Definitions for human nature
hu·man na·ture

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. human naturenoun

   the shared psychological attributes of humankind that are assumed to be shared by all human beings

   "a great observer of human nature"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. human naturenoun

   The fundamental set of qualities, and the range of behaviour, shared by all humans.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Human nature

   Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or what it 'means' to be human. This usage has proven to be controversial in that there is dispute as to whether or not such an essence actually exists. Arguments about human nature have been a central focus of philosophy for centuries and the concept continues to provoke lively philosophical debate. While both concepts are distinct from one another, discussions regarding human nature are typically related to those regarding the comparative importance of genes and environment in human development (i.e., 'nature versus nurture'). Accordingly, the concept also continues to play a role in academic fields, such as the natural sciences, social sciences, history, and philosophy, in which various theorists claim to have yielded insight into human nature. Human nature is traditionally contrasted with human attributes that vary among societies, such as those associated with specific cultures. The concept of nature as a standard by which to make judgments is traditionally said to have begun in Greek philosophy, at least in regard to its heavy influence on Western and Middle Eastern languages and perspectives. By late antiquity and medieval times, the particular approach that came to be dominant was that of Aristotle's teleology, whereby human nature was believed to exist somehow independently of individuals, causing humans to simply become what they become. This, in turn, has been understood as also demonstrating a special connection between human nature and divinity, whereby human nature is understood in terms of final and formal causes. More specifically, this perspective believes that nature itself (or a nature-creating divinity) has intentions and goals, including the goal for humanity to live naturally. Such understandings of human nature see this nature as an "idea", or "form" of a human. However, the existence of this invariable and metaphysical human nature is subject of much historical debate, continuing into modern times. Against Aristotle's notion of a fixed human nature, the relative malleability of man has been argued especially strongly in recent centuries—firstly by early modernists such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In his Emile, or On Education, Rousseau wrote: "We do not know what our nature permits us to be." Since the early 19th century, such thinkers as Hegel, Darwin, Freud, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Sartre, as well as structuralists and postmodernists more generally, have also sometimes argued against a fixed or innate human nature. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution has particularly changed the shape of the discussion, supporting the proposition that mankind's ancestors were not like mankind today. More recent scientific perspectives such as behaviorism, determinism, and the chemical model within modern psychiatry and psychology claim to be neutral regarding human nature. As in much of modern science, such disciplines seek to explain with little or no recourse to metaphysical causation. They can be offered to explain the origins of human nature and its underlying mechanisms, or to demonstrate capacities for change and diversity which would arguably violate the concept of a fixed human nature.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. human nature

   Human nature refers to the distinctive characteristics that humans tend to have naturally, including ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving, which are inherited and influenced by both biology and environment. It encapsulates a variety of aspects including tendencies for social interaction, inherent understanding of morality, psychological traits, and ability to comprehend and react emotionally. It underlines how humans are fundamentally different from other species, and it is a subject of ongoing debate and studies in philosophy, sociology, psychology, and anthropology.

WikidataRate this definition:3.0 / 3 votes

1. Human nature

   Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that humans tend to have naturally, independently of the influence of culture. The questions of what these characteristics are, what causes them, and how fixed human nature is, are amongst the oldest and most important questions in western philosophy. These questions have particularly important implications in ethics, politics, and theology. This is partly because human nature can be regarded as both a source of norms of conduct or ways of life, as well as presenting obstacles or constraints on living a good life. The complex implications of such questions are also dealt with in art and literature, while the multiple branches of the Humanities together form an important domain of inquiry into human nature, and the question of what it means to be human. The branches of contemporary science associated with the study of human nature include anthropology, sociology, sociobiology, and psychology, particularly evolutionary psychology, and developmental psychology. The "nature versus nurture" debate is a broadly inclusive and well-known instance of a discussion about human nature in the natural sciences.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. human nature

   Song lyrics by human nature -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by human nature on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Attribute

How to pronounce human nature?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say human nature in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of human nature in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of human nature in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of human nature in a Sentence

1. Tacitus:

   It is human nature to hate him whom you have injured.

2. Charles Kingsley:

   There is a great deal of human nature in man.

3. Ernest Renan:

   Communism is in conflict with human nature.

4. Wayne Black:

   These attacks happen and we raise our guard for 30 days and then drop it, that’s just human nature.

5. Spencer Cox:

   Serving in Afghanistan, Brent Taylor was able to share through social media with Brent Taylor friends and Brent Taylor city many of Brent Taylor adventures, and things that were happening over there, seeing that, not through the news media, but through Brent Taylor own experiences, really personalized it for so many of us in this now eternal war that we're continuing to fight. We forget about the human nature of war, and Brent Taylor was able to bring that home to us in very personal, and funny, and powerful ways.

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=human nature
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Human_Nature
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Nature
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=human nature