Human Nature as A Central Theme of Philosophy
By
John Scales Avery, New Age Islam
17 July
2020
Human Nature
as A Central Theme of Philosophy
What is
human nature? Are we humans good or evil? To what extent is the character of a
person produced by heredity, and to what extent by environment? Is competition
more central to our existence than cooperation, or is it the other way around?
How can a happy, peaceful and stable society be created? Are humans essentially
the same as other animals, or are we fundamentally different? Should humans
dominate and control nature, or should we be the custodians of nature? These
questions are central to philosophy. Conflicting answers have been given by
philosophers, scientists and religious leaders offer the centuries, from
earliest times until the present.
The
ultimate goal of life was agreed by all ancient schools of philosophy to be
Eudaimonia.
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The
Chemistry and Physiology of Emotions
Human
emotions have a long evolutionary history. We share many emotions with our
animal relatives - for example, mother love, fear and anger. Modern science has
given us an insight into the chemistry and physiology of emotions. In our human
brains, and in those of animals, there are billions of chemically moderated
connections between neurons. These are called synapses. Whether or not a
synapse “fires” and transmits its message to the next neuron depends on the
chemical environment of the synapse, and this environment changes under the
influence of hormones released by our glands, which are in turn influenced by
our emotions.
Ethology:
The Science of Inherited Behavior Patterns
Charles
Darwin's book “The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals” (1871) shows that
he was aware that behavior patterns are just as reliably inherited as physical
characteristics, and that they are similar within related groups of animals.
For example, all members of the cat family show similar car-like behavior.
Because of this pioneering book, Darwin is considered to be the founder of the
science of ethology, the study of inherited behavior patterns.
More
recently, in 1973, Karl von Frisch (1886-1982), Nikolaas Tinbergen (1907-1988),
and Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989), shared a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Karl von Frisch won his share of the prize for his studies of the waggle dance
by which bees transmit information to their hive-mates. Tinbergen, who is
famous for his studies of the instincts of birds, has pointed out that no
modern ethologist would debate the question of whether heredity or environment
plays a greater role in forming the character of an individual, since all
learning is built upon a base of genetic predisposition, without which it would
be impossible.
The third
1973 laureate, Konrad Lorenz, is most controversial, but also the most
interesting of the three, since his famous book “On Aggression” casts light on
why humans are so susceptible to militarism.
The Dark
Side of Human Nature
Are humans
good or evil? We can find evidence for both sides of human nature. It seems
that humans can behave in both ways, depending on their education, and the
circumstances in which they find themselves. In the recent killing of George
Floyd, we see both sides of human nature. The brutal killing, and Donald
Trump’s reaction show the dark side, while the worldwide anti-racist protests
show human nature at its compassionate best.
Our
Collective Short-Sightedness: The Climate Emergency
There is a
remarkable contrast in the way that governments around the world have responded
to the COVID-19 pandemic and the way that they have responded to the climate
emergency. The pandemic, which indeed represents an extremely grave danger to
humanity, has produced a massive global response. Borders have been closed,
airlines have become virtually inoperative, industries, restaurants and
entertainments have been closed, sporting events have been cancelled or
postponed, people have been asked to stay at home and practice social
distancing, and the everyday life of citizens around the world has been
drastically changed.
By
contrast, let us consider the threat that if immediate action is not taken to
halt the extraction and use of fossil fuels, irreversible feedback loops will
be initiated which will make catastrophic climate change inevitable despite
human any human efforts to prevent it.
This threat
is even more serious than the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate change could make much
of the earth too hot for human life. It could produce a famine involving
billions of people, rather than millions. And yet the world has hardly reacted
at all.
A minority,
for example the Scandinavian countries, have taken appropriate action. Most
governments pay lip service to the emergency, but do not take effective action;
and a few countries, such as the United States under Donald Trump, Bolsonaro's
Brazil, and Saudi Arabia, deny that there is a climate emergency and actively
sabotage action.
The world's
net response has been totally inadequate. The Keeling Curve, which measures CO2
concentrations in the atmosphere, continues to rise, and the rate of rising is
even increasing. What is the reason for this remarkable contrast between our
strong reaction to the pandemic and our neglect of the climate crisis? Is it
because we see clearly what is near to us and neglect whatever is far away? Or
are powerful financial forces at work, controlling the mass media?
Sex and
Overconsumption
If we are
to have a chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change, each of us must
reduce his or her carbon footprint. Particularly in the wealthy parts of the
world, we must simplify our lives and renounce overconsumption. Humans must
stop using material goods as a means of social and sexual competition.
Human
Nature Is Best Suited To Sharing Societies
T.R.
Malthus What kind of society will make us happy and safe? What kind of society
is sustainable? What kind of society is most in harmony with human nature? Our
emotions have not changed much since the time when humans were
hunter-gatherers, living in egalitarian groups that shared food whenever they
were able to find it. There is much evidence that also today sharing and
egalitarian societies are happier than those with excessive individualism and
competition.
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A New Book
I have
recently published a book which discusses these questions in detail. The book
may be freely downloaded and circulated from the following link:
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Human-Nature-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
Other books
and articles about global problems are on these links
http://eacpe.org/about-john-scales-avery/
https://wsimag.com/authors/716-john-scales-avery
I hope that
you will circulate the links in this article to friends and contacts who might
be interested.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/human-nature-central-theme-philosophy/d/122394
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