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CRITICAL THINKING
Lecture 8: What is human nature ?
Session 1:
Traditional rationalist version
Religious version

Session 2 :
Darwinian challenge

Lecturer: SNA( Syed Noman Ali)

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Learning objective
• • Describe & critically evaluate the Greek rationalistic & Judeo-Christian
versions of the Traditional Western view of human nature.

• •Explain how Darwinism challenged these views

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Critical questions
• What is human nature ?
• Who are you ?
• What is the self?
• What is to be a human?
• What do you know when you know “Know Yourself’
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Other Views on Human nature

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Why It’s Important to Understand Human Nature

• • How do one’s views of human nature influence one’s…

• – relationships with others?

• – relationship to the universe?

• – understanding of society?
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I. SELF AS IMMORTAL SOUL

Traditional rational view :We are rational soul
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Rationalistic Version of the Traditional View

• • A highly influential version of the Traditional theory of human nature views

human nature rationalistically.

• – Both Plato and Aristotle defended versions of this viewpoint, arising from the
assumption that reason is the most distinctive capacity of human beings.

• – Neither understood human beings as essentially egoistic or self-interested.

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Traditional : Socrates view

Know thyself.

Knowledge is virtue.

Be thin to your self.

Self is immortal soul as intellect.

Students are spiritual child

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Traditional : Socrates
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Traditional :Plato view

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Plato’ view : Three souls

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Human nature flow from

Desire, Emotion & Reason- Plato

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcmQUJkubno
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Traditional :Aristotle view

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Reason and Purpose

• Aristotle argues that all living things have an end or purpose.
• – Fulfilling this purpose allows it to accomplish its good, and leads to the
flourishing of the being.
• – The purpose of humans is to use their reason to think and to control desires
and aggressions.

• •Aristotle agreed with Plato that our ability to reason is the characteristic that
sets the human self apart from all other creatures of nature.
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Sum: Traditional Rationalist view

• Socrates said that the Reason is the most distinctive capacity of human beings.

• Plato thought that human nature has three parts reason, which pursues
knowledge of immaterial rational soul, when torn between its bodily desires
and its aggressive impulses .

• The purpose of humans is to use their reason to think and to control desires
and aggressions.Aristotle
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II. SELF AS PURE SOUL

Religious view: we are spiritual soul
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Judeo-Christian Version
• Soul is governed by reason who attain knowledge of the Real forms.

• The soul can do this only if it controls its bodily desires and trains its
aggressive impulses so that both obey reason.

• Humans are made in the image of God, who has endowed them with rational
self-consciousness and an ability to love.

• The purpose of humans is to achieve happiness by using their reason to know

God.
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Judeo-Christian view
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Augustine’s Synthesis
• The Christian philosopher Augustine of Hippo (354–430) incorporated several
assumptions from Plato:
• – the human self is a rational self with reason.
• – humans have an immaterial and immortal soul.

• • Augustine also agreed with the classical rationalistic view, that human
nature is not basically self-interested
• – Unlike Plato, however, Augustine emphasized the notion of a will, the
ability to choose between good and evil.
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Religious view
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Religious view
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IV. SELF AS EVOLUTION

Darwinian view
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Challenges Arise
• The Traditional Rationalistic View, a
• synthesis of classical Greek and Judeo-
• Christian beliefs and attitudes continues to
• animate people’s perspectives on human
• nature.
• – However, that view has been increasingly
• challenged in the modern world.
• – One very serious challenge to it has been
• posed by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.
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Three Key Ideas

• Charles Darwin (1809-1882) proposed three important ideas:

• 1. Natural Variation : reproduction

• 2. Struggle for Existence : competition for food
• 3. Natural Selection : adaptation
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1-Natural variation
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2-Natural selection
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3-Survival of the fittest

• Self as brain evolve biological to survive interact with environment.
• Self doing struggle for self improvement for survival.
• That the ability of reason is a completely different kind of ability than any of
the abilities other animals have.
• That humans are designed for a purpose.
• Origin of species in 1959 considered self as evolution for survival.
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Evidence for Darwin’s theory

• Darwin offered four distinct bodies of evidence in favor of evolution:

• 1. The existence of similar species (like monkeys and gorillas) with shared
common characteristics.

• 2. The geographically distribution of species over the face of the earth.

• 3. The similarity of bone structures, embryonic developments, and useless

rudimentary organs among contemporary living creatures.

• 4. The fossil record was best explained by his theory that species living today
had descended from different earlier species.
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Disturbing Implications
• The notion that all species, including humans, arose in an evolutionary was a
disturbing new thought for many people.
• – Explain how Darwin’s theory undermines two
• key beliefs in Traditional Rationalism:

• • That the ability of reason is a completely different

• kind of ability than any of the abilities other animals
• have.
• • That humans are designed for a purpose
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Responses to Darwin
• Some critics argue that the fossil record
• shows gaps, and thus does not offer clear
• evidence in favor of evolution.
• • Describe Stephen Jay Gould’s response to this
• point.
• • Other critics have argued for a theistic version
• of evolution, and that evolution is consistent
• with “divine direction.”
• • Still other critics contend that the human
• capacity to reason is unique in all of nature.
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Movie review
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Literature review