It seems Aristotle was probably correct: Human beings are political animals.
Having been an individualistic person personally and politically, I had always assumed a close connection with the basic thoughts of Hobbes, Locke, and even Rousseau. Although these thinkers varied in detail, they are all completely individualistic in their appraisal of man's nature. Human nature, they said, was solitary and man was not a social animal. The impact of this has had an incredibly powerful influence on western political self-understanding, particularly American, and is a cornerstone of capitalistic economics.
Based on what we have learned in the last 20 years from archeology, social anthropology, evolutionary biology, and many other fields, this is wrong. When you ground rights in nature, and you strive to exist in conjunction with nature, the difference between an individual or social foundation spells a world of difference when it comes to justice, the political order, and theories of political development. It changes our whole understanding on man and society on virtually every level.
What do you think about changing understanding of human nature? How might this change modern thinking and society? Where could this lead us?
Having been an individualistic person personally and politically, I had always assumed a close connection with the basic thoughts of Hobbes, Locke, and even Rousseau. Although these thinkers varied in detail, they are all completely individualistic in their appraisal of man's nature. Human nature, they said, was solitary and man was not a social animal. The impact of this has had an incredibly powerful influence on western political self-understanding, particularly American, and is a cornerstone of capitalistic economics.
Based on what we have learned in the last 20 years from archeology, social anthropology, evolutionary biology, and many other fields, this is wrong. When you ground rights in nature, and you strive to exist in conjunction with nature, the difference between an individual or social foundation spells a world of difference when it comes to justice, the political order, and theories of political development. It changes our whole understanding on man and society on virtually every level.
What do you think about changing understanding of human nature? How might this change modern thinking and society? Where could this lead us?