Nature of life

Nature of life

Nature = the sum of qualities and traits shared by all human beings.

Humans are purely physical beings/have a soul

• NATURALISTS
  • Humans are half genetics and half environment
  • Completely physical, material creatures; complex, highly organised collection of atoms, mplecules, cells, neurons, muscles bon etc.
  • No self, no soul, all unique
  • PRODUCED BY EVOLUTION
• HUMANISTS (Richard Norman)
  • Humans are relational and therefore share a developed sense of humanity.
  • There is more to a human being than just physical
  • e.g. humans can act compassionately -> recognise humanity
• SUSAN BLACKMORE
  • Nothing non-physical about us
  • Consciousness is a product of the brain
  • 'All the jobs that were given to the soul are being done by the brain.'
• TO BE HUMAN IS TO BE PART OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
• PHYSICAL COMPOSITION OF A HUMAN
  • 75-85% water
  • 99% oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, calcium, phosporous
• DAWKINS
  
  • The nature of human life can be understood by evolution.
  • 'Life is just bytes and bytes of digital information'
  • Fully physical beings with nothing special about us
• CHRISTIANS - IMAGO DEI
  
  • Ken Ham = literally created in the image of God
  • Hick = created in God's image and grow in His likeness
  • Modern Christians = symbolic

Humans have a self

• HUMANITY IS MONISTIC IN NATURE
  
  • People do not have a 'transcendental kernel' which could exist apart from their body or even after death.
  • Our sense of 'self' is purely product of the brain (BLACKMORE)
    • TWO IMPLICATIONS: 1) We do not possess a soul. 2) No permanent 'self', as bran which generates awareness is always changing.
• ROMAN CATHOLICS
  
  • Humans are dualistic creatures
  • Possess a physical body and an eternal soul (continue to exist beyond)
  • 'Life after death death' may be spiritual
• PROTESTANTS
  
  • Humans are monisitic beings
  • Soul = symbolic - cannot exist apart from our bodies
• ANATTA (no self)
  
  • An individual's ego is a delusion
  • No permanence to human existence
  • Consciousness is a flowing river of emotions rather than a fixed object
  • Nagasena - We have a name, but it is only a title.
    

Human nature is to suffer

• DUKKHA (suffering)
  • 3 Forms:
    • Plain, ordinary suffering
    • Frustration of desires
    • Watching suffering of others
  • Everything in life is suffering - all humans are born into suffering.
  • Suffering is caused by craving, which is caused by impermanence
  • Tanha - craving - suffering = our own craving/selfish desires = our own ignorance
  • Annicca - impermanence - everything is changing

Free will

• EXISTENTIALISTS (Sartre)
  • No 'divinely decreed' essence of human nature, no soul or spirit
  • SARTRE: Man is unique - he first appears upon the scene (in absence of divine authority) and only after defines himself
  • No God, so we are free
• LIBERATARIANISM
  
  • Free and morally responsible for our actions
  • Humans believe they have self-determination or freedom
  • AQUINAS: 'Man chooses not of necessity, but freely'
• SOFT DETERMINISM
  • Some acts are determinned but we…