In today’s episode, a scientist and a philosopher explore what it means to be human. Is our distinctiveness rooted in biology, consciousness, or something more? And why have humans always been curious about this question?

You’ll hear from Praveen Sethupathy, a genomics professor at Cornell, and Scott Aikin, a philosophy professor at Vanderbilt. In this conversation, they explore the question of human uniqueness and whether our desire for meaning is tragic or part of a larger story.

This forum was held at Vanderbilt in February 2025. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.

Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.

What Makes Humans Unique? | Praveen Sethupathy & Scott Aikin