Summary IB Philosophy Core Theme (Human Nature) Revision Notes 2021

What is Human Nature? Human Nature, or essentialism, is a branch of metaphysics that questions whether a universal teleology exists: what universal characteristics all people possess naturally. This is a significant b ...

What is Human Nature? Human Nature, or essentialism, is a branch of metaphysics that questions whether a universal teleology exists: what universal characteristics all people possess naturally. This is a significant branch of philosophy as it informs us how we ought to live our lives, and what ends we should attempt to achieve throughout our life. Plato: Theory of the Forms; Plato’s Theory: “It is not possible to step into the same river twice” - Heraclitus. Plato questioned how one can hold knowledge of anything when the world was in a constant state of flux. This is because Plato saw knowledge as permanent and unchanging. He concluded that knowledge is possible because there exists a realm of Forms - a conceptual realm, mirroring the empirical world but independent of it and the human mind, in which everything exists in its most perfect state. Example: there is a Form of a circle that all circles resemble but do not ever completely embody. This is an epistemic metaphysical proposition that claims there are two levels of reality. Plato’s Argument: Plato’s argues we have knowledge of the Forms through our souls, which consists of three parts: 1. Spirit; the part of ourselves that is emotive. 2. Hedonistic desires; the part of ourselves that yearns for temporal desires. 3. Reason; the part of ourselves that governs the spirit and hedonistic desires - aiming to create a harmonious balance. Note: Plato uses the chariot analogy to explain this. Plato places special importance upon reason as he believes it controls spirit and hedonistic desires. Only when reason ...............,.......................................continued