Ten Theories of Human Nature

by Stevenson, Leslie; Haberman, David L.

• ISBN13: 9780195120400
• ISBN10: 019512040X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-05-21
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

With over a quarter of a million copies sold since 1974, Seven Theories of Human Nature was a remarkably popular introduction to key points of Western thought. Now completely revised, taking into account the most recent scholarship, and expanded to include Eastern thinkers, Ten Theories of Human Nature is more appealing than ever, with added chapters on Hinduism and Confucianism as well as a new chapter on Kant. The virtues of the book remain the same, compressing into a small space the essence of such thinkers as Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Jean Paul Sartre, B.F. Skinner, and Konrad Lorenz. Moreover, the authors juxtapose the ideas of these and other thinkers in a way that helps us to understand how humanity has struggled to comprehend its nature. We see, for instance, how Skinner's theories, which assert the primacy of learned behavior, are undercut by Lorenz's studies of animals, which suggest that complex behavior can occur prior to learning. To bring these comparisons into sharp relief, the book examines each theorist on four points on the nature of the universe, on the nature of humanity, on the ills of the world, and on the proposed cure for these ills. And at the same time, we are treated to fascinating analyses of some of the most influential books ever written, from Sartre's Being and Nothingness and Konrad Lorenz's On Aggression , to Plato's Republic and The Bible. Ten Theories of Human Nature will engage anyone curious about who we are, what motivates us, and how we can understand and improve the world.

Author Biography

Leslie Stevenson is Reader in Logic and Metaphysics at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Rival Theories - and Critical Assessments of Them

Three Ancient Religious Traditions

Confucianism: The Way of the Sages

Upanishadic Hinduism: Quest for Ultimate Knowledge

The Bible (Old and New Testaments): Humanity in Relation to God

Five Philosohical Thinkers

Plato: The Rule of Reason

Kant: Reason and Freedom, History, and Grace

Marx: The Economic Basis of Human Nature

Freud: The Unconscious Basis of Human Nature

Sartre: Atheistic Existentialism

Two Samples Of Scientific Theorizing

Behaviorist Psychology: Skinner on Conditioning

Evolutionary Psychology: Lorenz on Aggression

Conclusion

Towards a Unified Understanding: Nine Types of Psychology

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