WHAT IS HUMAN NATURE?

METAPHYSICS – AN INTRODUCTION

METAPHYSICS

•ONE OF OUR BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY•DEALS WITH EXPLAINING THE FUNDAMENTAL NATURE OF BEING AND THE WORLD THAT ENCOMPASSES IT

WHAT IS YOUR NATURE?•WHO AM I? •ALREADY UNDERSTANDING THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF•YOU ARE DIFFERENT FROM ROCKS, TABLES, AND OTHER PEOPLE•AS HUMAN BEINGS, YOU WALK UPRIGHT, WITHIN FAMILY GROUPINGS, AND PROBABLY APPRECIATE LAUGHTER IN THE USE OF LANGUAGE

GROWING WISDOM•AS YOU GROW IN WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE….•YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND MORE PRECISELY WHO YOU ARE, AND WHAT YOU NATURE IS AS A HUMAN BEING•WHAT ARE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HUMAN NATURE?

1) INDIVIDUAL NATURE•REFERS TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONAL TALENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE•PERSONAL TRAITS•MORAL CHARACTERISTICS•REFERS TO A COLLECTION OF STRICTLY HUMAN ABILITIES (WRITE, PLAY SPORTS)

2) HUMAN NATURE•REFERS TO A GENERAL SET OF DISTINGUISHING FEATURES – BELONG TO ALL HUMAN BEINGS, REGARDLESS OF WHERE WHEN AND HOW THEY LIVE•DISTINGUISH HUMAN BEINGS FROM ALL OTHER BEINGS

WHAT DOES NATURE MEAN?•CAN SOMETIMES MEAN THE SAME THING, DEPENDING ON HOW IT IS USED•FOUND IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THINGS AS DIVERS AS BLUE

SKIES, PLANTS, MINERALS, AD FOODS•MAY ALSO REFER TO GENES AND THE STUFF OF WHICH A

THING IS MADE – FURNITURE IS MADE OF WOOD, IT MAY BE ADVERTISED AS ALL NATURAL – SOMEONE IS GOOD AT BASEBALL – A NATURAL•DEPENDING ON THE CONTEXT, NATURE MAY REFER TO

SOMETHING:1)EXTERNAL – SUCH AS HOW A FRUIT IS GROWN2)INTERNAL – SUCH AS YOUR GENES OR SOUL

•NATURE CAN ALSO REFER TO THE POTENTIAL YOU HAVE TO BECOME EITHER THIS OR THAT TYPE OF PERSON•FEATURES OF A NATURE – (SEED WITH THE POTENTIAL TO GROW INTO A YELLOW FLOWER) IS THIS FEATURE TYPICAL OF THE SEED?•LIKEWISE, THERE MAY BE MANY FEATURES TYPICAL OF HUMANS (IN THEIR NATURE) – WALKING UPRIGHT, USE OF TOOLS, RATIONALITY

WHAT HUMAN NATURE IS NOT!!!•GOOD EXAMPLE – FLYING IS NOT SOMETHING THAT COMES NATURAL TO HUMANS!!!•WHAT ELSE IS NOT NATURAL TO HUMANS?

ARE THERE GOOD AND EVIL NATURES?•SOME PEOPLE PERFORM GOOD ACTIONS, WHILE OTHERS COMMIT EVIL ACTIONS – PAUL BERNARDO, 9/11 TERRORISTS•THERE ARE ALSO PEOPLE WHO PERFORM ACTS TO HELP

OTHERS –RICK HANSEN•RICK HANSEN CONTINUES TO RAISE MONEY FOR

RESEARCH, WHILE PAUL BERNARDO IS ROTTING IS PRISON•WHAT MOTIVATED THESE INDIVIDUALS TO THEIR

ACTIONS? IS THERE SOMETHING IN HUMAN NATURE THAT MAKES PEOPLE DO GOOD OR EVIL THINGS?•IS HUMAN NATURE INHERENTLY GOOD OR EVIL?

QUESTIONS ??????????1)SHOULD CRIMINALS BE PUNISHED OR REFORMED?

2)CAN A CRIMINAL BE CURED OF HIS/HER CRIMINAL TENDENCIES?

3)DO CRIMINALS HAVE A CRIMINAL NATURE THAT IS AN UNCHANGEABLE PART OF THEM?

