Know Thyself?

1. Know Thyself? Lesson 3: What is the Nature of Man?

2. Whether or not the proper study of mankind is man, it is the only study in which the knower and the known are one, in which the object of science is the nature of the scientist! Should We????

3. cogito ergo sum

4. Is man a rational animal, and does that definition imply that only man has reason, and not animals in general? Does man have freewill, and is he alone in that capacity? Does man differ from animals is essence or in kind from the rest of creation, or does man differ in degree in the properties from animals? What is Man’s nature?

5. Man is simply a better animal. Charles Darwin

6. Man is obviously different Reasonable Governs the rest of nature Self-knowing “Magnanimous to correspond to Heaven” John Milton

7. Language which describes abstract ideas makes man unique Evil Brutish Short-lived Tom Hobbes

8. Man can think of ideas, but no freewill • Basically • Good • Once educated John Locke

9. Man is simply an animal that can make free choices from alternatives present Rousseau

10. Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them. • Samuel Butler Lunch!!

11. It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from apes. • H.L. Mencken Apes???

12. Man is different because he is both mind and body, while animals are merely body, both must be nurtured Descartes

13. What is man, when you come to think upon him, but a minutely set, ingenious machine for turning, with infinite artfulness, the red wine of Shiraz into urine? • Isak Dinesen Usefulness of Man

14. Man is basically good, rational, and capable of satisfying his own dissatisfaction with available resources, but not perfect Ludwig von Mises

15. All things are classifiable (Linnaeus) • All higher classes have characteristics of the lower • All things have two traits: accidental and essential • Accidental: sex, space, weight, race, hair, color • Essential: all things have “nature” which make them unique from other things Classification of Man

16. All physical things take up space and have weight All living things eat, grow and reproduce Animals think, learn, have intelligence Classification of Man

17. Things Ideas Physical Things Living Non-living Minerals Animals Plants Elements Composite Man

18. Political Animal Rational Freewill (Moral virtue) Governs nature (Video) Knows ego Both Mind and Body Thinks ideas and abstracts MAN

19. Capacity for Virtue Desires to be virtuous Desires knowledge Nearly always acts with an end in view Plays philosophical games MAN

20. Productive • Maker of Beauty • Practical • Doer of Good • Speculative • Thinker of Truth Real humans have three dimensions

21. But most of all man must be happy, man’s ultimate goal

22. Act with a purpose • Act towards our desires • Wanting only what is needed (which is always good) • Wanting only what is good • Wants v Needs • There is only one need: to live fully • Wants are individual desires in different people to satisfy the desire of happiness Happiness: the ultimate good, end in life: a good life well-lived

23. Goods v “The Good” Goods are the things that lead to The Good Some goods seem essential Others not, yet still wanted (That’s Okay) Goods vs. Good

24. Life • being (Eat, grow, produce, reproduce) • interacting (Politically, socially, economically) • learning How to pursue: the only human purpose

25. Changing or adapting • Material (out of which) • Efficient (by which) • Formal (into which) • Final (for the sake of which) • Leading a purposeful life How to pursue: the only human purpose

26. Is there a difference? • Yet plants and animals do all those • The Good life, only human • Good habits and goods morals • The examined life

27. #1: Real goods (Can have too much, or led astray by them) • Health, vitality, vigor, pleasure • Food, drink, clothing, shelter, sleep, leisure • Knowledge (skills, know-how, facts) • Association, love • Pleasure of art • Making, acquiring knowledge • Honor (if deserved) and self-esteem Four tools needed

28. #2: Moral Virtue: the Skill of making right choices, moderation • Vice is making bad choices • Can never have too much virtue • Only one not actually external to a person • Can’t be given or taken away, but can be practiced, or modeled Four tools

29. Temperance: Seeking only the amount of real goods needed • Resist the lure of pleasure • Know limit of apparent goods • Courage: Accepting the pain involved in doing what we ought to do for a good life • Cowardice is avoiding the “good” pain • Justice: Assisting in the pursuit of others’ happiness Three parts to Virtue

30. So then, What is Morality? • Honesty • Humility • Responsibility • Self-discipline • Courage • Self-reliance • Long-term Thinking

31. #3: Liberty • Government resting on Justice, serving the common good Four tools

32. #4: Good Luck!!???!! Four tools

33. The Nature of Man and Society To Play the Video

34. The following are a few more of my beliefs: I believe that El Niño is an international conspiracy perpetrated by evil roofing contractors. I believe it's high time The Beatles came clean on that whole "Paul is dead" thing. I believe that anyone who can read and speak clearly can be a network news anchorperson -- but not necessarily a weatherman. I believe that if I rid myself of insatiable cravings, lusts, paranoia, deep-seated anger and ill-will towards others, I'll be a much better person. I believe that TV is the cause of all the violence and immorality in our society -- ha! just kidding. I believe there's no business like show business, although if you're over-paid for feeding a big, scary monster, then that might be sort of like it. That's all for now, gottago. Nope, also, that lasagna is life’s support.