On Human Nature An Introduction to Philosophy

by
Edition: 1st
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2004-05-26
Publisher(s): Cengage Learning
  • Free Shipping Icon

    Free Shipping on all Orders Over $35!*

    *excludes Marketplace items.

List Price: $100.00

Buy Used

In Stock
$72.00

Rent Textbook

Select for Price
There was a problem. Please try again later.

New Textbook

We're Sorry
Sold Out

eTextbook

We're Sorry
Not Available

This item is being sold by an Individual Seller and will not ship from the Online Bookstore's warehouse. The Seller must confirm the order within two business days. If the Seller refuses to sell or fails to confirm within this time frame, then the order is cancelled.

Please be sure to read the Description offered by the Seller.

Summary

This new introductory text-reader on theories of human nature features astutely edited primary source selections and the acclaimed, authoritative voice of Thomas F. Wall--author of two other successful Wadsworth titles, THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEMS and THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT MORAL PROBLEMS. ON HUMAN NATURE grows out of instructors' long held desire for a single volume that provides students of this subject with both readings and engaging commentary. Organized in a historical format that draws from Ancient Asian sources; many classical, medieval, and modern thinkers; and all the way up to contemporary minds such as Dennett and the Churchlands, this book provides students with a comprehensive and accessible introduction to age-old debate that is as crucial now in our technological and scientific age as it has ever been.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Nature of Philosophy
The Subject Matter of Philosophy
The Method of Philosophy
The Divisions of Philosophy
Historical Periods of Philosophy
The Value of Philosophy
The Question of Human Nature
A Commonsense Question
A Scientific Question
A Philosophical Question
Evaluating Philosophical The ories
Reasoned Judgments
Universality
Consistency
Simplicity
Descriptive and Normative The ories
The Structure of this Text
The HUMAN NATURE Website
Theories of Human Nature
Ancient Asian Philosophers
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha
The Hindu Concept of Self (excerpt from THE UPANISHADS)
The Buddhist Concept of Non-Self (excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh, ZEN KEYS)
Buddhist Ethics (selections from THE DHAMMAPADA)
Sermons of the Buddha
Confucius
The Wisdom of Taoism (from Lao-Tzu, TAO TE CHING)
Teachings of Confucius (selections from THE ANALECTS)
On Human Nature (from Mencius, THE BOOK OF MENCIUS)
Ancient Greek Philosophers 1: Plato
The Cave (from THE REPUBLIC)
The Divided Line (from THE REPUBLIC)
The Individual and the State (from THE REPUBLIC)
The Immortality of the Soul (from THE PHAEDO)
Ancient Greek Philosophers 2: Aristotle
The Mind (from DE ANIMA)
The Soul (from DE ANIMA)
The Good (from NICOMACHEAN ETHICS)
Moral Virtue (from NICOMACHEAN ETHICS)
Contemplation (from NICOMACHEAN ETHICS)
Medieval The ologians: Augustine and Aquinas
Augustine
Free Will (from Augustine, ON FREE CHOICE OF THE WILL)
The Nature of Time (from Augustine, CONFESSIONS)
Aquinas
The Existence of God (from SUMMA THEOLOGICA)
The Active Intellect (from SUMMA THEOLOGICA)
Free Will (from SUMMA THEOLOGICA)
The Natural Law (from SUMMA THEOLOGICA)
The Nature of the Soul (from SUMMA THEOLOGICA)
The Ghost in the Machine: Descartes
The Nature of the Mind (from THE MEDITATIONS)
Science and Religion: Immanuel Kant
The Nature of Ethics (from FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE METAPHYSICS OF MORALS)
The Social Self: Karl Marx
The Human Condition (from Marx, PHILOSOPHICAL AND ECONOMIC MANUSCRIPTS OF 1844)
The Inevitability of Communism (from THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO)
Existentialism: Jean-Paul Sartre
The Authentic Life (from BEING AND NOTHINGNESS)
The Look (from BEING AND NOTHINGNESS)
The Causes of Gender Inequality (from Simone de Beauvoir, THE SECOND SEX)
Psychoanalysis: Sigmund Freud
The Structure and Function of the Mind (from Freud, AN OUTLINE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS)
Standard Equipment 1: Sociobiology and Evolutionary Psychology
The Origin of Man (Darwin, THE DESCENT OF MAN)
The Biological Basis of Human Nature (from E.O
Wilson, ON HUMAN NATURE)
Principles of Evolutionary Psychology (from Leda Cosmides and John Tooby, EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY: A PRIMER)
The Biological Basis of Gender Differences (from Helena Cronin, "Getting Human Nature Right")
Standard Equipment 2: Cognitive Science
In Defense of Eliminative Materialism (from Paul Churchland, MATTER AND CONSCIOUSNESS)
The Illusion of Self (from Daniel Dennett, "Why Everyone is a Novelist")
The Chinese Room (from John Searle, "Minds, Brains, and Programs")
Life after Death (from Patricia Churchland, BRAIN-WISE)
Nature and Nurture (from Mary Midgley and Judith Hughes, WOMEN'S CHOICES)
Notes
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

An electronic version of this book is available through VitalSource.

This book is viewable on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and most smartphones.

By purchasing, you will be able to view this book online, as well as download it, for the chosen number of days.

A downloadable version of this book is available through the eCampus Reader or compatible Adobe readers.

Applications are available on iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and Windows Mobile platforms.

Please view the compatibility matrix prior to purchase.