THOMAS HOBBES (1588-1679)• ENGLISH PHILOSOPHER•HUMANS BORN SELF INTERESTED, ONLY

LOOKING OUT FOR THEMSELVES• LEVIATHAN – DESCRIBES HUMAN LIFE IN

THE STATE OF NATURE AS:•SOLITARY, POOR, BRUTISH, NASTY, AN

SHORT• IN THE ABSENCE OF A STATE AND A

STRONG POLITICAL AUTHORITY CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING LAW AND ORDER, THE MEMBER OF SOCIETY BEING PURELY SELF INTERESTED, WOULD FIND THEMSELVES IN A CONSTANT STATE OF WAR WITH ONE ANOTHER

HOBBES …•IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES (IN THE STATE OF NATURE) HUMANS WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO LEAD CIVILIZED LIVES•HUMANS WOULD BE PREVENTED FROM PROTECTING THE MOST BASIC OF THEIR INTERESTS•REALIZING THIS….PEOPLE AGREE TO SUBMIT THEMSELVES TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE

WHAT IS CONSCIENCE?•IN CARTOONS WE HAVE SEEN IT! ANGEL AND DEVIL ON YOUR SHOULDERS•SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO BEFORE MAKING AN IMPORTANT DECISION•THE IDEA OF CONSCIENCE IS PROMINENT IN WESTERN CULTURE•IF IT PLAYS SUCH A PROMINENT PART IN NATURE, WHAT IS IT? VOICE IN YOUR HEAD? •IT MAY BE A FUNCTION OF THE MIND ---- A MORAL BAROMETER

MORAL BAROMETER•CAN GAUGE EACH ACTION OR POSSIBLE ACTIONS THE

PERSON MAY COMMIT•MIND WILL GAUGE IF THE ACTION IS GOOD OR BAD•GIVING THE PERSON A GOOD OR AD FEELING – THIS

CAN INFLUENCE WHETHER THE PERSON WILL COMMIT THE ACT•MAYBE CONSCIENCE IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR

COMMON SENSE? OR REASONABLE THINKING?

•ALTERNATIVELY, IT MIGHT BE A SURVIVAL INSTINCT – LIKE ANIMALS SENSE DANGER •MAYBE CONSCIENCE IS HOW YOUR BODY LOOKS OUT FOR ITS BEST INTEREST•IS IT PART OF HUMAN NATURE? ARE WE ALL BORN WITH IT?

IS YOUR NATURE DEFINED BY SOUL???•REMEMBER YOUR SOUL??•PERHAPS THE GOOD AND BAD FEELINGS ASSOCIATE WITH CONSCIENCE ARE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER•SOME THINK THAT WHO YOU ARE, YOUR NATURE IS A FUNCTION OF SOUL

PLATO ON THE SOUL TRAIN•BELIEVE THAT THE SOUL IS WHAT

ANIMATED THE BODY, WHEN A PERSON DIES, THE CORPSE IS NOT REFERRED TO AS A PERSON, RATHER THE PERSON IS SPOKEN OF AS BEING GONE•FOR PLATO, SOUL IS A NON MATERIAL

LIFE FORCE•THE CENTRE OF ALL THAT IS A PERSON

PLATO ON HUMAN NATURE•DESCRIBED IT FROM A DUALISTIC POINT

OF VIEW•DUALISM: THE VIEW THAT HUMANS ARE

MADE OF 2 PARTS – BODY + SOUL (MIND)•BELIEVED THAT THE SOUL IS MADE OF A

PHYSICAL SUBSTANCE, BUT NONETHELESS IS INDESTRUCTIBLE•THE SOUL EXISTS BEFORE BIRTH, AND

CONTINUES AFTER THE BODY’S DEATH

PLATO ON SOUL TRAIN…AGAIN• FURTHER DIVIDED THE SOUL INTO 3 PARTS:•APPETITE – DESIRES, LUSTS, AND HUNGERS

(CAR ACCIDENT , LOOK AT CARNAGE)•SPIRIT - WILL DIRECT YOU TO TURN AWAY IN

DISGUST, OR OFFER HELP•REASON – WILL ENGAGE IN THOUGHT,

DELIBERATES, AND MAKES JUDGEMENTS• - PLATO THOUGHT THE BEST TYPE OF

HUMAN IS GUIDED MOSTLY BY REASON

BERTRAND RUSSELL ON CONSCIENCE

• ENGLISH PHILOSOPHER (1872 – 1970)• POINT OUT PROBLEM WITH CONSCIENCE – CANNOT BE

TRUSTED•ONE PERSON WILL SAY IT IS THEIR CONSCIENCE TO GO

TO WAR, WHILE ANOTHER PERSON’S WILL TELL THEM TO CONDEMN WAR•CONSCIENCE RESPONSIBLE FOR OPPOSITE POSITIONS• THIS CONFUSION CASTS DOUBT ON THE RELIABILITY OF

CONSCIENCE (LEARNED BEHAVIOUR, NOT INTERNAL)

WHY IS THE SOUL PROBLEMATIC?

