The Biological Roots of Human Nature

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 019535754X
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (953 download)

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Book Synopsis The Biological Roots of Human Nature by : Timothy H. Goldsmith

Download or read book The Biological Roots of Human Nature written by Timothy H. Goldsmith and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1994-10-20 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this stimulating book, Goldsmith argues that biology has a great deal to say that should be of interest to social scientists, historians, philosophers, and humanists in general. He believes that anyone studying the social behavior of humans must take into consideration both proximate cause--the physiology, biochemistry, and social mechanisms of behavior--and ultimate cause--how the behavior came to exist in evolutionary time. Goldsmith, a neurobiologist, draws examples from neurobiology, psychology, and ethology (behavioral evolution). The result is a work that overcomes many of the misconceptions that have hindered the rich contributions the biological sciences have to offer concerning the evolution of human society, behavior, and sense of identity. Among the key topics addressed are the nature of biological explanation, the relationship between genes and behavior, those aspects of behavior most likely to respond to natural selection, the relationship between evolution and learning, and some probable modes of interaction between cultural and biological evolution. By re-examining the role of biological explanation in the domain of social development, the author has significantly advanced a more well-rounded view of human evolution and shed new light on the perennial question of what it means to be human. His book will appeal to biologists, social scientists, traditional humanists, and interested general readers.

The Biological Basis of Human Nature

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.X/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis The Biological Basis of Human Nature by : Herbert Spencer Jennings

Download or read book The Biological Basis of Human Nature written by Herbert Spencer Jennings and published by . This book was released on 1930 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Preface: This volume is an attempt to present those aspects of modern experimental biology that are of most interest in considering the problem of human personality and society. It deals with the origin, development and nature of the traits which distinguish individuals, and which in man make up character; and with some of the relations of these matters to social questions. The material is drawn mainly from the relatively new sciences of Genetics and Experimental Embryology. An effort is made to present it in non-technical language, though for a few important things unknown to common speech the technical terms are the only ones available. The first five chapters summarize the biological foundations for the matters dealt with later. They are necessarily more technical than the others; they are complelled to present certain points that have not yet become familiar, but which in time will be a part of the every-day knowledge of all educated persons. Understanding of the more general questions dealt with in later chapters depends absolutely on a grasp of the matters presented in these chapters. Chapters six to eight deal with the relations of this fundamental knowledge to certain more problematical questions of life and mind, chapter eight presenting certain historical aspects of these matters. Chapters nine to twelve inclusive take up the application of this knowledge to some social problems. Chapter thirteen stands by itself; it is speculative. The three final chapters are devoted to aspects of the problem of evolutionary change. References to sources, and other comments, are gathered into notes at the end of each chapter. They are designed merely as keys by which the reader may follow further any subjects which interest him. The books or papers referred to will usually be found to contain titles of other works along the same line, through which the entire field of knowledge may be explored. For permission to make use of material previously published in the form of articles or addressess, the author is indebted to the Forum, Plain Talk, Science, and the Survey-Graphic. He is indebted for important aid in the preparation of the volume to Louis B. Jennings, Ruth Stocking Lynch, and Harold Heath.--Baltimore, January 4, 1930.

Tree of Knowledge

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Publisher : Shambhala
ISBN 13 : 9780877736424
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (364 download)

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Book Synopsis Tree of Knowledge by : Humberto R. Maturana

Download or read book Tree of Knowledge written by Humberto R. Maturana and published by Shambhala. This book was released on 1992 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Knowing how we know" is the subject of this book. Its authors present a new view of cognition that has important social and ethical implications, for, they assert, the only world we humans can have is the one we create together through the actions of our coexistence. Written for a general audience as well as for students, scholars, and scientists and abundantly illustrated with examples from biology, linguistics, and new social and cultural phenomena, this revised edition includes a new afterword by Dr. Varela, in which he discusses the effect the book has had in the years since its first publication.

