Human nature
What everyone shares
Human nature is the set of characteristics, behaviors, and tendencies thought to be shared by all humans—our inherent qualities as a species.
The phrase often carries philosophical weight, invoked to explain everything from altruism to violence: It's human nature to want to belong.
Appeals to human nature can justify or excuse behavior: Greed is just human nature.
The concept assumes something fixed beneath cultural variation, though what exactly constitutes human nature remains debated.
State of sentient awareness
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- emotionComplex psychological state
- behaviorManner of conducting oneself
- motivationImpetus toward a goal
personality · ego · id · superego · unconscious · psyche · conditioning · rationality
Internal moral sense
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- altruismPrioritizing others' wellbeing
- empathySharing another's emotions
good and evil · compassion · fairness · integrity · righteousness · dignity · decency · moral compass
Remaining alive against odds
- fight-or-flightAcute threat reaction
- self-preservationInstinct to survive danger
- impulseSudden urge to act
- gut feelingInstinctive sense about something
territorial · biological drive · maternal instinct · paternal instinct · primal · reflex · aggression · fear response
Fundamental nature of something
- free willAutonomous choice capacity
- determinismDoctrine of causal necessity
- dualismPhilosophy of opposed pairs
- soulInnermost animating essence
tabula rasa · original sin · social contract · Hobbes · Rousseau · Locke · existentialism · absurdism
consciousness
State of sentient awareness
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- emotionComplex psychological state
- behaviorManner of conducting oneself
motivation · personality · ego · id · superego · unconscious · psyche · conditioning · rationality · irrationality
conscience
Internal moral sense
good and evil · empathy · compassion · fairness · integrity · righteousness · dignity · decency · moral compass · golden rule
survival
Remaining alive against odds
- fight-or-flightAcute threat reaction
- self-preservationInstinct to survive danger
- impulseSudden urge to act
gut feeling · territorial · biological drive · maternal instinct · paternal instinct · primal · reflex · aggression · fear response · bonding
essence
Fundamental nature of something
- free willAutonomous choice capacity
- determinismDoctrine of causal necessity
- dualismPhilosophy of opposed pairs
soul · tabula rasa · original sin · social contract · Hobbes · Rousseau · Locke · existentialism · absurdism · meaning
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