Hnau

In the fiction of C. S. Lewis, hnau is an Old Solar word which refers to "sentients" such as Humans.

The term was adopted by some other people, including Lewis' friend J. R. R. Tolkien, who used the term in some of his essays on the nature of his fictional Elves and Men.

In recent times the term has been used by some philosophers, for example in Thomas I. White's "Is a Dolphin a Person?", where he asks if Dolphins are persons, and if such, if they can also be reckoned as hnau: that is sentient beings of the same level as humans.

Other uses of the term include the term as used by some Christians: here as with Tolkien's use of the term "hnau" refers to sentient beings possessing independent will, and thus by extension a soul.

Related link

Is Man a Myth? — C. S. Lewis and the Abolition of Man

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