Well, I read it as meaning human beings - as against human beings ofg some particular group, such as Palestinians or Israelis or Germans. You might be right in your surmise, or you might be wrong, Wolfgang, but that's not the ame as "knowing".

I know the suggestion keeps on coming up that "man" has to mean male human being, but it's etymologically unsound. Doesn't mensch have the same inclusive meaning in German (including Yiddish)?