Two Theories of Natural Justice in Plato’s Gorgias

In Plato’s Gorgias 482c4–484c3, Callicles advances a concept of natural justice: the laws of the polis must agree with nature, that is, human nature. Since human nature is characterised by its desire to get a greater share (pleon echein), nature itself makes it legitimate that stronger human beings get a greater share than weaker ones. Socrates objects: Callicles’ theoretical approach to civic life poses a threat to the polis’ community, its citizens, and to the friendship amongst its citizens. However, Socrates accepts Callicles’ premise, that the laws of the polis must agree with nature (again, human nature). Still, he disagrees with Callicles about the nature of human nature and proposes an alternative theory of human nature, eventually leading to his alternative concept of natural justice. The article explains the arguments underpinning these two concepts of natural justice, including the conflicting understandings of human nature.

1. Human nature

‘Human nature’ looks at the theory of human nature developed by Hume in Books One and Two of A Treatise of Human Nature. In these books, Hume’s theory of nature is presented as an account of the faculty of understanding, of the passions, and of the relation between them. The biographical context for this theory of human nature is important here, in terms of the intellectual crisis that Hume went through in the early 1730s. Key influences on Hume’s theory of human nature included Pierre Bayle, Bernard Mandeville, and John Locke. Hume reformulated his theory of human nature in his later works. There are limitations of the theory as can be revealed in remarks made by Hume about racial difference.

Plastic eschatology: On the foundations of Marcuse’s philosophical anthropology

This article explores the complexities of Marcuse’s philosophical anthropology in light of Foucault’s criticisms of Marcuse and the Frankfurt School. While Marcuse’s theory of human nature is grounded upon a dialectical conception of essential human potentialities striving for realization, it secretes a radically plastic conception of life that undermines all anthropological essentialism. This fundamental tension between essentialist and plastic conceptions of human nature has significant implications for rethinking Marcuse’s project and legacy.

‘If men were angels, no government would be necessary’: intuitive theories of human nature and preference for authoritarian leaders

How do people arrive at their opinions regarding how society should be governed? We suggest people possess an intuitive theory of human nature. The function of this theory is to predict how strangers will behave in particular classes of situation, and suggest what kinds of institutions and interventions are required to make society function under those circumstances. Across four within-subjects experiments with 750 UK adult participants, we show that the intuitive theory of human nature is fundamentally situation-sensitive. Our participants intuited that conditions of war, scarcity or cultural heterogeneity would increase selfishness and immorality from a subgroup of the population, and that this would undermine the provision of public goods. Rational argument would be become less effective under such circumstances, and punishment more effective; hence, respondents more strongly favoured coercive authoritarian leaders under these conditions compared to peace or abundance. Using World Values Survey data from 55 countries, we detect real-world patterns consistent with these principles: both within and between countries, the more respondents are concerned about the collective threat of war, the more pessimistic their assessment of the moral dependability of their co-citizens, and the stronger their endorsement of authoritarian forms of government.

Thorstein Veblen on economic man: toward a new method of describing human nature, society, and history

The fact that Veblen was a keen critic of the neo-classical concept of “economic man” is well known. However, the following issues have not been discussed in enough depth: how he rebuilt the traditional theory of human nature through his new methodology of economics, how much his methodological revision broadened the scope of economics, and what kind of phenomena Veblen’s economic theory elucidates. This article examines these issues and aims to show the logical connection between Veblen’s controversial proposal on the methodology of economics and his analysis of economic phenomena. Specifically, it reconsiders Veblen’s analysis of economic action using a unique concept of instincts, his logic of explaining the relation between society and human nature, his way of drawing history from the relativistic worldview, and his characteristic method of grasping the cause and effect of economic phenomena. Finally, it highlights the importance of modifying the concept of “economic man” by focusing on the qualitative aspect. Particular reference is made to the economic concepts of utility, efficiency, and intangibility.

Social Work Philosophy Encounters Morenean Philosophy

Core Morenean philosophy is covered in this chapter as it relates to social work philosophy. The existential and spiritual philosophies from which sociometry and psychodrama emerged are comprehensively depicted including his theory of human nature, the encounter, the Godhead, the autonomous healing center within, spontaneity–creativity theory, the here-and-now, action theory, role theory, and psychodrama’s developmental theory. Attention is given to the biopsychosocial -spiritual nature of both social work and psychodrama’s conceptualizations. The intersection of Morenean philosophy is presented with each of the six core social work values—the centrality of human relationships, the dignity and worth of each person, social justice , service, competence, and integrity.