Ten Theories of Human Nature - Softcover

Stevenson, Leslie; Haberman, David L.

3.63

227 ratings by Goodreads

9780195120417: Ten Theories of Human Nature

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195120418 ISBN 13: 9780195120417

Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc, 1998

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Completely revised to take into account the scholarship since its first publication in 1974 and expanded to include Eastern thinkers, "Ten Theories of Human Nature" has added chapters on Hinduism and Confucianism as well as a new chapter on Kant. The text is intended to compress into a small space the essence of such thinkers as Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Jean Paul Sartre, B.F. Skinner, and Konrad Lorenz. The authors juxtapose the ideas of these and other thinkers in order to help the reader understand how humanity has struggled to comprehend its nature. It is demonstrated, for example, how Skinner's theories - which assert the primacy of learned behavior - are undercut by Lorenz's studies of animals, which suggest that complex behavior can occur prior to learning. To bring these comparisons into sharp relief, the book examines each theorist on four points: the nature of the universe; the nature of humanity; the ills of the world; and the proposed cure for these ills.

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Review:

"Ten Theories of Human Nature, to my delight, seems to be a starting point for class discussions, private reflections, and further examination of the theories in general. The authors have hit the best balance possible between accessibility and fluency in their style. I have asked my students often whether they think the text is one they would like me to assign again next semester and they agree again and again. . . . There really is no other better book."--Patricia Turrisi, University of North Carolina-Wilmington"I cannot think of another philosophy text written for the undergraduate on this topic that is as clear, unpretentious, and informative as this book."--Zachary Ernst, University of Missouri-Columbia "Ten Theories of Human Nature, to my delight, seems to be a starting point for class discussions, private reflections, and further examination of the theories in general. The authors have hit the best balance possible between accessibility and fluency in their style. I have asked my students often whether they think the text is one they would like me to assign again next semester and they agree again and again. . . . There really is no other better book."--Patricia Turrisi, University of North Carolina-Wilmington "I cannot think of another philosophy text written for the undergraduate on this topic that is as clear, unpretentious, and informative as this book."--Zachary Ernst, University of Missouri-Columbia

About the Author:

Leslie Stevenson is Reader in Logic and Metaphysics at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. He lives in St. Andrews. David L. Haberman is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

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