Human Nature

Human nature may be defined as the essence of the human species and consists of all the inherent and emergent characteristics and behaviors of human beings. It derives in part from mammalian and primate biology as well as from the enormous variability of human culture. The complex interactions of biology and culture represent the crux of much of the analysis and argument below.

While inquiries into human nature have occupied philosophers both classical and contemporary, practical men and women frequently attribute one or another experienced injury or benefit to some element of human nature and make decisions informed by their own hopes and fears. Advocates of business ethics often look to human nature to explain the abuses or to propose a path of change. Following a ...