Think Tank

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Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 030023547X
Total Pages : 399 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis Think Tank by : David J. Linden

Download or read book Think Tank written by David J. Linden and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays that explore quirky, counterintuitive aspects of brain function and “make us realize that what goes on in our minds is nothing short of magical” (Scientific American). Neuroscientist David J. Linden approached leading brain researchers and asked each the same question: “What idea about brain function would you most like to explain to the world?” Their responses make up this one-of-a-kind collection of popular science essays that seeks to expand our knowledge of the human mind and its possibilities. The contributors, whose areas of expertise include human behavior, molecular genetics, evolutionary biology, and comparative anatomy, address a host of fascinating topics ranging from personality to perception, to learning, to beauty, to love and sex. The manner in which individual experiences can dramatically change our brains’ makeup is explored. Professor Linden and his contributors open a new window onto the landscape of the human mind and into the cutting-edge world of neuroscience with a fascinating, enlightening compilation that science enthusiasts and professionals alike will find accessible and enjoyable. “Scientists who can effectively communicate science are rare, but here are forty of the best, describing with clarity and enthusiasm the latest in brain research and its impact on our lives.” —Gordon M. Shepherd, co-editor of Handbook of Brain Microcircuits

Bridging the Gap between Aristotle's Science and Ethics

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107010365
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis Bridging the Gap between Aristotle's Science and Ethics by : Devin Henry

Download or read book Bridging the Gap between Aristotle's Science and Ethics written by Devin Henry and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-05-05 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores the extent to which Aristotle's ethical treatises employ the concepts, methods, and practices developed in his 'scientific' works.

What's Left of Human Nature?

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Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262549689
Total Pages : 335 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (625 download)

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Book Synopsis What's Left of Human Nature? by : Maria Kronfeldner

Download or read book What's Left of Human Nature? written by Maria Kronfeldner and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2023-10-31 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A philosophical account of human nature that defends the concept against dehumanization, Darwinian, and developmentalist challenges. Human nature has always been a foundational issue for philosophy. What does it mean to have a human nature? Is the concept the relic of a bygone age? What is the use of such a concept? What are the epistemic and ontological commitments people make when they use the concept? In What's Left of Human Nature? Maria Kronfeldner offers a philosophical account of human nature that defends the concept against contemporary criticism. In particular, she takes on challenges related to social misuse of the concept that dehumanizes those regarded as lacking human nature (the dehumanization challenge); the conflict between Darwinian thinking and essentialist concepts of human nature (the Darwinian challenge); and the consensus that evolution, heredity, and ontogenetic development result from nurture and nature. After answering each of these challenges, Kronfeldner presents a revisionist account of human nature that minimizes dehumanization and does not fall back on outdated biological ideas. Her account is post-essentialist because it eliminates the concept of an essence of being human; pluralist in that it argues that there are different things in the world that correspond to three different post-essentialist concepts of human nature; and interactive because it understands nature and nurture as interacting at the developmental, epigenetic, and evolutionary levels. On the basis of this, she introduces a dialectical concept of an ever-changing and “looping” human nature. Finally, noting the essentially contested character of the concept and the ambiguity and redundancy of the terminology, she wonders if we should simply eliminate the term “human nature” altogether.

The Fairness Instinct

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Publisher : Prometheus Books
ISBN 13 : 1616148489
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (161 download)

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Book Synopsis The Fairness Instinct by : L. Sun

Download or read book The Fairness Instinct written by L. Sun and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combining research from the social sciences, hard sciences, and the humanities, this accessible cross-disciplinary book offers fascinating insights into a key component of human nature and society. What do the Arab Spring, the Robin Hood legend, Occupy Wall Street, and the American taxpayer reaction to the $182 billion bailout of AIG have in common? All are rooted in a deeply ingrained sense of fairness. But where does this universal instinct come from? This is the driving question at the heart of L. Sun’s The Fairness Instinct. Thinkers from Aristotle to Kant, from Augustine to John Rawls, and religions from Christianity to Confucianism, have offered great insight into the nature and origins of this basic human desire for fairness. Based on the most recent scientific discoveries in behavioral genetics, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, economics, and evolution, Sun argues that the origins of the fairness instinct cannot be found exclusively in the philosophical, social, and political perspectives to which we so often turn; rather, they can be traced to something much deeper in our biological makeup. Taking as his starting point Frans De Waal’s seminal study showing that Capuchin monkeys revolt when they are shortchanged by receiving a less valuable reward than their peers receive for the same task, Sun synthesizes a wide range of research to explore the biological roots of the fairness instinct. He shows that fairness is much more than a moral value or ideological construct; fairness is in our DNA. Combining scientific rigor with accessible and reader-friendly language to relate fascinating stories of animal and human behavior, The Fairness Instinct lays out an evolutionary roadmap for how fairness emerges and thrives under natural selection and how two powerful engines—social living and social hierarchy—have fueled the evolution of this intricate and potent instinct in all of us. Probing into the motives that underlie such phenomena as envy, consumerism, anti-intellectualism, revenge, revolution, terrorism, marriage, democracy, and religion, Sun showcases the power of the fairness instinct to make our history, shape our society, and rule our social lives.

