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Human Nature 2.2

Human Nature 2.2. Traditional Rationalistic View. Reason is humanity’s highest power. The human is viewed primarily as a thinker capable of reasoning. PLATO – Appetite, reason, aggression are the three main parts of human nature.

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Human Nature 2.2

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  1. Human Nature2.2

  2. Traditional Rationalistic View • Reason is humanity’s highest power. • The human is viewed primarily as a thinker capable of reasoning. • PLATO – • Appetite, reason, aggression are the three main parts of human nature. • Because reason can know how we ought to live, it should rule appetites and aggression • If a person always gives in to his appetites or aggressive impulses, these will enslavw him and reaons can no longer rule them.

  3. Traditional Rationalistic View • ARTISTOTLE • Reason is our highest power and is what distinguishes human nature • All living things have a purpose. The purpose of humans is to use their reason to think and to control desires and aggressions.

  4. Traditional Judeo-Christian View • This view says humans are made in the image of God because they have will and intellect; the purpose is to serve God • We are capable of good and evil. Refusing to serve God is the greatest evil. Refusal expressed as injustice, vanity, pride, and dishonesty • Christians like Augustine adopted Plato’s view that the self or soul is rational, immaterial, and immortal and not basically self-interested. • This view may not be supported by modern science and may imply a cultural superiority that justifies destroying other cultures. (colonization)

  5. Darwinian Challenge Animals and plants are sometimes born with features that are different from their parents but can pass on to their offspring creating ‘variations’ • Natural selection – survival of the fittest. Therefore a species can change and become a new species. A new species can evolve entirely.

  6. Darwinian Challenge • Scary if your apply these ideas to humans • This means that humans have evolved into a new species through natural selection • Therefore our ability to reason is not unique but just a more developed animal ability

  7. Darwinian ChallengeImplications for Traditional View • Darwin denies that humans are unique based on reason. Reason is just a more developed animal ability. Also takes God out of the picture because God gave us reason. • According to Traditionalists, humans were designed with a purpose (legs to walk,,,) and Darwin undermines) this idea. The outcomes are by chance, not purpose.

  8. Darwinian ChallengeReactions • Some point to problems with Darwin’s theory (lacks definitive proof). Some agree with microevolution (change within the species) but not macroevolution (change of species).

  9. Darwinian ChallengeReactions • Some argue its a mistake to think that evolution proves that human nature is not designed with a purpose. • Even if evolution occurs, God can direct evolutionl so evolution is the tool God uses to design humans for a purpose

  10. Darwinian ChallengeReactions • Attack Darwin’s claim that there is no fundamental or qualitative difference between the cognitive abilities of many nonhuman animals and the reasoning ability of humans • Other critics say reason is unique to humans in particular the use of linguistic reasoning and communication

  11. Existentialist Challenge • Existentialism holds that humans are whatever they make themselves. It denies any essential human nature through free, responsible choices and actions. • Therefore, humans do not have a fixed rational nature or a fixed purpose

  12. Existentialist Challenge • Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980) • Says there is no God to determine our nature, so humans have no purpose or nature except the one they make themselves. We are free and fully responsible for what we are. • Knowing this, causes anguish (making decisions and accepting responsibility for consequences). • For example, if we are depressed it’s because we choose to be.

  13. Existentialist Challenge • Humans deceive themselves by pretending they are not free and thus responsible. Sartre refers to this as ‘bad faith’ • Existentialism says there is no universal human nature, no purpose for human nature. We are responsible for ourselves. • We create our own nature.

  14. Feminist Challenge • Philosophy discriminates against women • Feminists claim the traditional view is sexist • Aristotle claimed men were associated with reason whereas women do not share fully in reason. Consequently, men should rule over women.

  15. Feminist Challenge • Plato – reason should rule over our desires and emotions. Aristotle took this one step further attributing males with reason and women with desires and emotions. • The rationalistic view justifies oppression of women because men are rational and women are not. • The rationalistic view assumes it is good to cultivate male rationality and female qualities should be restrained (desires and emotions)

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