“If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated”. Voltaire.
“Man is born free yet is everywhere in chains”, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762), The Social Contract
“We are the product of 4.5 billion years of fortuitous, slow biological evolution. There is no reason to think that the evolutionary process has stopped. Man is a transitional animal. He is not the climax of creation”. Carl Sagan
“There is no human nature”. Sartre, Existentialism and Humanism
This course explores diverse beliefs about (or theories of) human nature and the role of nurture (or social conditioning) in the formulation of those beliefs.
Theories of human nature and whether there is, or are, any universal human values underpin social, legal, political and economic systems. For example: Karl Marx’s theory of human nature as the totality of socio-economic relations is sometimes cited as justification for communism; Sartre’s beliefs that there is only subjective individual choice and there are no objective human values justifies liberal democracy.
Scrutinising our justification for our personal beliefs about human nature is important for making properly informed decisions about the way to live one’s life.
In this course, speakers from diverse backgrounds and professions will aid our exploration. (Agenda in development)