Leslie Stevenson and David L. Haberman’s Ten Theories of Human Nature provides an insightful introduction to important philosophical, religious and scientific theories, or ideologies, and their depiction of human nature. The book is meant to provide the reader with a guidance for how we should live, based on ten different theories. The book consisted of ten chapters, each examining a particular theory, presented in a chronological order. Throughout each chapter, historical context was first provided to the reader, followed by a definition of essential terms, a diagnosis of the ways the theory depicts human nature, then a prescription for how one ought to live, and ending with later developments and interpretations. This pattern was followed …show more content…
Although the authors have succeeded in providing an introduction to newcomers in the philosophy of human nature, they have failed to embody the scientific theory of evolution in their theme and presented a misleading objective in their introduction.
Ten Theories of Human Nature has succeeded in putting forth an insightful introduction to influential theories in Western and Eastern philosophies. It fulfills one of the goals set in the introduction, that is to provide the reader with the necessary motivation to dig deeper into the theories they found most appealing. Each theory was provided with a correct amount of historical context, highlighting the importance of sociocultural factors in our understanding of the theory. In addition, the authors made sure to explain what branch of philosophy the theory belonged to and in what ways the theory was unique in its methodology, often contrasting it to other theories from the same branch. This was most essential in the section on Sartre’s theory of radical
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This is misleading however as the book brings the theories together and shows how they built up to our modern paradigms rather than cancelling each other out. The theories are rarely contrasted against each other but often compared. This is highlighted when the authors inject a historical interlude halfway through the novel. They recognize they are brushing past centuries of developments and use this chapter to outline said intellectual developments that occurred during those periods. This is done for example to help the readers understand how Kant’s beliefs came to be developed and what pre-existing philosophical pillars Kant developed on. The authors discuss the roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and outline faith during the middle ages, Christian reformation, the rise of science, and the enlightenment. All of this is done to show a progression of philosophy rather than a conflict of competition. When the authors conclude the book by synthesizing their own philosophy much of what they use comes from the work done by Kant and Darwin with reference to the ancient philosophy. For example when creating their Diagnosis of human nature the authors write: “ I see [Kant] as appealing at root to a fundamental moral principle of respect for all rational feelings … he was surely influenced by the Judeo-Christian … more than by
Psychodynamic, Trait, Behaviorism, and Humanistic are the four major theories of personality. Our personality is our unique characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting. These theories each have their own different explanation of how our personalities came to be. They offer an explanation of why we are the way that we are by using factors, drives, characteristics, and experiences.
By definition, human evolution is the development, both biological and cultural, of humans. Human ideologies of how the evolution of man came to be is determined by cultural beliefs that have been adopted by societies going back as far as the Upper Paleolithic era, some 40,000 years ago. Through the study of paleoanthropology, we have come to determine that a human is any member belonging to the species of Homo Sapiens. Paleoanthropologists, while studying the evolution of humans, identify and explain evolutionary changes that occur throughout time that aid in the development of the human species. It will be through the examination of human physical traits, human origins from pre-humans to modern humans, and major discoveries that we will be able to understand the history of human evolution.
Keith Henson a writer in evolutionary psychology once said that “Evolution acts slowly. Our psychological characteristics today are those that promoted reproductive success in the ancestral environment.” Evolution was first introduced by a naturalist by the name of Charles Darwin. Darwin had written an autobiography, at the age of 50, On the Origin of Species (1859) explaining how species evolve through time by natural selection; this theory became known as Darwinism. “Verlyn Klinkenborg, who writes editorials and vignettes on science and nature for the “New York Times”” (Muller 706) questions Darwin’s theory in one of his essays he wrote called Darwin at 200: The Ongoing Force of His Unconventional Idea. Both articles talk about the theory of Darwinism, but the authors’ use different writing techniques and were written in different time periods. Darwin himself writes to inform us on what the theory is, where as Klinkenborg goes on to explain why Darwinism is just a theory. Today, evolution is still a very controversial topic among many. It comes up in several topics that are discussed everyday such as in politics, religion and education.
Steven Pinker lays the foundation for his book by highlighting three main philosophies that permeate society’s view of humanity and their historical context: The Blank Slate (empiricism), the Noble Savage (romanticism), and the Ghost in the Machine (dualism) (2002, p. 11). Pinker is correct to challenge previous philosophical frameworks as they skew the way scientific research has been conducted. Present-day scientific and social research will only benefit from an acknowledgement of innate human nature.
