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On Human Nature
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On Human Nature Hardback - 2017

by Roger Scruton

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From the publisher

A brief, radical defense of human uniqueness from acclaimed philosopher Roger Scruton

In this short book, acclaimed writer and philosopher Roger Scruton presents an original and radical defense of human uniqueness. Confronting the views of evolutionary psychologists, utilitarian moralists, and philosophical materialists such as Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, Scruton argues that human beings cannot be understood simply as biological objects. We are not only human animals; we are also persons, in essential relation with other persons, and bound to them by obligations and rights. Our world is a shared world, exhibiting freedom, value, and accountability, and to understand it we must address other people face to face and I to I.

Scruton develops and defends his account of human nature by ranging widely across intellectual history, from Plato and Averros to Darwin and Wittgenstein. The book begins with Kant's suggestion that we are distinguished by our ability to say "I"--by our sense of ourselves as the centers of self-conscious reflection. This fact is manifested in our emotions, interests, and relations. It is the foundation of the moral sense, as well as of the aesthetic and religious conceptions through which we shape the human world and endow it with meaning. And it lies outside the scope of modern materialist philosophy, even though it is a natural and not a supernatural fact. Ultimately, Scruton offers a new way of understanding how self-consciousness affects the question of how we should live.

The result is a rich view of human nature that challenges some of today's most fashionable ideas about our species.

From the rear cover

"I admire Roger Scruton's stance and I admire his writing. In this short book, he raises and discusses deeply important issues about the human world."--Simon Blackburn, author of Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy

"A tour de force, this book presents an original and important view of human nature."--Anthony O'Hear, University of Buckingham

Details

  • Title On Human Nature
  • Author Roger Scruton
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition Hardback
  • Pages 160
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Princeton University Press
  • Publication date 2017-02-28
  • Features Bibliography, Index
  • ISBN 9780691168753 / 069116875X
  • Weight 0.62 lbs (0.28 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 in (20.57 x 12.95 x 1.78 cm)
  • Category Philosophy
  • Library of Congress subjects Philosophy
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2016957094
  • Dewey Decimal Code 190

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 09/01/2017, Page 0
  • Library Journal, 02/15/2017, Page 90

About the author

Roger Scruton (1944-2020) was a writer and philosopher. His many books included The Soul of the World and The Aesthetics of Architecture (both Princeton), as well as A Short History of Modern Philosophy.

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On Human Nature

On Human Nature

by Scruton, Roger

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On Human Nature
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On Human Nature

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On Human Nature

On Human Nature

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On Human Nature

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