
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| Agree with Lesley | May 5, 2009 |
Mankind specifically points out the race
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| Man or Mankind | May 5, 2009 |
-- but not 'the man'.
Humans have a common ancestor with monkeys
Man is descended from the same common ancestor as the monkeys
The difference is that by using the definite article you suggest one individual.
Quotes like the 'legal' discussion show this.
"Man has embraced Woman since time immemorial," as I have heard it explained. 
When discussing people like 'the witness', 't... See more -- but not 'the man'.
Humans have a common ancestor with monkeys
Man is descended from the same common ancestor as the monkeys
The difference is that by using the definite article you suggest one individual.
Quotes like the 'legal' discussion show this.
"Man has embraced Woman since time immemorial," as I have heard it explained.
When discussing people like 'the witness', 'the defendant' etc. in general, then one refers to them as 'he'. When you know in a particular case that the person is a woman, you say 'she' as appropriate, but only then.
Using the Latin follows the same principle - it is always Homo sapiens, regardless of the fact that he must have had conjugal relations with a femina / mulier...
You can't win!
Where possible without too many contortions, a good solution is to use the plural, but sentences like 'Everyone was busy with their own affairs' should be avoided in writing at least.
I think we have to accept that this is the nearest English comes to grammatical gender, and live with it.
Raising questions of gender neutrality or equality cloud the issue unless you are going to deal with them in their own right. ▲ Collapse
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liz askew
英国
Local time: 13:36
正式会员 (自2007)
French法语译成English英语
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Man
without a doubt in this camp.
Liz Askew
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sylvie malich (X)
德国
Local time: 14:36
German德语译成English英语
30 years ago "man" would have been widely accepted. I'd like to think we've evolved since then.
smiley,
sylvie
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| Human Species | May 5, 2009 |
"Human species" is the term you're looking for. Darwin does not speak of 'men' or 'human beings'; he speaks of the 'human species'.
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| Man or homo sapiens | May 5, 2009 |
I would use either one.
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| "Man" it is then... | May 5, 2009 |
Thanks everyone for your comments! I really appreciate it. Since majority of you thought it apt to use "Man", I went with that answer...And thanks Christine for pointing out that its not "The Man" but just "Man". Loved your examples
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Lingua 5B
波斯尼亚黑塞哥维纳
Local time: 14:36
正式会员 (自2009)
English英语译成Croatian克罗地亚语
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| Man vs Human Being | May 5, 2009 |
" Human Being" is a term that would be used more in areas/ connotations such as philosophy, spiritualism, even poetry and psychology. " being" is derived from " to be", the concept of existing in a broader sense.
" Man" is more likely to denote the species ( the flesh).
So, I'd definitely go with " man" in the context you are describing. "Man" denotes physical evolution, whereas " being" may represent spiritual/mental evolution ( there is a difference).
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I agree with Heinrich that it should be "man" or "homo sapiens" in a context concerning evolution. Another possibility not yet suggested is "humankind" with which everyone can embrace everyone ...
Jenny
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inkweaver
德国
Local time: 14:36
French法语译成German德语
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is something that immediately came to my mind when I started reading this, but since I am not a native speaker of English I was not entirely sure. So I am glad you suggested it, Jenny.
I find the term "man" in this context very annoying, but of course that is just my personal opinion.
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