In its most basic form, personality is what defines a person through their “…expression of emotions, relationship building, and their individual patterns of behavior…” (CITE). Two of the most prolific theories on the formation of personality were developed by neurologist Sigmund Freud and psychologist Carl Rogers. Both Freud and Rogers worked in psychotherapy, the area of therapy, which “…focuses on fostering a positive mental well-being…” (CITE). These men based their general theories of personality on their experiences with patients, however their conclusions are worlds apart. Rogers is recognized for his approach to therapy where the “…client…” has a more direct role in the process (CITE). Whereas Freud is best known for his work on the unconscious mind.
Since the beginning of the human race there has been a lingering question as to the origins of man and how all living things acquired their characteristics. The two main theories that arose over time were Creationism and Evolution, both of which provided very distinct answers to this question. Creationism based its answer on the idea of a supernatural power or being that created the entire universe, man and the numerous other organisms that live within it. While, Evolution theorizes that all living things have the potential to change and grow over time into something new and different. So in other words, one theory suggests that humans and all the organisms on Earth are the result of divine design, while the other indicates that they are only the result of environmental adaption and growth. However, as neither theory is without flaw and it is only through close examination that a true understanding of man’s origins can be obtained.
The following information is a researched paper on the conditions and evolution that made human beings. There of course comes great controversy with this topic. Many scientists and people in general see the human race as completely evolved. The main and simple argument of anti evolution-debaters is that there is no record of humans evolving drastically in recent history. Another common argument is simply why are there still monkeys if we have evolved from them? This paper will provide evidence that proves these assumptions wrong. significant research has been done to show that we are, in fact, still evolving.
The purpose of this academic piece is to critically discuss The Darwinist implication of the evolutionary psychological conception of human nature. Charles Darwin’s “natural selection” will be the main factor discussed as the theory of evolution was developed by him. Evolutionary psychology is the approach on human nature on the basis that human behavior is derived from biological factors and there are psychologists who claim that human behavior is not something one is born with but rather it is learned. According to Downes, S. M. (2010 fall edition) “Evolutionary psychology is one of the many biologically informed approaches to the study of human behavior”. This goes further to implicate that evolutionary psychology is virtually based on the claims of the human being a machine that can be programmed to do certain things and because it can be programmed it has systems in the body that allow such to happen for instance the nervous system which is the connection of the spinal cord and the brain and assists in voluntary and involuntary motor movements.
Human assets experts regularly utilize the Big Five identity measurements to help place workers. That is on account of these measurements are thought to be the hidden qualities that make up a singular 's general identity. The "enormous five" are general classes of identity characteristics. While there is a critical collection of writing supporting this five-component model of identity, specialists don 't generally concur on the accurate marks for each one measurement. The Big Five characteristics are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism:
In today’s society, one is constantly surrounded by individuals with different behaviors. Some will sacrifice his or her life for a complete stranger. However, there is some individuals who would take advantage of the weak and poor for his or her own personal gain. Now the question arises, what makes human beings behave the way they do? Being the topic of conflict of psychology for years, one usually turns to the nature verses nurture theory for the answer to that question. Some believes that a person is born with a certain personality, others believe it is an individual’s atmosphere that determines his or her attitude, and some even trusts the idea that it is a combination of genes and environment that dictates the conduct of an individual.
Stevenson, Leslie. The Study of Human Nature: A Reader. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Human beings have been struggling to learn the meaning of life since the first day. Ideologies are born as human’s interpretation of the world and belief system, also an endeavor to seek the truth of human nature. Ideologies emerge throughout the periods of great changes: the Enlightenment, the English “Glorious” Revolution, the American Revolution, etc. They have become the motivations, the standards, and the roots to modern political systems. Their roots are the philosophies developed by famous philosophers throughout the time. However, as each ideology is developed, its own contradiction also grows, takes place in the realm of actions. This, in turn, shows contradiction as human nature.
Abel, Donald C., ed. Theories of Human Nature: Classical and Contemporary Readings. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.
Human nature is not simply a measure of our human tendencies. It is both individual and collective. It does not explain why events happen. Instead, it explains the subconscious of each individual in the instant that events happen. The social order that best fits human nature is one where the informed opinions of everyone creates decisions and causes action. Madison’s argument for and against factions, Aristotle’s idea of ultimate happiness, and Locke’s concept of popular government and human rights all offer a significant component to the larger concept that is human nature. While some may argue that we will only fully understand human nature when we are met with death, still we can begin to capture a slight understanding to what governs human nature and the political order that helps it grow.
The concept of human nature has been theorized and debated repeatedly by philosophers throughout history; contrasting arguments regarding whether or not human beings are intrinsically competitive, or compassionate have been put forth by Thomas Hobbes and Peter Kropotkin. Understanding human nature is important in order to properly understand why human beings behave in the manner that they do, and whether or not all people instinctively are made to think similarly. Being equipped with this knowledge can allow for one to better understand events in history and different aspects of life, such as politics.