Human Nature And Conduct

by John Dewey

Overview

"Human Nature and Conduct" is a seminal work by the American philosopher and psychologist John Dewey, published in 1922. This book is a profound exploration of the intricate relationship between human nature and human behavior, reflecting Dewey's influential contributions to the fields of philosophy and psychology. Dewey's central premise is that human conduct is not solely determined by inherent, fixed traits but is profoundly shaped by the ongoing interaction between an individual's innate tendencies and their social and environmental context. He emphasizes the dynamic nature of human behavior and the impact of social influences in shaping individual actions. Dewey's work challenges rigid notions of human nature and highlights the flexibility and adaptability of human behavior in response to various situations and stimuli. He argues that individuals are not passive products of their genetic makeup but active agents who engage with and respond to their surroundings. Throughout "Human Nature and Conduct," Dewey explores the role of habit, culture, and education in molding human conduct. He argues that habits are the bridge between human nature and conduct, as they encapsulate an individual's past experiences and responses. Culture and education, according to Dewey, play crucial roles in shaping these habits and, consequently, human behavior. Dewey's philosophical and psychological insights extend to ethics and morality. He contends that ethical behavior arises from a sense of responsibility within a social context, where individuals are mindful of the consequences of their actions on the broader community. This perspective challenges traditional, rigid ethical frameworks and supports a more pragmatic and context-sensitive approach. In summary, "Human Nature and Conduct" by John Dewey is a profound exploration of the dynamic relationship between human nature and behavior. Dewey's work challenges fixed notions of human nature, highlighting the influence

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9791041821716
Publisher:	Culturea
Publication date:	10/20/2023
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.49(d)

About the Author

Human Nature And ConductJohn Dewey "Give a dog a bad name and hang him." Human nature has been the dog of professional moralists, and consequences accord with the proverb. Man's nature has been regarded with suspicion, with fear, with sour looks, sometimes with enthusiasm for its possibilities but only when these were placed in contrast with its actualities. It has appeared to be so evilly disposed that the business of morality was to prune and curb it it would be thought better of if it could be replaced by something else. It has been supposed that morality would be quite superfluous were it not for the inherent weakness, bordering on depravity, of human nature. Some writers with a more genial conception have attributed the current blackening to theologians who have thought to honor the divine by disparaging the human. Theologians have doubtless taken a gloomier view of man than have pagans and secularists. But this explanation doesn't take us far. For after all these theologians are themselves human, and they would have been without influence if the human audience had not somehow responded to them. Morality is largely concerned with controlling human nature. When we are attempting to control anything we are acutely aware of what resists us. So moralists were led, perhaps, to think of human nature as evil because of its reluctance to yield to control, its rebelliousness under the yoke. But this explanation only raises another question. Why did morality set up rules so foreign to human nature? The ends it insisted upon, the regulations it imposed, were after all outgrowths of human nature. Why then was human nature so averse to them? Moreover rules can be obeyed and ideals realized only as they appeal to something in human nature and awaken in it an active response. Moral principles that exalt themselves by degrading human nature are in effect committing suicide. Or else they involve human nature in unending civil war, and treat it as a hopeless mess of contradictory forces. We are forced therefore to consider the nature and origin of that control of human nature with which morals has been occupied. And the fact which is forced upon us when we raise this question is the existence of classes. Control has been vested in an oligarchy. Indifference to regulation has grown in the gap which separates the ruled from the rulers. Parents, priests, chiefs, social censors have supplied aims, aims which were foreign to those upon whom they were imposed, to the young,