Ideas of Human Nature: An Historical Introduction

by Roger Trigg

The assumptions we make about human nature form the basis of how we ourselves live, and of how society is organized. This book deals with the ideas of ten of the most influential thinkers in the history of Western thought. Wars have been fought and revolutions begun because of some of the theories discussed. They form the basis of many important views in religion, politics and beyond, and as such cannot be ignored. The book examines the thinkers in their historical context and looks for their relevance to contemporary controversies. The author is a philosopher, but the significance of the ideas go far beyond the confines of modern philosophy. Of the thinkers discussed Aquinas was primarily a theologian, Darwin a naturalist and biologist, Marx an economist and Freud a psychologist. The book begins with the ideas of Plato and Aristotle which form the basis of much Western thought. Of the other philosophers, Hobbes and Hume still influence philosophical discussion, while Nietzsche's views have a powerful effect on contemporary thought. Modern philosophy is represented by Wittgenstein. The various thinkers have not been arbitrarily selected but each has strong links with many of the others. The ideas explained include perennial philosophical problems, such as the connection of mind and body, life after death, the place of reason in human behaviour, free-will and determinism, the relationship between the individual and the community and the problem of relativism. The book presupposes no previous knowledge of philosophy, and is an ideal introduction to the subject. At the same time, it provides an important survey of ideas that are at the root of every intellectual discipline dealing with human beings.

Genres: Philosophy, Psychology, Science

184 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1988

Reviews

[محمدقائم خانی · Rating 4 out of 5]

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مروری بر بخشی از دیدگاه های مختلف غرب به انسان. برای آشنایی واقعا عالی است.

[Sandile Maeza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for mind and soul.

[Gin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took longer to read this than I expected, though it’s less about the book than it is my unfamiliarity with the ideas of some of the philosophers. But that’s why I was reading this book. And also because I got distracted with another book.

I thought it provided a pretty good overview of some of the thinkers that were featured, and their respective positions on what human nature is. Trigg write clearly and succinctly (perhaps too succinctly - I felt he could have gone into greater detail but he was able to convey the general thoughts of each of the philosophers featured.

Starting with Plato all the way to Wittgenstein, he was able to link the following figure with the one that he was looking at, and thus you get the sense of how their ideas are related, and how they build on one another, or repudiate the one(s) that come before.

Each chapter is also structured very similarly - starting from the context, what it means to be human, human society and contemporary relevance. Contemporary here being the late 1990s - the book itself is somewhat dated but I still found value in it reading in 2024.

I can’t judge how accurate some of his writings are, but the chapter on Marx and Freud (both whom I am more acquainted with are pretty decent). I got the sense that he really did not and could not sympathise with the likes of Nietzsche, judging by that chapter though I thought he was pretty even-handed in his treatment nevertheless. The conclusion shows that Trigg is firmly a non-relativist, nor one convinced by the determinism of the socio-biologists. He covered briefly both Richard Rorty and EO Wilson. By featuring these two, tried to make the case for the notion at the conclusion that human beings may differ across time and culture, but there remains something universal that binds them. This makes them relatable and understandable across time and space, so that even as one in 2024 studying the Greeks from 200 BC, we can still understand in some sense why they did what they did, thought what they thought and felt what they felt.

I think that that much was evident in his treatment of the respective philosophers, and in retrospect when one revisits those chapters again.

I personally enjoyed the book, and thought it gave me grounding in my current journey of reading more philosophical works.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

"the most potent ideas of all are those we form about ourselves"

it took me longer than I expected to read. it isn't easy but it's very rewarding.

With the development of science, we might think we are better and that there is nothing previous philosophers have to say that is relevant to us. But even with our scientific knowledge, their questions are our questions, their influence is very much alive.

it is not surprising we still see ourselves in the tragedies and mistakes we read in characters of the Greek plays or of Dostoevsky's novels.
There is something that binds us together that transcends time and circumstances.

What it is to be human might seem to have been an outdated discussion. But in times of AI, it is again in our day to day conversations.

When a different kind of intelligence is able to make so many things we have traditionally regarded as ubiquitous to humans, then the autonomy and malleability of human reason, what makes us different and the same everywhere, becomes of greater importance for our understanding of our place in the world, and the value we attribute to ourselves.

[fizzyreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

He obviously prefers religous idea and it is reflected on the text. But it seems like he tries to hide his bias and does not make a concrete statement based on his own viewpoint which is quite disappointing.

[Brian W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overview of the great western philosophers ideas on human nature. Deep and interesting.