A Natural History of Human Thinking

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Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674986830
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (749 download)

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Book Synopsis A Natural History of Human Thinking by : Michael Tomasello

Download or read book A Natural History of Human Thinking written by Michael Tomasello and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2018-04-09 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tool-making or culture, language or religious belief: ever since Darwin, thinkers have struggled to identify what fundamentally differentiates human beings from other animals. Michael Tomasello weaves his twenty years of comparative studies of humans and great apes into a compelling argument that cooperative social interaction is the key to our cognitive uniqueness. Tomasello maintains that our prehuman ancestors, like today's great apes, were social beings who could solve problems by thinking. But they were almost entirely competitive, aiming only at their individual goals. As ecological changes forced them into more cooperative living arrangements, early humans had to coordinate their actions and communicate their thoughts with collaborative partners. Tomasello's "shared intentionality hypothesis" captures how these more socially complex forms of life led to more conceptually complex forms of thinking. In order to survive, humans had to learn to see the world from multiple social perspectives, to draw socially recursive inferences, and to monitor their own thinking via the normative standards of the group. Even language and culture arose from the preexisting need to work together and coordinate thoughts. A Natural History of Human Thinking is the most detailed scientific analysis to date of the connection between human sociality and cognition.

Nature's Mind

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Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 9780465048632
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (486 download)

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Book Synopsis Nature's Mind by : Michael Gazzaniga

Download or read book Nature's Mind written by Michael Gazzaniga and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 1994-04-20 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The co-discoverer of the “split brain” theory tells how science is recasting the age-old question of nature versus nurture to create a startling new view of human behavior. Recent discoveries suggest that natural selection affects not only physical characteristics but also mental processes, from learning to substance abuse.

Darwinian Natural Right

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Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 0791495302
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (914 download)

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Book Synopsis Darwinian Natural Right by : Larry Arnhart

Download or read book Darwinian Natural Right written by Larry Arnhart and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 1998-04-02 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book shows how Darwinian biology supports an Aristotelian view of ethics as rooted in human nature. Defending a conception of "Darwinian natural right" based on the claim that the good is the desirable, the author argues that there are at least twenty natural desires that are universal to all human societies because they are based in human biology. The satisfaction of these natural desires constitutes a universal standard for judging social practice as either fulfilling or frustrating human nature, although prudence is required in judging what is best for particular circumstances. The author studies the familial bonding of parents and children and the conjugal bonding of men and women as illustrating social behavior that conforms to Darwinian natural right. He also studies slavery and psychopathy as illustrating social behavior that contradicts Darwinian natural right. He argues as well that the natural moral sense does not require religious belief, although such belief can sometimes reinforce the dictates of nature.

On Human Nature

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Publisher : Academic Press
ISBN 13 : 0127999159
Total Pages : 814 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (279 download)

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Book Synopsis On Human Nature by : Michel Tibayrenc

Download or read book On Human Nature written by Michel Tibayrenc and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-09-12 with total page 814 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On Human Nature: Biology, Psychology, Ethics, Politics, and Religion covers the present state of knowledge on human diversity and its adaptative significance through a broad and eclectic selection of representative chapters. This transdisciplinary work brings together specialists from various fields who rarely interact, including geneticists, evolutionists, physicians, ethologists, psychoanalysts, anthropologists, sociologists, theologians, historians, linguists, and philosophers. Genomic diversity is covered in several chapters dealing with biology, including the differences in men and apes and the genetic diversity of mankind. Top specialists, known for their open mind and broad knowledge have been carefully selected to cover each topic. The book is therefore at the crossroads between biology and human sciences, going beyond classical science in the Popperian sense. The book is accessible not only to specialists, but also to students, professors, and the educated public. Glossaries of specialized terms and general public references help nonspecialists understand complex notions, with contributions avoiding technical jargon. Provides greater understanding of diversity and population structure and history, with crucial foundational knowledge needed to conduct research in a variety of fields, such as genetics and disease Includes three robust sections on biological, psychological, and ethical aspects, with cross-fertilization and reciprocal references between the three sections Contains contributions by leading experts in their respective fields working under the guidance of internationally recognized and highly respected editors

