List of alternative names for the human species

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In addition to the generally-accepted scientific classification Homo sapiens (Latin: "wise man" or "knowing man"), other Latin-based names for the human species have been proposed:

Name	Translation	Trait identified
Homo economicus	"economic man"	The human as a rational and self-interested agent.
Homo faber	"toolmaker man" "fabricator man" "worker man"	A human's ability to create tools and manipulate his or her environment.
Homo generosus	"generous man"	Suggested by popular science writer Tor Nørretranders in his book Generous Man on evolutionary theory and sociobiology.
Homo reciprocans	"reciprocal man"	The human as an altruistic being through reciprocity.
Homo ridens	"laughing man"	Humans as the only species known to understand comedy.
Homo sacer	"the sacred man"	Humans excluded from civil rights.
Homo scientia	"scientific man" "knowledgeable man"	The original alternative to Homo sapiens.
Homo sociologicus	"sociological man"	A parody term; the human as prone to sociology.
Homo technologicus	"technological man"	The consequence of the human ability to manipulate his or her environment.

Names have also been suggested for imagined variations on the human species:

Homo superior	"overman" "super-man"	A human with intelligence or abilities exceeding those of Homo sapiens.
Homo magi		A term to describe a sub-race of magic using humans in the DC Universe.