Ideas of Human Nature: From the Bhagavad Gita to Sociobiology

Unique in both scope and organization, this book presents an intriguing yet challenging introduction to the world’s great ideas concerning the nature of human nature — with a sampling of different approaches. The selections are drawn from religious writings, academic treatises, nonfiction, fiction, etc. — enabling readers to encounter the great thinkers through their own words. Organizes selections into intellectually coherent topics– Religious/Mythic Views, The Mind, The Social Setting, The Human Animal? — and then subtopics — e.g., The Role of Reason, The Limits of Reason, People Are Basically Nasty, People Are Basically Good, Animals as “Human,” and Vice Versa, Sex and Gender, etc.