METAPHYSICS
•ONE OF OUR BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
•DEALS WITH EXPLAINING THE FUNDAMENTAL NATURE OF
BEING AND THE WORLD THAT ENCOMPASSES IT
WHAT IS YOUR NATURE?
•WHO AM I?
•ALREADY UNDERSTANDING THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF
•YOU ARE DIFFERENT FROM ROCKS, TABLES, AND OTHER PEOPLE
•AS HUMAN BEINGS, YOU WALK UPRIGHT, WITHIN FAMILY
GROUPINGS, AND PROBABLY APPRECIATE LAUGHTER IN THE USE
OF LANGUAGE
GROWING WISDOM
•AS YOU GROW IN WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE….
•YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND MORE PRECISELY WHO YOU
ARE, AND WHAT YOU NATURE IS AS A HUMAN BEING
•WHAT ARE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HUMAN NATURE?
1) INDIVIDUAL NATURE
•REFERS TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONAL TALENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE
•PERSONAL TRAITS
•MORAL CHARACTERISTICS
•REFERS TO A COLLECTION OF STRICTLY HUMAN ABILITIES (WRITE,
PLAY SPORTS)
2) HUMAN NATURE
•REFERS TO A GENERAL SET OF DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
– BELONG TO ALL HUMAN BEINGS, REGARDLESS OF WHERE
WHEN AND HOW THEY LIVE
•DISTINGUISH HUMAN BEINGS FROM ALL OTHER BEINGS
WHAT DOES NATURE MEAN?
• CAN SOMETIMES MEAN THE SAME THING, DEPENDING ON HOW IT IS USED
• FOUND IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THINGS AS DIVERS AS BLUE SKIES, PLANTS,
MINERALS, AD FOODS
• MAY ALSO REFER TO GENES AND THE STUFF OF WHICH A THING IS MADE – FURNITURE
IS MADE OF WOOD, IT MAY BE ADVERTISED AS ALL NATURAL – SOMEONE IS GOOD AT
BASEBALL – A NATURAL
• DEPENDING ON THE CONTEXT, NATURE MAY REFER TO SOMETHING:
1)EXTERNAL – SUCH AS HOW A FRUIT IS GROWN
2)INTERNAL – SUCH AS YOUR GENES OR SOUL
•NATURE CAN ALSO REFER TO THE POTENTIAL YOU HAVE TO
BECOME EITHER THIS OR THAT TYPE OF PERSON
•FEATURES OF A NATURE – (SEED WITH THE POTENTIAL TO GROW
INTO A YELLOW FLOWER) IS THIS FEATURE TYPICAL OF THE SEED?
•LIKEWISE, THERE MAY BE MANY FEATURES TYPICAL OF HUMANS
(IN THEIR NATURE) – WALKING UPRIGHT, USE OF TOOLS,
RATIONALITY
WHAT HUMAN NATURE IS NOT!!!
•GOOD EXAMPLE – FLYING IS NOT SOMETHING THAT COMES
NATURAL TO HUMANS!!!
•WHAT ELSE IS NOT NATURAL TO HUMANS?
ARE THERE GOOD AND EVIL NATURES?
• SOME PEOPLE PERFORM GOOD ACTIONS, WHILE OTHERS COMMIT EVIL
ACTIONS – PAUL BERNARDO, 9/11 TERRORISTS
• THERE ARE ALSO PEOPLE WHO PERFORM ACTS TO HELP OTHERS –RICK HANSEN
• RICK HANSEN CONTINUES TO RAISE MONEY FOR RESEARCH, WHILE PAUL
BERNARDO IS ROTTING IS PRISON
• WHAT MOTIVATED THESE INDIVIDUALS TO THEIR ACTIONS? IS THERE
SOMETHING IN HUMAN NATURE THAT MAKES PEOPLE DO GOOD OR EVIL
THINGS?
• IS HUMAN NATURE INHERENTLY GOOD OR EVIL?
QUESTIONS ??????????
1)SHOULD CRIMINALS BE PUNISHED OR REFORMED?
2)CAN A CRIMINAL BE CURED OF HIS/HER CRIMINAL
TENDENCIES?
3)DO CRIMINALS HAVE A CRIMINAL NATURE THAT IS AN
UNCHANGEABLE PART OF THEM?
