Science of man

Science of man

The science of man (or the science of human nature) is a topic used in David Hume's 18th century experimental philosophy "A Treatise of Human Nature" (1739). The science of man expanded the understanding of facets of the human nature, including senses, impressions, ideas, imagination, passions, morality, justice, and society.

The science of man first established that impressions from the senses, and memories of impressions, are the foundation of all ideas. Passions are a part of human nature and they rule over our reason in determining our actions. Morality is based on necessary actions, those which we would certainly make as a reaction to a certain set of circumstances, and is therefore natural. However, morality is founded on self interest, which includes the pleasure we find in sensing the pleasure in others.

Hume identifies sympathy as a passion that causes us to feel for other humans because of their similarity to us. This includes our tendency to feel, to some degree, emotions that we observe in other humans. Man has been naturally inclined to develop the rules of justice over time in order to maximize pleasure. Given the tendency of self interest to overpower the pleasure felt through sympathy, the eventual accumulation of wealth necessitated the development of some form of government, initially somewhat monarchical, to ensure that the rules of justice were followed. Hume bases his further discussions of humans as individuals and in society in "A Treatise of Human Nature" on the initial premises set by his "science of man."

"A Treatise on Human Nature" and later works would influence other philosophers, such as Adam Smith, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Emmanuel Kant, especially in the discussions of morality and cause and effect.

ee also

*Hume's Law


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Science and the Church — • Dicsusses the relationship between the two subjects Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Science and the Church     Science and the Church      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Man-Chung Tang — Man Chung Tang, is a notable American civil engineer and businessman.[1] Contents 1 Biography 2 Awards and honors 3 List of Tang s projects …   Wikipedia

  • Science and technology studies — (STS) is the study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these in turn affect society, politics, and culture. More than two dozen universities worldwide offer baccalaureate… …   Wikipedia

  • Science and Religion in American Thought — (1952) is a book by Edward A. White, a Stanford University history professor. In 1952, the first edition was simultaneously published by both Stanford University Press in Stanford, California and Oxford University Press in London, England. Key… …   Wikipedia

  • Man in the Machine — Studio album by Royworld Released June 2, 2008 …   Wikipedia

  • Science — This article is about the general term, particularly as it refers to experimental sciences. For the specific topics of study by scientists, see Natural science. For other uses, see Science (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • Science fiction film — is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel,… …   Wikipedia

  • Science-Fiction — [ˌsaɪəns ˈfɪkʃən̩] (auch Sciencefiction, fachsprachlich oft Science Fiction, nach alter Rechtschreibung Science fiction; abgekürzt Sci Fi, SciFi [saɪ̯fɪ̯] oder SF) ist ein Genre innerhalb der Literatur und des Films, aber auch anderer Disziplinen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Science-Fiction-Roman — Science Fiction [ˌsaɪəns ˈfɪkʃn̩], (auch: Sciencefiction oder Science Fiction, abgekürzt SF, Sci Fi oder SciFi [saɪ̯fɪ̯]) ist eine Gattung innerhalb der Literatur und des Films (siehe auch Science Fiction Film), aber auch anderer Disziplinen wie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Science-Fiction-Schriftsteller — Science Fiction [ˌsaɪəns ˈfɪkʃn̩], (auch: Sciencefiction oder Science Fiction, abgekürzt SF, Sci Fi oder SciFi [saɪ̯fɪ̯]) ist eine Gattung innerhalb der Literatur und des Films (siehe auch Science Fiction Film), aber auch anderer Disziplinen wie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”