•MUCH LIKE CONSCIENCE, DISCUSSION PRESENTS PROBLEMS• IT ITS NOT PHYSICAL, LIKE THE BRAIN, CAN IT

BE FOUND?•QUESTIONS ARE PROBLEMATIC•THEREFORE, YOU MAY CONCLUDE THAT THE

VIEW THAT HUMANS HAVE SOULS, AN INVISIBLE AND MYSTERIOUS ENTITY WITHIN EACH PERSON, IS DEEPLY PROBLEMATIC

IS HUMAN NATURE PHYSICAL?THOMAS H. HUXLEY (1825 – 1895)

-BRITISH WRITER-THOUGHT THAT BENEATH A THIN VENEER OF CIVILIZED

BEHAVIOUR, HUMAN BEINGS ARE DOMINATED BY ANIMAL LIKE DESIRES THAT CONSTANTLY THRIVE FOR SATISFACTION AND PLEASURE-PLACES HUMANS AS PARTY EVIL (ACCORDING TO

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS)- DEFINED AS THE STRUGGLE TO CONQUER THE BRUTE

WITHIN

EXISTENTIALISM – THE FREE DOCTRINE•BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO HUMAN NATURE OR HUMAN

ESSENCE PRE-EXISTING OUR APPEARANCE OF THE WORLD •HUMANS THROWN RANDOMLY INTO A DIFFERENT WORLD

WITHOUT ANY HIGHER, OR GOD GIVEN PLAN OR PURPOSE•ADRIFT, ROOTLESS, AND ABANDONED, HUMAN BEINGS

MUST DEFINE AND CHOOSE THEMSELVES FROM THE GROUND UP•HUMANS ARE COMPLETELY FREE IN THIS PROJECT OF

SELF-DEFINITION

•MOST PEOPLE FLEE THIS OVERWHELMING FREEDOM, OR DENY IT, OR DECEIVE THEMSELVES ABOUT IT

ALBERT CAMUS (1913-1960)-WROTE ABOUT GREEK HERO SISYPHUS – CONDEMNED TO PUSH A ROCK UP A HILL FOR ETERNITY-WOULD SPEND ALL DAY PUSHING THIS ROCK UP A HILL ONLY TO WATCH IT ROLL BACK DOWN-CAMUS BELIEVED THIS REPRESENTED THE ABSURDITY OF LIFE – UNENDING, FRUSTRATING TASKS WITH NO FINAL MEANING-ADMIRED SISYPHUS FOR NOT GIVING UP IN THE FACE OF HIS CHALLENGES

JEAN-PAUL SARTRE (1905-1980)-AN ATHEIST, JUST LIKE CAMUS-BELIEVED THERE WAS NO PLAN FOR HUMANS BY A GOD

OR SUPREME BEING-BEING RADICALLY FREE MAKES IT IMPORTANT TO LIVE

AUTHENTICALLY AND RESPONSIBLY-SOMETIMES THIS CAN MEAN CHOOSING TO HELP OTHERS

AND CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY-COWARDICE IN SUICIDE-YOU MUST TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR

EXISTENCE

IS YOUR CHOICE LIMITED?•SINCE EXISTENTIALISTS BELIEVE THERE IS NO GOD WITH A PLAN•HUMAN BEINGS MUST CHOOSE THEIR OWN PATH•SOCIAL, HISTORICAL, AND CULTURAL FORCES INFLUENCE THIS DECISION

GEORGE HEGEL (1770-1831) GERMAN PHILOSOPHER•HUMAN NATURE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON HISTORY AND CULTURE•HUMAN NATURE CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD INDEPENDENTLY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG HUMAN BEINGS•LARGER HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL FORCES THAT SWEEP THEM ALONG THE PATH OF HISTORY