Ten Theories of Human Nature

by Stevenson, Leslie; Haberman, David L.

• ISBN13: 9780195169744
• ISBN10: 0195169743
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Over three previous editions, Ten Theories of Human Nature has been a remarkably popular introduction to some of the most influential developments in Western and Eastern thought. This thoroughly revised fourth edition features substantial new chapters on Aristotle and on evolutionary theories of human nature; the latter centers on Edward O. Wilson but also outlines the ideas of Emile Durkheim, B. F. Skinner, Nikolaas Tinbergen, Konrad Lorenz, Noam Chomsky, and recent evolutionary psychology. This edition also includes a rewritten introduction that invites readers (even if inclined toward fundamentalism or cultural relativism) to careful, critical thought about human nature; a useful new section that summarizes the history of ideas from the Stoics to the Enlightenment; and a new conclusion that suggests a way to synthesize the various theories.

Author Biography

David L. Haberman is Professor and Chair of Religious Studies at Indiana University at Bloomington.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction: Rival Theories and Critical Assessments	1	(9)
Chapter 1 Confucianism: The Way of the Sages	10	(37)
by David L. Haberman	27	(20)
Chapter 2 Upanishadic Hinduism: Quest for Ultimate Knowledge
by David L. Haberman	47	(1)
Chapter 3 The Bible: Humanity in Relation to God	47	(22)
Chapter 4 Plato: The Rule of Reason	69	(18)
Chapter 5 Aristotle: The Ideal of Human Fulfillment	87	(32)
Historical Interlude	105	(14)
Chapter 6 Kant: Reasons and Causes, History and Religion	119	(19)
Chapter 7 Marx: The Economic Basis of Human Societies	138	(18)
Chapter 8 Freud: The Unconscious Basis of Mind	156	(20)
Chapter 9 Sartre: Radical Freedom	176	(20)
Chapter 10 Darwinian Theories of Human Nature	196	(40)
Conclusion: Toward a Synthesis of the Theories?	236	(11)
Index	247