The Philosophy of Human Nature
Publisher: Open Court
Published: October 28, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 192
ISBN-13: 9780812696196
Subjects: Topics in philosophy; History & Surveys - General; Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys; Philosophy
Description: "A philosophical analysis of the concept of human nature and controversies surrounding it"--Provided by publisher.
Table of contents: title: Contents Foreword 000 Introduction 000 1 The “Difference” Question 000 1.1 Some Philosophical Approaches 000 1.2 Critique of These Historical Approaches 000 1.3 Distinctive Human Conceit? 000 1.4 The Importance of Being Self-Conscious 000 2 Are There Any Distinctively Human Instincts? 000 2.1 Some Historical Positions 000 2.2 Complex Instincts in Humans? 000 2.3 Human Cognitive Instinct 000 2.4 Human Behavioral Instinct 000 3 Can Personality Traits and Intelligence Be Inherited? 000 3.1 Heredity 000 3.2 The Past and Present of Genetics 000 3.3 The Problem of Isolating Variables 000 3.4 Contemporary Areas of Controversy 000 The Philosophy of Human Nature 1/13/08 10:57 AM Page v 3.5 The Political Paradox: Some Ironies in Democracy 000 3.6 Dobzhansky’s Social Paradox 000 4 Are There Any Significant Sex-Related Personality Characteristics? 000 4.1 Biological Differentiation of the Sexes 000 4.2 Psychological Differences 000 4.3 Historical Overview of Theories about M/F Differences 000 4.4 Some Socio-Political Considerations 000 4.5 Possible Implications of M/F Brain Differentials 000 5 The Future of Human Evolution 000 5.1 Social and Cultural Evolution 000 5.2 Patterns in the Past 000 5.3 Projections of the Future 000 5.4 Contemporary Harbingers of a Third Stage 000 6 Is Human Nature a Unity or a Duality? 000 6.1 Experiential Aspects 000 6.2 Positions Taken in the History of Philosophy 000 6.3 Reflections on a Metaphysical Paradox 000 6.4 Historical Philosophical Positions Emphasizing the Unity-in-Duality of Personality 000 6.5 Mind-Body Causality and the Problem of the “Prime Analogate” 000 7 Human Freedom 000 7.1 Challenges from Materialists to the Idea of Freedom 000 7.2 Consequences of the Rejection of the Idea of Freedom 000 7.3 Clarification of Terms 000 7.4 Conceptual Analysis 000 vi Contents The Philosophy of Human Nature 1/13/08 10:57 AM Page vi 8 Human Development 000 8.1 Problems Connected with This Analysis 000 8.2 Procedural Aspects 000 8.3 The Stages of Consciousness, Infancy to Adolescence 000 9 Maturity 000 9.1 Psychological Maturity 000 9.2 Existential Maturity 000 9.3 The Relationship to Physical Goods 000 9.4 The Relationship to Others 000 9.5 The Relationship to Oneself 000 9.6 Objective Maturity versus Relative Maturity 000 10 The Nature of Love 000 10.1 Cosmic Love? 000 10.2 Interpersonal Love: Cultural Influences 000 10.3 Philosophers and Love 000 10.4 Love and Its Opposites (What Love Is Not) 000 10.5 What Love Is 000 10.6 The Types of Love 000 11 Philosophy and the Paranormal 000 11.1 Empirical Research on Paranormal Phenomena 000 11.2 Research Methodologies 000 11.3 Major Types of Psi 000 11.4 Philosophical Issues Connected with Psi 000 12 Survival After Death 000 12.1 Initial Prejudices 000 12.2 The Experiential Evidence: NDEs? 000 12.3 Philosophical Analysis 000 12.4 Conclusions Regarding Immortality 000 12.5 Immortality versus Resurrection 000 Contents vii The Philosophy of Human Nature 1/13/08 10:57 AM Page vii 12.6 Special Problems with Resurrection 000 12.7 A Final Possibility 000 Epilogue 000 Solutions Fitting Problems 000 Selected Bibliography 000 Index 000