Human : a history /
"The book examines the history of metaphysical accounts of human nature, and the ethical and political consequences of such accounts. In so doing, it produces a history of the concept "human," illuminating how our self-understanding as human has evolved across time and place. The book...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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New York, NY :
Oxford University Press,
[2022]
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| Series: | Oxford philosophical concepts.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | "The book examines the history of metaphysical accounts of human nature, and the ethical and political consequences of such accounts. In so doing, it produces a history of the concept "human," illuminating how our self-understanding as human has evolved across time and place. The book starts with ancient Greek, classical Chinese, and medieval Arabic accounts of human nature and ends with contemporary evolutionary theory and the transhumanist movement. It examines problems ranging from the intelligibility of Christian Incarnation (a relationship between divine person and human beings) to problems posed by genetic engineering and artificial intelligence. It spans not just history of philosophy but also political science, religion, medical ethics, and the history of art and science fiction. It examines the role that the concept "human" has had for racist, sexist, and speciesist thought. Finally, the book highlights a long-standing battle between naturalistic accounts of human beings (on which human beings are just another part of nature) and rationalist-exceptionalist accounts (on which human beings are not merely distinctive but superior to other kinds of things in virtue of their cognitive capacities)"--Publisher's description. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780190876401 0190876409 9780190876395 0190876395 9780190876418 0190876417 |