The Good Book Of Human Nature - 971 Words

When it comes to the Bible, negotiating the span between religious reverence and secular scorn can be a daunting task of intellectual funambulism. Too often, the faithful view the Bible solely as a divine message from God, immune to critical analysis. Likewise, the non-religious often dismiss the Bible as an irrelevant—or even dangerous—collection of outdated and ignorant writings. In their new book, The Good Book of Human Nature, (Basic Books, $29.99), evolutionary anthropologist Carel van Schaik and historian Kai Michel capably bridge this gap, boldly defending the thesis that the Bible is the most important book in the history of humanity. Though both agnostic, they believe that the Bible offers an invaluable key to a better understanding of ourselves. Through the lenses of cognitive science, evolutionary biology, archeology, and religious history, they explore what the Bible reveals about human nature and the cultural evolution of our species: In the Bible we find answers to humanity’s greatest questions. We do not mean this in a religious sense. Rather it teaches us why we fear death, how we deal with great misfortunes, and where our deep-seated desire for justice originated. The Bible shows us how we learned to survive in large, anonymous societies, why our modern lives sometimes seem so pointless, and why we are so often nagged by what we should describe as a longing for Paradise. When viewed without its halo, the Bible has something important to say to all ofShow MoreRelatedA Common Goal Of Humanity1265 Words   |  6 Pagesfind the answer to many philosophical questions involving the reasons humans are here and who or what else might be in the universe with us. In The Essential Mengzi, Mengzi attempts to decipher why humans are here and what basic human nature is – whether or not humans are good and how to expand upon any existing positive attributes. In another text, The Book of Job, Job’s life is manipulated by G-d as a test of his loyalty. The nature of the divine is very clearly shown in this story. Put together, theseRead MoreHumans Nature - Good or Bad? Essay1132 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Nature Good or Bad? Whether human beings are instinctually good or evil in an elementary natural state is a question that has been boggling the minds of even the greatest philosophers. There is a spectrum of theories that support both good and evil within the human race, each with valid points that explains the range of our interests, being either for ourselves or for others. However, my personal stance is the sensible theory of Altruism. Past experiences and observations allow me toRead MoreGood And Evil In Lord Of The Flies Analysis1207 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom within and that the struggle to maintain civilization depends on the ethical nature of each individual.† - â€Å"Background† Throughout the Lord of the Flies, readers learn that people, including children, are not made of pure goodness. Deep inside there is an evil element consistently trying to rise to the surface of their minds. Golding proves that eventually the evil within the children will destroy them and the good around t hem. This is also proven in two other pieces of literature; one piece talkingRead MoreThe Mencius-Xunzi Debate in Early Confucian Ethnics Essay1082 Words   |  5 Pagesto achieve this goal. Yet, instead of supporting each other, Mengzi and Xunzi have made contradictory arguments on human nature and cultivation of moral elites . Previous researchers have found that Mengzi, as the second most influential Confucian philosopher , maintains that human nature is good , whereas Xunzi, who shaped the Confucianism that followed him , claims that human nature is bad . This sharp contrast may result from the fact that both Mengzi and Xunzi live in the Warring States periodRead MoreExistentialism And Human Emotions By Jean Paul Sartre1513 Words   |  7 PagesJean-Paul Sartre s novel Existentialism and Human Emotions discusses his philosophy that man is responsible for what he is and what he does; that man chooses his values and makes himself. At the beginning of the book, Sartre defends existentialism against several charges that had been laid against it. Throughout the book, Sartre refers to the basis of existentialism using the phrase ‘existence precedes essence . With this, phrase lies the basis for the argument that Existentialism is a HumanismRead MoreCreativity Is An Innate And Universal Human Attribute 972 Words   |  4 PagesTo begin to understand creativity we need a starting point, and a logical starting point would be a definition: what is creativity? But in our field of study there is no single, agreed-upon definition of creativity. There are good definitions and popular definitions but none that is universally accepted. People come to the study of creativity from many other fields, and there are as many definitions of creativity as there are points of view. Seeing from multiple points of view is a creative thinkingRead MoreAristotle s Doctrine Of The Mean Real Quick1571 Words   |  7 Pagesvirtuous person is capable of choosing the mean consistently. Although the first example of means given above is arithmetic in nature, Aristotle’s doctrine applies to a much wider set. Ethical virtue, Aristotle asserts, is a habit, disposed toward action by deliberate choice, being at the mean relative to us, and defined by reason as a prudent man would define it (NE, Book 2, Chapter 7, Line 1107a). Being virtuous and acting virtuously differ markedly. One must not only act virtuously, but alsoRead MoreBook Eight And Nine Of Nicomachean Ethics1698 Words   |  7 PagesIn Book eight and nine of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses the variations of friendships that are present in human nature. He further goes into detail on the terms and grounds on forming these friendships. I will be analyzing the different types of friendship discussed in Aristotle’s Ethics and answer the difficulties and obstacles present in trying to achieve the perfect friendship, the friendship based on goodness. The beginning of Book eight of the Nicomachean Ethics states that friendshipRead MoreEssay on Summary of Education Book by Ellen G White1479 Words   |  6 Pagesrepresentation of what God desired the whole earth to become, and it was His purpose that, as the human family increased in numbers, they should establish other homes and schools like the one He had given. The book also talked about how the human’s first parents fell into sin by their power of choice – the power to yield or to withhold obedience. There was a tree of knowledge of good and evil. While God was seeking man’s good, satan was seeking his ruin. When Eve, disregarding the Lord admonition concerning theRead More Gullivers Travels Essay1312 Words   |  6 Pagesin modern history. The purpose of the book, although some of his contemporaries didnamp;#8217;t realize it, is to ridicule his government, his rulers, and human nature as a whole. His generalization of the human condition doesnamp;#8217;t manifest itself completely until Part IV of the book, where the main character, Lemuel Gulliver, finds himself on an island inhabited by two main species amp;#8211; the Houyhnhnms, horse-like animals, and the Yahoos, human-like animals. The difference between