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description: Hardly a day goes by that we dont hear about someone committing a violent reprehensible even evil act. And each time it happens before we know anything about the circumstances we are already sure of one thing: We are nothing like that perpetrator. But how can we be so sure? After all we are all human. In Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature Professor Daniel Breyer takes us on a fascinating philosophical journey into many of the deepest and darkest questions that have engaged humanity for millennia. The dark side of our nature is our mysterious and fragile underbelly - our negative but all too human side. For many of us it may be easier to simply avoid looking into the darker aspects of ourselves and our world - the suffering we see everywhere around us from real world events to the entertainment we consume. But the truth is if we dont face the totality of what it means to be human we can never fully understand ourselves or fully appreciate our deep desire for meaning and purpose in our lives. Thinkers from across the world and in many different eras have considered the dark side of human nature and thats why this course will adopt a cross-cultural approach investigating perspectives from many different traditions - Hindu Buddhist Christian and secular. This cross-cultural approach will help you see humanity as fully as possible from many perspectives better allowing for progress toward finding answers that can apply across cultures and times. This course is fueled by the power of questions one of philosophys most potent tools. Some are questions we have all asked ourselves: Why do so many people commit violence against others why is there so much suffering in the world? Professor Breyer provides some fascinating potential answers to many of our darkest questions. RUNNING TIME  12hrs. and 8mins.
language: English
title: Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature
publisher: The Great Courses