Philosophy of Human Nature (Introduction)

Philosophy of Human Nature (Introduction)

Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics—including ways of Thought thinking, feeling, and acting—which humans tend to have naturally. ... The complex implications of such questions are also dealt with in art and literature, the question of what it is to be human.

In this course, we will develop our own philosophical response to the question, what is a human being?

Now, there are many different answers you might give, if you’re a scientist, religious believer, anthropologist, psychologist, sociologist, economist, moralist or historian: You might say that we’re a bunch of quarks, atoms and neurons; just another kind of animal trying to adapt, survive and spread its genes; sinners seeking salvation and union with God; creative beings who express ourselves with language and art; the universe’s only self-conscious thinkers; moral agents dignified by freedom and autonomy; or unwitting products of the hidden drives of history, culture, economics, the body and the unconscious mind.

What we will do is think about those answers philosophically, by reflecting on the basic concepts that we use to understand ourselves as human beings: the mind, the body, the self, personal identity, beliefs and desires, intention and action, free will and moral responsibility, the individual and society. Our goal will be to decide what those philosophical concepts really mean, and which view of human nature interprets and uses those concepts in the way that best explains our uniquely human way of existing.

Here are some of the specific questions we will think about:

How is it possible to be a free, individual self who is responsible for your own thoughts and actions, if you are so thoroughly influenced by factors that seem outside of your control—be it God’s will; the prior course of history; your biological instincts; your social, cultural and economic climate; or the bodily desires and unconscious drives that shape the way you think and care about things?

What would it be to flourish as a human being, to cope well with all those conditions that constrain the integrity and success of your life?

How have our views about human nature and human flourishing changed throughout the history of philosophy?

Is it possible to know the right thing to do, and yet still do the wrong thing?

What is the nature and structure of the human mind (or ‘psyche,’ or ‘soul’)?

How can we justify the claim that we are free and responsible for our own actions?

What makes you the person you are? Are you always the same person over time? What roles do memory, thought, perception, the body and storytelling play in establishing your personal identity?

PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN NATURE

According to Aristotle, the philosophical study of human nature itself originated with Socrates, who turned philosophy from study of the heavens to study of the human things. ... By this account, using one's reason is the best way to live, and philosophers are the highest types of humans.

WHAT IS  NATURE OF MAN  ACCORDING TO PLATO?

It is the soul that knows the forms. He believed the soul exists before birth and after death. ... Plato viewed human beings as inherently rational, social souls burdened by imprisonment within their physical bodies. According to him, the soul or mind attains knowledge of the forms, as opposed to the senses.

Transcript of Human Nature According to Socrates & Plato

Socrates (470-399 B.C.)

Human Nature According to Socrates & Plato

Man is a being who thinks and wills

Knowledge and Virtue are not distinct from each other

A student who perfects the exam by cheating, while a student who gets zero in an exam, but never resorted to or attempted to cheat.

Distinguish who's the good student and who's the right the student.

Scenario

Human Nature According to Socrates & Plato

Socrates seems to put more emphasis on the attitudinal level of human nature since he gives more value to the human soul rather than the body

He argued that the human soul should be nurtured properly through acquisition of knowledge, wisdom, and virtue

Man should discover the truth about the good life, for it is in knowing the good life that man can act correctly

When we say right

it means proper, correct, or what is in atonement to laws, rules, policies, or regulations.

When we say good

, it means desirable, or that which offers satisfaction

Right Thing vs. Good Thing

A man who converges ( coincide, join, unite, merge )  the two into one is a wise man

Knowledge  (facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.) and Virtue (behavior showing high moral standards) is literally taken by Socrates as the ultimate criterion of action

Knowing what is right means doing what is right

Socrates believed that nobody willingly chooses to do wrong

He maintained that doing wrong always harmed the wrongdoer and that nobody seeks to bring harm upon themselves.

Wrongdoing is the result of ignorance.

This means that it is impossible for a human being to willingly do wrong because their instinct for self interest prevents them from doing so.

Socrates insists that all sorts of evil or all kinds of evil acts are circumstantial(pointing indirectly toward someone's guilt but not conclusively proving it.)

He adheres to the idea that man does evil only accidentally due to ignorance

This means all criminals, immoral individuals, sinners, and the like are wallowing (something that creates a pleasurable sensation )in the unfathomable (incapable of being fully explored or understood ) abyss (  a wide or profound difference between people  ) of their ignorance of their offenses.

Meaning of Human Nature

Plato (422-347 B.C.)

MEANING OF HUMAN NATURE ACCORDING TO PLATO

Human being is divided into two component parts: the body and the soul.

It is the soul that knows the forms. He believed the soul exists before birth and after death.

There is a need for the soul to purify itself from the body, and the soul will be completely purified from the body only at death. Only in death will the soul be free from the distractions and cares of the body; then the soul will be able to fully pursue its task of contemplating the Ideas.

Plato viewed human beings as inherently rational, social souls burdened by imprisonment within their physical bodies.

According to him, the soul or mind attains knowledge of the forms, as opposed to the senses.

“…the gods made the soul prior to be the body and more venerable in birth and excellence to be the body’s mistress and governor.”

Man is a soul using a body.

The Human person is naturally a social being.

Plato also emphasized the social aspect of human nature. We are not self-sufficient, we need others, and we benefit from our social interactions, from other persons talents, aptitudes, and their friendship which allows man to rise above an animal existence and to become fully human.

Thank you!

The Tripartite Theory of the Soul:

Three aspects of the human soul according to Plato: reason, spirit and the appetites.

Plato is a dualist [both immaterial mind (soul) and material body].

Three-Fold Level of Human Nature

1.) Somatic Level

- refers to the body, substance, constitution, or stuff of man and secondarily to the bodily structure

2.) Behavioral Level - refers to the mode of acting of every man

3.) Attitudinal Level - refers to the mental reaction of man to a given stimulus. acclaimed as the greatest philosopher in Western civilization a well-known Sophist (Greek teachers)in which he shared his knowledge to others

Since, there are no written works of Socrates we got everything we know about him through his dialogues with other philosophers and common citizens. It was his disciples that recorded his understandings.

Socrates

Human- refers to anything exclusively pertinent to man

Nature - from Latin word "natus" which means to be born or being born. It is the ultimate operation of reality

Human Nature - refers to anything exclusively human which man intrinsically possess right at his birth. Humans can be universal  and  static.