THOMAS HOBBES (1588-1679)
• ENGLISH PHILOSOPHER
• HUMANS BORN SELF INTERESTED, ONLY LOOKING OUT
FOR THEMSELVES
• LEVIATHAN – DESCRIBES HUMAN LIFE IN THE STATE OF
NATURE AS:
• SOLITARY, POOR, BRUTISH, NASTY, AN SHORT
• IN THE ABSENCE OF A STATE AND A STRONG POLITICAL
AUTHORITY CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING LAW AND
ORDER, THE MEMBER OF SOCIETY BEING PURELY SELF
INTERESTED, WOULD FIND THEMSELVES IN A CONSTANT
STATE OF WAR WITH ONE ANOTHER
HOBBES …
•IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES (IN THE STATE
OF NATURE) HUMANS WOULDN’T BE ABLE
TO LEAD CIVILIZED LIVES
•HUMANS WOULD BE PREVENTED FROM
PROTECTING THE MOST BASIC OF THEIR
INTERESTS
•REALIZING THIS….PEOPLE AGREE TO
SUBMIT THEMSELVES TO THE AUTHORITY
OF THE STATE
WHAT IS CONSCIENCE?
•IN CARTOONS WE HAVE SEEN IT! ANGEL AND DEVIL ON YOUR
SHOULDERS
•SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO BEFORE MAKING AN IMPORTANT
DECISION
•THE IDEA OF CONSCIENCE IS PROMINENT IN WESTERN CULTURE
•IF IT PLAYS SUCH A PROMINENT PART IN NATURE, WHAT IS IT?
VOICE IN YOUR HEAD?
•IT MAY BE A FUNCTION OF THE MIND ---- A MORAL BAROMETER
MORAL BAROMETER
• CAN GAUGE EACH ACTION OR POSSIBLE ACTIONS THE PERSON MAY
COMMIT
• MIND WILL GAUGE IF THE ACTION IS GOOD OR BAD
• GIVING THE PERSON A GOOD OR AD FEELING – THIS CAN INFLUENCE
WHETHER THE PERSON WILL COMMIT THE ACT
• MAYBE CONSCIENCE IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR COMMON SENSE? OR
REASONABLE THINKING?
•ALTERNATIVELY, IT MIGHT BE A SURVIVAL INSTINCT
– LIKE ANIMALS SENSE DANGER
•MAYBE CONSCIENCE IS HOW YOUR BODY LOOKS
OUT FOR ITS BEST INTEREST
•IS IT PART OF HUMAN NATURE? ARE WE ALL BORN
WITH IT?
IS YOUR NATURE DEFINED BY SOUL???
•REMEMBER YOUR SOUL??
•PERHAPS THE GOOD AND BAD FEELINGS ASSOCIATE WITH
CONSCIENCE ARE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER
•SOME THINK THAT WHO YOU ARE, YOUR NATURE IS A FUNCTION
OF SOUL
PLATO ON THE SOUL TRAIN
• BELIEVE THAT THE SOUL IS WHAT ANIMATED THE
BODY, WHEN A PERSON DIES, THE CORPSE IS NOT
REFERRED TO AS A PERSON, RATHER THE PERSON
IS SPOKEN OF AS BEING GONE
• FOR PLATO, SOUL IS A NON MATERIAL LIFE FORCE
• THE CENTRE OF ALL THAT IS A PERSON
PLATO ON HUMAN NATURE
• DESCRIBED IT FROM A DUALISTIC POINT OF VIEW
• DUALISM: THE VIEW THAT HUMANS ARE MADE OF
2 PARTS – BODY + SOUL (MIND)
• BELIEVED THAT THE SOUL IS MADE OF A PHYSICAL
SUBSTANCE, BUT NONETHELESS IS
INDESTRUCTIBLE
• THE SOUL EXISTS BEFORE BIRTH, AND CONTINUES
AFTER THE BODY’S DEATH
PLATO ON SOUL TRAIN…AGAIN
• FURTHER DIVIDED THE SOUL INTO 3 PARTS:
• APPETITE – DESIRES, LUSTS, AND HUNGERS (CAR ACCIDENT ,
LOOK AT CARNAGE)
• SPIRIT - WILL DIRECT YOU TO TURN AWAY IN DISGUST, OR
OFFER HELP
• REASON – WILL ENGAGE IN THOUGHT, DELIBERATES, AND
MAKES JUDGEMENTS
• - PLATO THOUGHT THE BEST TYPE OF HUMAN IS GUIDED
MOSTLY BY REASON
BERTRAND RUSSELL ON CONSCIENCE
• ENGLISH PHILOSOPHER (1872 – 1970)
• POINT OUT PROBLEM WITH CONSCIENCE – CANNOT BE TRUSTED
• ONE PERSON WILL SAY IT IS THEIR CONSCIENCE TO GO TO WAR,
WHILE ANOTHER PERSON’S WILL TELL THEM TO CONDEMN WAR
• CONSCIENCE RESPONSIBLE FOR OPPOSITE POSITIONS
• THIS CONFUSION CASTS DOUBT ON THE RELIABILITY OF
CONSCIENCE (LEARNED BEHAVIOUR, NOT INTERNAL)
WHY IS THE SOUL PROBLEMATIC?
