The Word Humane

[Harut]

i want to discuss the meaning of the word 'humane' (մարդկային). have we been misusing it all along as it pertains to its meaing? what constitues 'humane' and what 'inhumane'? what we today consider to be 'inhumane' may be is in fact what 'humane' is supposed to be?

 

what do you humanitarians and otherwise think?

[Arpa]

i want to discuss the meaning of the word 'humane' (մարդկային). have we been misusing it all along as it pertains to its meaing? what constitues 'humane' and what 'inhumane'? what we today consider to be 'inhumane' may be is in fact what 'humane' is supposed to be?

 

what do you humanitarians and otherwise think?

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Harut, you know that there is a fine distinction between the two words.

Whereas “human” is often used as a noun, “humane” is usually an adjective even if both words are based on the same Latin root of “humus”, no, not the chickpea paste. Humus means soil. Remember “hogh eyir darnas hoghi”, “earth to earth, ashes to ashes” . Even if the latter may infer the myth of creation where God is pictured as breathing on a handful of soil, it in fact goes much deeper and much older concept of all living creatures being from and of earth. Consider the food chain.

Coming back to human and humane, the former may be translated as “mardkayin“ or simply “mard“, the latter would more correctly translated as “mardasirakn”. Even if both may at times be used as nouns, such as “mard” and “mardaser”, the latter is more often used in its capacity as an adjective.

BTW. We have already spoken about the root origin of “mard” which simply means “mortal/mahkanatsu”. Also seen in such words as “merd”(Persian), “mort” (French) and of course “mortal”

[kars]

“Mardasirakan” literally – “philanthropic”. It may also be translated as “humane” when referring to humans only. For example, it won’t be used in such phrases as “humane treatment of animals” – “mardkayin” is the word in such cases. “Mardkayin” also translates as “human” (adjective), depending on context. “Inhumane” = “anmardkayin”.