Human Nature: From Kierkegaard to Sartre
Philosopher Hubert Dreyfus talks about Kierkegaard's views of the self and human nature, including such concepts as "present age," "spiritlessness," passionate commitment," and the "aesthetic sphere." He then discusses Heidegger and Sartre, both of ...
Sources of Conflict
Some view conflict as an inevitable outgrowth of the combative side of human nature. In the business world, a basic source of conflict is competition for resources or recognition within an organization. But conflicts can also be driven by outside so...
Language and Human Nature
Linguist, author and university professor Noam Chomsky explains that all languages share certain common principles, which he notes are picked up "reflexively, quickly, essentially without error by children and, it must be...because the principles ar...
Changes in Our Conception of Human Nature (Part One)
Philosopher Ian Hacking talks about changes in the way human nature has been viewed over time. From the time of Aristotle through the Enlightenment, human nature was seen as being an essential characteristic of what it is to be human, in which the v...
Changes in Our Conception of Human Nature (Part Two)
Philosopher Ian Hacking continues his exploration of changes in the way human nature has been looked at over time. He notes that as cities began to grow so, too, did crime and poverty. As a result, resources which might have at one time been used to...
The Scientific View of Human Nature
Continuing his discussion of science and its limitations, philosopher Hubert Dreyfus says that science is good at figuring out facts, like the genetic code or what human beings need in order to survive. Where science falls short, Professor Dreyfus e...
What Justifies the Power of the State? (Part Two)
Philosopher Michael Sandel talks about the views of government held by John Locke and Aristotle. According to Professor Sandel, Locke believed "government was founded on consent." As for Aristotle, Professor Sandel explains that he thought politics ...
Human Nature
Philosopher Hubert Dreyfus talks about the ancient view of human nature, which was based on man as a rational animal. Professor Dreyfus describes how that perspective changed in about 1670, when Blaise Pascal wrote that human nature is essentially a...