• MUCH LIKE CONSCIENCE, DISCUSSION PRESENTS
PROBLEMS
• IT ITS NOT PHYSICAL, LIKE THE BRAIN, CAN IT BE
FOUND?
• QUESTIONS ARE PROBLEMATIC
• THEREFORE, YOU MAY CONCLUDE THAT THE VIEW THAT
HUMANS HAVE SOULS, AN INVISIBLE AND MYSTERIOUS
ENTITY WITHIN EACH PERSON, IS DEEPLY PROBLEMATIC
IS HUMAN NATURE PHYSICAL?
THOMAS H. HUXLEY (1825 – 1895)
- BRITISH WRITER
- THOUGHT THAT BENEATH A THIN VENEER OF CIVILIZED
BEHAVIOUR, HUMAN BEINGS ARE DOMINATED BY ANIMAL LIKE
DESIRES THAT CONSTANTLY THRIVE FOR SATISFACTION AND
PLEASURE
- PLACES HUMANS AS PARTY EVIL (ACCORDING TO RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS)
- DEFINED AS THE STRUGGLE TO CONQUER THE BRUTE WITHIN
EXISTENTIALISM – THE FREE DOCTRINE
• BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO HUMAN NATURE OR HUMAN ESSENCE
PRE-EXISTING OUR APPEARANCE OF THE WORLD
• HUMANS THROWN RANDOMLY INTO A DIFFERENT WORLD
WITHOUT ANY HIGHER, OR GOD GIVEN PLAN OR PURPOSE
• ADRIFT, ROOTLESS, AND ABANDONED, HUMAN BEINGS MUST
DEFINE AND CHOOSE THEMSELVES FROM THE GROUND UP
• HUMANS ARE COMPLETELY FREE IN THIS PROJECT OF SELFDEFINITION
• MOST PEOPLE FLEE THIS OVERWHELMING FREEDOM, OR DENY IT, OR
DECEIVE THEMSELVES ABOUT IT
ALBERT CAMUS (1913-1960)
-WROTE ABOUT GREEK HERO SISYPHUS – CONDEMNED TO PUSH A ROCK UP
A HILL FOR ETERNITY
-WOULD SPEND ALL DAY PUSHING THIS ROCK UP A HILL ONLY TO WATCH IT
ROLL BACK DOWN
-CAMUS BELIEVED THIS REPRESENTED THE ABSURDITY OF LIFE – UNENDING,
FRUSTRATING TASKS WITH NO FINAL MEANING
-ADMIRED SISYPHUS FOR NOT GIVING UP IN THE FACE OF HIS CHALLENGES
JEAN-PAUL SARTRE (1905-1980)
- AN ATHEIST, JUST LIKE CAMUS
- BELIEVED THERE WAS NO PLAN FOR HUMANS BY A GOD OR
SUPREME BEING
- BEING RADICALLY FREE MAKES IT IMPORTANT TO LIVE
AUTHENTICALLY AND RESPONSIBLY
- SOMETIMES THIS CAN MEAN CHOOSING TO HELP OTHERS AND
CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY
- COWARDICE IN SUICIDE
- YOU MUST TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR EXISTENCE
IS YOUR CHOICE LIMITED?
•SINCE EXISTENTIALISTS BELIEVE THERE IS NO
GOD WITH A PLAN
•HUMAN BEINGS MUST CHOOSE THEIR OWN PATH
•SOCIAL, HISTORICAL, AND CULTURAL FORCES
INFLUENCE THIS DECISION
GEORGE HEGEL (1770-1831)
GERMAN PHILOSOPHER
•HUMAN NATURE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON
HISTORY AND CULTURE
•HUMAN NATURE CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD
INDEPENDENTLY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG
HUMAN BEINGS
•LARGER HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL FORCES THAT
SWEEP THEM ALONG THE PATH OF HISTORY