Beschreibung:
This book compares two competing theories of human nature: the more traditional theory espoused in different forms by centuries of western philosophy and the newer, Darwinian model. In the traditional view, the human being is a hybrid being, with a lower, animal nature and a higher, rational or "spiritual" component. The competing Darwinian account does away with the idea of a higher nature and attempts to provide a complete reduction of human nature to the evolutionary goals of survival and reproduction. Whitley Kaufman presents the case that the traditional conception, regardless of one's religious views or other beliefs, provides a superior account of human nature and culture. We are animals, but we are also rational animals.
1. Introduction 2. The Traditional View of Human Nature 3. The Darwinian View of Human Nature 4. Free Will 5. Ethics 6. Literature 7. Art and Beauty 8. Truth 9. Religion 10. Happiness and Meaning.