Philosophy- Core- Human Nature
- Created by: Maria Rumbol
- Created on: 30-03-13 15:02
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- Human Nature
- Hobbes
- Life in the state of nature would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short'
- believes no governments, laws or prisons would lead to disaster as we compete for the limited goods we desire
- The state of nature is essentially a war for every individual, with no security or happiness
- Because life in the state of nature would be so appaling, we would be willing to sign a Social Contract- saying we will obey certain rules.
- we are motivated by our selfish desires for safety and certainty and recognise that this can only be achieved if we agree to live by certain rules- e.g. a monarchy- one ruler everyone obeys and we avoid quarrel which would lead back to the state of nature
- Believed humans were complicated machines whose God built purpose was to survive at all costs 'maintain their virtual motion'
- we are filled with desires for things that help us survive 'appetites'; and wish to avoid things that will harm us 'aversions'.
- a psychological egoist- believes we're motivated and concerned only by our own needs 'the object is to every man his own good.
- claims we are not incomplete without our society and do not really enjoy the company of others. e.g. friendship is a business arrangement whereby people use eachother for mutual benefit.
- Life in the state of nature would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short'
- Rousseau
- 'man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains'- refers to the social contract
- The state of nature is a state of paradise- people are isolated, there is no property, and the 'noble savage' takes only what is necessary
- no greed or competition only peace.
- People are not equal but there's no compatition to fight for and thus no reason to fear eachother
- no greed or competition only peace.
- In common with animals, humans naturally have self-love and compassion
- Society only arrises as a result of natural disaster
- In groups hierarchies emerge, concept of property emerges, which in turn creates jealousy, greed and competition
- 'Socialable man, always outside himself, can only live in the opinion of others'
- people use their compassion in a selfish drive to gain power.
- Property has caused evils of the world- it was the beginning of society- also the cause of jealousy, unfairness and wars
- The Social Contract is used to protect the wealthy, ruling few.
- In groups hierarchies emerge, concept of property emerges, which in turn creates jealousy, greed and competition
- Aristotle
- 'man is by nature, a political animal'
- we are natural social beings and by nature are members of society, not self-intererested individuals
- Without society you are incomplete- it would be impossible to achieve Eudaimonia
- We crave the company of others
- Language is evidence for this
- evolutionary perspective- from the beginning we lived in groups
- society is a force which designed humans and intends for us to live socially
- Language is evidence for this
- those who live outside of society are more like animals
- Without socialisation and interaction we would lack humanity
- 'Feral Children' is used as evidence
- Without socialisation and interaction we would lack humanity
- 'man is by nature, a political animal'
- Herder
- There is no such thing as human nature- we are simple a notion of biology
- Human nature is not universal but cultural.- there is not set human nature
- linked to shared experience and language
- Our modes of thinking and acting are formed by the society we live within, so human nature is not universal
- character is formed entirely by socialisation
- We are influenced by others as we grow, so our nature is malleable
- The development of our characted is something we do as a group
- linked to shared experience and language
- Our identity is not a matter of choice- it is given to us by our group
- The development of our characted is something we do as a group
- We are influenced by others as we grow, so our nature is malleable
- There is no such thing as human nature- we are simple a notion of biology
- Hobbes
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