Science and Human Nature
Lynchburg College Symposium Readings Third Edition
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About the Book
FRONT FLAP Ultimately questions regarding Human Nature are questions about facts. Are human beings born as blank slates—creatures that are shaped by experience and the environment—or are we born with innate predispositions to behave and to develop according to some unfolding blueprint? The early Greeks asked questions about who or what we are, but our understanding of how to apply the scientific method to the study of human nature only began with the scientific revolution of the 16th century. The struggle to separate fact from opinion, careful reason from accepted dogma, has been a slow process and continues even today. These readings include historic snapshots of the intellectual and scientific struggle to understand who we are, why we behave as we do, and what we might become. We begin with Réné Descartes, who argued for the separation of our existence into mind and body, continue with Darwin who proposed evolutionary theory, proceed to cognitive neuroscience where we begin to recognize how our minds process information, and end with Hans Moravec, who speculates about the merging of our human nature with artificial intelligence. It is an exciting exploration, not without controversy, likely to raise more questions than to provide answers, and ultimately leaves us wondering what future possibilities are open to us. BACK FLAP Science and Human Nature is the ninth volume in the 10-volume series, Lynchburg College Symposium Readings, 3rd edition. Each volume presents primary texts organized around an interdisciplinary, liberal arts theme such as education, politics, social issues, science and technology, morals and ethics. The series has been developed by Lynchburg College faculty for use in the Senior Symposium and the Lynchburg College Symposium Readings Program (SS/LCSR). While these programs are distinctive to Lynchburg College, the texts are used on many college campuses across the nation, as well as by readers interested in significant original texts on important topics.