The “Mutant Rights” episode of the Radiolab , English homework help
it requires you to listen to a 16-minute podcast before conducting the thought experiment of this assignment. The link to the Radiolab website where you can stream the episode (for free) is listed below.
The “Mutant Rights” episode of the Radiolab podcast describes the complicated nature of formulating a technical or legal definition for something as complex, diverse, and variable as the spectrum of all the human beings that exist in the world. Your task is to brainstorm what a formal, comprehensive technical definition for “human being” should include, avoid, and account for. Given the huge range of human variation, this quickly becomes very complex, which the Radiolab podcast does a good job of demonstrating. This assignment is more of a thought experiment than an actual writing assignment. Its purpose is to demonstrate how complex and nuanced technical definitions can become, how complicated the process of writing one can be, and what a comprehensive and objective technical definition for “human” should include (and avoid).
In short, your task is to put yourself in the position of a technical writer charged with writing a technical definition for “human being” that as many people as possible will agree with. What are some challenges you must address? What elements of “human-ness” must be accounted for and which can be ignored (if any)? You are not required to actually write a technical definition, as that would be a long, complex document far beyond the scope of this class. The purpose is for you to demonstrate your understanding of everything that goes into a technical definition and what a technical definition does. Think about potential problems and issues you would face along the way, and write a few paragraphs to explain the approach you took and the types of information you included/avoided. Keep in mind the various approaches to defining something that are covered by the notes and the textbook. You are expected to go beyond the podcast and incorporate your own ideas and concepts that were not addressed by Radiolab or course materials.
