Human Nature and Thought

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the role of language in the development of human nature, with particular reference to the function of thought. The paper shows that our nature is largely the consequence of the social interactions that we experience as we develop our lives and not the result of some wide ranging and all encompassing human nature. The paper goes on to to show how, while language is indeed an essential component in the production of thought, it is nonetheless incapable of explaining human development and outcomes in every instance.

From the Paper:

"What is it that makes who we are? Moreover, how can we account for the varied and differing actions of human beings and the general development of the human race as a whole? These are questions that have plagued academic authorities since the time of the ancient Greeks. Every academic discipline has in some measure or another attempted to explain and account for the essential features that make human beings distinct from other forms of life. In particular, sociologists have traditionally taken a central role in explaining the issues above. Above all, sociologists attempt to explain the world in which we live through the social actions and effects that we all encounter. 'No man is an Island' is certainly central to this conception. The society in which we live directly affects the manner of our development as a human being and thus can also affect out 'nature'."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bilton, T. (2002). Introductory Sociology, New York: Palgrave.
• Jordon, T and Pile, S. (2002). Social Change, Oxford: Blackwell.
• Martindale, P. (1961). The Nature of Types of Sociological Theory, London: Routledge.
• Pullum, GK. (1991). The Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax, and other irreverent essays on the study of language, Chicago: Chicago University Press.
• Ridely, M. (2004). Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience and what makes us Human, London: Harper, 2004.

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