Being Human - Richard Gross

Being Human

Psychological Perspectives on Human Nature

(Autor)

Buch | Softcover
234 Seiten
2019 | 2nd edition
Routledge (Verlag)
978-0-367-15098-3 (ISBN)
54,85 inkl. MwSt
The new edition of Being Human examines the psychology of being human through combining different psychological traditions alongside philosophy and evolutionary theory, in relation to themes such as culture, cognition, language, morality, and society.
While there may be no one single characteristic that differentiates humans as a species, it is the combination of differences from other species that makes us unique. The new edition of Being Human examines the psychology of being human through exploring different psychological traditions alongside philosophy and evolutionary theory, covering themes such as culture, cognition, language, morality, and society.

Our nature – or ‘essence’ – is something that has preoccupied human beings throughout our history, beginning with philosophy and religion, and continuing through the biological, social, and psychological sciences. Being Human begins by describing some of the major philosophical accounts of human nature, from Ancient Greek philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, to major British and Continental philosophers, such as Locke and Nietzsche. The book considers religious accounts of human nature, with their focus on the nature of good and evil, and scientific accounts of genetics and the brain, which underpin the distinctively human cognitive ability of language. Attention then turns to the ideas of the behaviourists, such as Skinner, Freud, and other psychodynamic psychologists, and humanistic-phenomenological psychologists, such as Maslow. Finally, human culture is discussed as the ultimate defining characteristic of human beings: culture represents our ‘natural habitat’ and what defines us as a species.

This updated second edition includes increased coverage of social psychology and has a broader scope, in order to identify the defining characteristics of human beings. With reference to current psychological research and philosophical material, this is fascinating reading for students of psychology, philosophy, and the social sciences.

Richard Gross has been writing psychology texts for both undergraduate and A-level students for over 30 years. He has a particular interest in philosophical aspects of psychology, including what it means to be a human being.

Introduction: How should we understand ‘human nature’?



Origins of the concept of ‘human nature’: Views from religion, philosophy, biology, and psychology.



The Biology of Human Nature: Genetics and the Brain



Consciousness and self-consciousness



Cognitive aspects of human nature: the recursive mind



Behaviourist and Psychodynamic accounts: People as driven by forces beyond their control



The Humanistic-phenomenological approach: People as self-determining organisms



The Social Psychology of Good and Evil: Situationism versus Dispositionism



Culture and human nature



The future of human evolution: From Homo sapiens to gods

Erscheinungsdatum
Zusatzinfo 1 Line drawings, black and white; 30 Halftones, black and white
Verlagsort London
Sprache englisch
Maße 156 x 234 mm
Gewicht 362 g
Themenwelt Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie
Geisteswissenschaften Psychologie Sozialpsychologie
ISBN-10 0-367-15098-0 / 0367150980
ISBN-13 978-0-367-15098-3 / 9780367150983
Zustand Neuware
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