Essential Building Blocks of Human Nature

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 364213968X
Total Pages : 166 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (421 download)

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Book Synopsis Essential Building Blocks of Human Nature by : Ulrich J. Frey

Download or read book Essential Building Blocks of Human Nature written by Ulrich J. Frey and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-11-08 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To understand why we humans are as we are, it is necessary to look at the essential building blocks that comprise our nature. The foundations of this structure are our evolutionary origins as primates and our social roots. Upon these rest features such as our emotions, language and aesthetic preferences, with our self-perceptions, self-deceptions and thirst for knowledge right at the top. The unifying force holding these blocks together is evolutionary theory. Evolution provides a deeper understanding of human nature and, in particular, of the common roots of these different perspectives. To build a reliable and coherent model of man, leading authors from fields as diverse as primatology, anthropology, neurobiology and philosophy have joined forces to present essays each describing their own expert perspective. Together they provide a convincing and complete picture of our own human nature.

Human/nature

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Publisher : UNM Press
ISBN 13 : 9780826319166
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (191 download)

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Book Synopsis Human/nature by : John P. Herron

Download or read book Human/nature written by John P. Herron and published by UNM Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provocative essays explore how ideas about human nature inform or shape human understanding of nature and the environment.

On Human Nature

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Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674076540
Total Pages : 285 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis On Human Nature by : Edward O. Wilson

Download or read book On Human Nature written by Edward O. Wilson and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2012-11 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his new preface E. O. Wilson reflects on how he came to write this book: how The Insect Societies led him to write Sociobiology, and how the political and religious uproar that engulfed that book persuaded him to write another book that would better explain the relevance of biology to the understanding of human behavior.

Not in Our Genes

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Publisher : Pantheon
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Not in Our Genes by : Richard C. Lewontin

Download or read book Not in Our Genes written by Richard C. Lewontin and published by Pantheon. This book was released on 1984 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three eminent scientists analyze the scientific, social, and political roots of biological determinism.

Behave

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Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0143110918
Total Pages : 801 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (431 download)

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Book Synopsis Behave by : Robert M. Sapolsky

Download or read book Behave written by Robert M. Sapolsky and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 801 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times bestseller • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • One of the Washington Post's 10 Best Books of the Year “It’s no exaggeration to say that Behave is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read.” —David P. Barash, The Wall Street Journal "It has my vote for science book of the year.” —Parul Sehgal, The New York Times "Immensely readable, often hilarious...Hands-down one of the best books I’ve read in years. I loved it." —Dina Temple-Raston, The Washington Post From the bestselling author of A Primate's Memoir and the forthcoming Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will comes a landmark, genre-defining examination of human behavior and an answer to the question: Why do we do the things we do? Behave is one of the most dazzling tours d’horizon of the science of human behavior ever attempted. Moving across a range of disciplines, Sapolsky—a neuroscientist and primatologist—uncovers the hidden story of our actions. Undertaking some of our thorniest questions relating to tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition, and war and peace, Behave is a towering achievement—a majestic synthesis of cutting-edge research and a heroic exploration of why we ultimately do the things we do . . . for good and for ill.

The Anatomy of Violence

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Publisher : Pantheon
ISBN 13 : 0307378845
Total Pages : 501 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (73 download)

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Book Synopsis The Anatomy of Violence by : Adrian Raine

Download or read book The Anatomy of Violence written by Adrian Raine and published by Pantheon. This book was released on 2013 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provocative and timely: a pioneering neurocriminologist introduces the latest biological research into the causes of--and potential cures for--criminal behavior. With an 8-page full-color insert, and black-and-white illustrations throughout.