What does it mean to be human?

[Rhamnousia]

I really liked how Terry Pratchett addressed this sort of trope in his Discworld series. You have Carrot Ironfoundersson, who's considered a dwarf despite being 6'6'' and built like a brick shithouse, because he was raised and adopted by dwarves.

It's an interesting idea, sort of a 180 from making every race as culturally-diverse as humans are always portrayed. If elves and dwarves are defined by their monoculture, would a member of another race who was raised or adopted into that culture be considered one of them?

[DeeL]

(The camera zooms in on the exterior of Starfleet Academy where three friends are talking.)

Lukora:  Am I really that surprising?  You really didn't think klingons had scientists?  I bet you think we don't have farmers either.

Colte:  I'm sorry, but it just didn't occur to me.  I don't mean to play into stupid stereotypes, but honestly we never hear about klingon farmers.  Or klingon scientists, for that matter.

Rosaria:  There's a very simple explanation.  Even entire planetary populations have a relatively small number of space travellers.  Whatever organization is responsible for getting people into space will do so according to subtle cultural traditions and procedures that select for a specific type.  The result is that most planets tend to get a reputation for having 'just one hat.'  Mind you, when you take cultural studies, Colte, you'll get over that.  Assuming you pay attention.

Colte:  Oh I will, I promise.  Say... what is the 'hat' of humanity anyway?  Do we have a reputation?

Lukora:  Certainly.  I happen to know that the ferengi sociology community is hotly divided over whether there are any humans, anywhere, who can mind their own business.

Colte:  Yep.  Shoulda seen that coming.

[Xeviat]

I think one of the reasons for mono-cultures in the non-human races, which is slightly going off topic here as I was trying to talk about race and not culture (something they don't separate well in D&D stats), is that many home D&D games are only going to have one group of elves, one group of dwarves, one group of halflings ... There's no need for there to be hugely cultural differences if there is only one culture of each.

This falls apart slightly in larger campaign settings, such as whole worlds like Forgotten Realms. But even they go far enough to have subraces which are also subcultures. Humans are just the most wide spread, and they're only identified by their culture because we, as writers, want to avoid insulting any real world people by giving a culture of humans, that may have similarities to their's, racial stats.

Altering their terrain could be a uniquely human thing. I would cry foul if a group of elves cut down a forest to build their city. Dwarves dig into the mountains, but their citadels likely started as mines that then became homes when the ore ran dry. Halflings would have their farmlands and homes, but it seems they'd be content to not expand outward. Orcs and Goblins, on the other hand, would represent the worst of humans in this regard; but even still, they despoil the land, they don't change it with purpose.

I also really like that thought on our problem solving. Could that be the human inventiveness? Could this be something that is unique to our species, even amongst other intelligent species? I'm not sure if that fits into general fantasy/sci-fi lore, but I'd be willing to go with it if it worked.

[Seraph]

I also really like that thought on our problem solving. Could that be the human inventiveness? Could this be something that is unique to our species, even amongst other intelligent species? I'm not sure if that fits into general fantasy/sci-fi lore, but I'd be willing to go with it if it worked.

I could see a fantasy setting existing where humans were, as you but forth, the "inventive" race.  Amongst elves and gnomes and dwarves (who you might make a bit more "fae") humans being the ones who create and invent new things--who have the gift for looking at something at seeing what it potentially could become instead of what it is.  Humans would be the ones to develop and advance technology.  Have the other races survive by their magic, but be technologically primitive, working with maybe stone-age tools.  Playing up humans having to live by their wits, lacking the mystical power of the other races.

It doesn't seem like it would work as well in sci-fi.  If various races exist who have their own forms of space travel, then its hard to sell that humans are the "inventive" race, when the others are not.  You could potentially say that one or more of the alien/non-human races has long since "stalled" from a technical standpoint--that they saw travel into space as the pinnacle of advancement, and did not bother to improve their range, speed, comfort, defense, etc. 

[Cheomesh]

There is also the possibility that it's written that way to make races easier to play.  How do you know someone's a Dwarf and not just a dwarf if they're as complex as a human?  It would fall back on more subtle things, which are harder to get across in only so many words.

If you want something more in-universe, assume it was written by an unreliable scholar who, being a humanocentric failure of an academic, Flanderized every other race he didn't feel any connection for.  Maybe real Dwarfs DO have great craftsmen, and those craftsmen are considered amongst the celebrity "class", along with their poets and athletes.  They also brew great beer and it forms an important part of their caloric intake, so they drink much of it - maybe large numbers of their population brew their own, giving the impression everyone's a brewer.  So this scholar decides that he doesn't connect with Stunties because...whatever...and paints a picture where the whole race is nothing but drunk smiths.

Or maybe that 's all they'll let him see:  The commons.  Or maybe that's what they really want others to think - it'll drive beer and craft sales, which are a cornerstone to their economy.

Same extends to other races.  This should sound familiar:  We do this to ethnic groups here.  All Italians make great pasta right?  All Irish/Russian/Lithuanian people are perminantly intoxicated and live off potatoes right?  Don't all Chinese people know Kung Fu?

(I was watching Dragon last night with the wifey)

Of course, with this guy having grown up with Humans, he's more educated in their differences, with greater access to resources about them.  Naturally he thinks his own people are special.

As an aside, when did Dwarfs go from the Tolkinian Semetic-type (Short bearded gold diggers...hm...) to the current Scottish Highlander-with-craftsmanship(?) type?  Did that start with early D&D?

M.

[Elemental_Elf]

As an aside, when did Dwarfs go from the Tolkinian Semetic-type (Short bearded gold diggers...hm...) to the current Scottish Highlander-with-craftsmanship(?) type?  Did that start with early D&D?

M.

Warhammer Fantasy is where they started getting their red hair and more of a Scottish/Viking look. The Drizzt books definitely had Scottish Dwarves, so it's at least as old as the mid 80's.

[Elemental_Elf]

I found this TED Talk to be fascinating. http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_ridley_when_ideas_have_sex.html


I think trade/exchange  could very well be the defining facet of humanity in a Fantasy setting. Elves and Dwarves live for centuries and their mighty empires stretch back to the dawning of the world. However, over that eminence time frame, their societies do not change or evolve. Humans are constantly evolving, constantly trying to better their lot in life.  A Wizard does not grow the food he eats, he does not create the parchment of his tomes nor does he create the ink he uses to write on that parchment. The Wizard is a highly specialized trade that relies very heavily on others to accomplish his goals. Division of labor allows for specialties to be created, which allows for more and more specialties to be created as prosperity spreads across the land.