Human Nature2.2

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 aggressionIf a person always gives in to his appetites or

aggressive impulses, these will enslavw him and reaons can no longer rule them.

Traditional Rationalistic View

ARTISTOTLEReason is our highest power and is what

distinguishes human natureAll living things have a purpose. The purpose

of humans is to use their reason to think and to control desires and aggressions.

Traditional Rationalistic 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)

Traditional Judeo-Christian View

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.

Darwinian Challenge

Scary if your apply these ideas to humansThis means that humans have evolved into a

new species through natural selectionTherefore our ability to reason is not unique

but just a more developed animal ability

Darwinian Challenge

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.

Darwinian ChallengeImplications for Traditional View

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).

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

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

Darwinian ChallengeReactions

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

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.

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.

Existentialist Challenge

Philosophy discriminates against womenFeminists claim the traditional view is sexistAristotle claimed men were associated with

reason whereas women do not share fully in reason. Consequently, men should rule over women.

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)

Feminist Challenge