human nature Flashcards
human potential
- polar opposites of human nature: selfless priest n cold blooded murderer
we have potential to be both
Thomas Hobbes
(1588-1679)
- humans=selfish n brutish
- the purpose of life is to conquer this nature n create just and fair societies
- this can be done by force like police
- “The Life of man, solitary, poor, brutish, and short”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: (1712-1778)
- humans=generous n act diff when the situation causes them to
- purpose of society should be to remove barriers that had resulted in r loss of freedom
- so try and regain r natural state as helpful, just n social beings.
jean famous quote
chains-hint
‘man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.’
meaning were born w free will but society n laws restrict human potential
augustines life
- born N africa to catholic mum n merchant dad=poor family
- he got best possible education
- didnt have faith but knew about crhistianity
- 16-went to study law at carthage but ended up doing rhetoric
- didnt enjoy it there n called it a ‘hissing cauldron of lust’
- read ciceros hortensius as part of his studies, the first serious philosphy book he read-caused his desire to pursue widsom
- found bible full of contradictions n couldnt answer question raised by cicero
- encountered manicheans who gave him answers he wanted n gulped down their teachings
- they believed they had the truth n hated catholics
- his mum=appaled until a bishop advised her he would soon grow tired of it
manicheism
- while studying cicero, he was interested in problem of evil n suffering
- M provided rational world view he desired
- they were dualists
- 2 souls- 1 good n 1 evil
- evil cause by lower evil power
- world=battle of light n dark, soul=light trapped in human body
- must liberate soul to return to greater light so reject bodys cravings for material world
- done by prayer n abstince from enjoyements of evil eg lust
- he took a mistress n had son-adeodatus
platonism
- became dissatisfied w manicheisms lack of expl for universe based on science=concluded it was superstition
- turned to platonists, but they diff from thought of plato
- under influence of plotinus-
- soul n body should wokr in harmony but soul cant control body in material world=evil n suffering
- once soul seperates itself from material n merge w the one,truth, wisdom n happines= achieved
- ‘evil is not a substance’
- combod plato w new test= jesus dint die for sins instead could be enlighted by the one= form of christianity
- naoplatonism=key role in his theology
- solved problem of evil n suffering for him
- evil=not seperate power but absence of good
- still felt inner conflict which intellect alone couldnt fix
conversion to christinaity
- ## met catholic bishop ambrose- who was often sought after for his wisdom
life as a christian bishop
- joined a monastic ommunity in home town n became priest
- age 41- became bishop of hippo n stayed 34 yrs until death
- last year was dominated by struggles w/donatists n pelagians (altered his theology the most)
dispute w the pelagians
- 411AD till death=big shift in theology
- pelagius=monk who didnt believe in og sin caused universal guilt which only god could remove
- taught humans have suffecient free will to overcome it instead and:
1. even if adam didnt sin he woiuldve died
2. his son only harmed himself, not human race
3. kids=born in antelapsarian state
4. human race doesnt die via his sin nor rise aagin in christ
5. before christ, some men lived w/out sin - he opposed P=HN after fall=entirely corrupt n og sin is passed via generations
- so only way to alleviate sin=via gods grace as were incapable of choosing to do good or follow god alone
- only few recieved this grace, the elect
- ironic-this=reminiscent of manicheism which he had rejected
foucault
“Human nature”, like any other quality, is taught to us.
We are socialised n educated to think n behave in a particular way n what is considered to be “human nature” often happens to be exactly what the rulers of a society want from their subjects/citizens.
marx
There is no such thing as human nature.
Humans have to work n create to guarantee their survival, everything else they do is just a product of their environment.
eg, business people will argue that humans r selfish n greedy because this is the behaviour that is rewarded in a capitalist society.
