“The Success of Gentleness”: Homosocial Desire and the Homosexual Personality in the Novels of William Godwin

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Markley
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
William Godwin ◽  
Global Society ◽  
Early Suggestion ◽  
Homosocial Desire ◽  
Early Novel

Abstract This article explores William Godwin’s work in his novels to expose ways in which traditional conceptions of masculinity foster aggression and rivalry between men. For Godwin, the destructiveness of such interactions profoundly threatened the potential he saw for the perfectibility of human nature and social relationships. From his early novel Imogen to the deeply psychological Caleb Williams, Fleetwood, and Mandeville, Godwin frequently illustrates the injurious potential of homosocial and homoerotic desire. In many of these instances, such desire is depicted through the use of subtle allusions to classical conceptions of friendship. In the case of Cloudesley, Godwin carries this project further, developing a persona in the hero Julian, whose gentle, feminized personality works to soften the more traditionally masculine and destructive men around him. As a new conception of the male personality, Julian exemplifies Godwin’s argument that “disinterested affection” is the only means towards a more perfect global society. In Godwin’s career as a novelist, therefore, we see an early suggestion that social progress demands a redefinition of traditional conceptions of gender.

Needs and Rights

Dialogue ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Duane Willard
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Moral Concepts ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
Strong Impulse

It is not difficult to sympathize with the strong impulse among philosophers to attempt to explain, justify, and even define moral concepts in factual terms. For without some kind of grounding in the facts of human nature, we may be quite perplexed concerning what relevance moral concepts have to our actual decisions, actions, and social relationships. Put another way, without grounding moral concepts in facts we may be quite puzzled as to the connections between principles and practice, between the ideal and the actual. The history of ethical theory contains several serious efforts by various philosophers to provide factual grounding for moral concepts, efforts which we cannot here take up.

scholarly journals The missing intangibles: nature’s contributions to human wellbeing through place attachment and social capital

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Yoshida ◽  
Hirotaka Matsuda ◽  
Kensuke Fukushi ◽  
Kazuhiko Takeuchi ◽  
Ryugo Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Place Attachment ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Local Residents

AbstractCommunities in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes are aging and depopulating. While longstanding interdependence of humans and nature in such areas holds crucial hints for sustainable development, they continue to be undervalued by existing economic frameworks. We suspect omission of non-material nature’s contributions to people (NCPs) as a possible reason for this undervaluation and focus on the intangible aspects of human–nature relationships: people’s direct and emotional attachment to their land and interrelationships between close-knit human communities and a thriving natural environment. Field observations on Sado Island, Japan, and literature reviews informed our hypothesis that perceived nature, conceptual human–nature relationships, place attachment, and social relationships contribute to subjective wellbeing. Structural equation modeling of island-wide questionnaire responses confirmed our hypothesis. Nature contributes to wellbeing by enhancing place attachment and social relationships; ecocentrism contributes to greater values of perceived nature. Free-response comments elucidated how local foods and close interpersonal relationships enhance residents’ happiness and good quality of life, as well as how aging and depopulation impact their sense of loneliness. These results lend empirical support to the understanding of human–nature interdependency in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes. In assessing their value to local residents and society at large, greater consideration should be given to intangible aspects of human–nature relationships and quality of life.

The Psychological Benefits of Receiving Real-Life Altruism

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-204
Author(s):  
Edward Hoffman ◽  
Jenniffer Gonzalez-Mujica ◽  
Catalina Acosta-Orozco ◽  
William C. Compton
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Religious Faith ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the impact of receiving real-life altruism on such positive attitudinal aspects as empathy, optimism, and motivation to help others. A mixed convenience/snowball sample of 148 participants (79 men, 67 women, 2 gender unknown), responded to an online questionnaire. Most were between 21 and 40 years of age, and had at least a college degree; all but eight were born in Venezuela, and the remainder were from other Hispanic/Latino countries. Participants were asked to describe an experience in which they had received unexpected altruism and rate its impact on their subsequent view of life. They were also asked to rate its effect on their optimism about human nature, trust in social relationships, appreciation for life, sense of gratitude, self-esteem, sense of being valued by others, empathy for others, motivation to help others, energy and enthusiasm in general, and religious faith. A total of 64.2% reported an unexpected altruistic experience. Of those, almost 75% reported the experience changed their view of life at least “strongly” and only 4.2% stated that it had little or no effect. The intensity of their change in life view correlated significantly with all 10 dependent variables except for gratitude. Women were significantly more likely to report that their experience boosted their gratitude for others, and participants whose altruistic experiences were attitudinally more life-changing were significantly more likely to indicate that religion was very important to them. The implications of these findings for understanding the psychological benefits of altruistic experience are discussed and avenues for future research are suggested.

scholarly journals Bonobos engage in joint commitment

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (51) ◽  
pp. eabd1306
Author(s):  
Raphaela Heesen ◽  
Adrian Bangerter ◽  
Klaus Zuberbühler ◽  
Federico Rossano ◽  
Katia Iglesias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Joint Action ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Joint Commitment ◽  
Joint Actions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Nonhuman Animals

Joint action is central to human nature, enabling collectives to achieve goals otherwise unreachable by individuals. It is enabled by humans’ capacity to understand and engage in joint commitments. Joint commitments are evidenced when partners in interrupted joint actions reengage one another. To date, there is no clear evidence whether nonhuman animals understand joint commitment, suggesting that only humans experience it. Here, we revisit this claim by interrupting bonobos engaged in social activities. Bonobos reliably resumed the activity, and the likelihood of resumption was higher for social compared to solitary activities. Furthermore, communicative efforts deployed to suspend and resume social activities varied depending on partners’ social relationships and interactive roles. Our results suggest that bonobos, like humans, engage in joint commitment and have some awareness of the social consequences of breaking it.

Human Nature and the Desire for Fame

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Boyle
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Public Recognition ◽  
Good Deeds

This chapter explores Cavendish’s pessimistic account of human nature and social relationships. For Cavendish, there is an important disanalogy between humans and other parts of the natural world: humans possess a desire for fame. Juxtaposing her view with Hobbes’s views, this chapter argues that Cavendish distinguishes two forms of self-love as well as two types of desire for recognition to which that self-love can give rise. Pure self-love gives rise to the desire to be recognized for good deeds, or “fame.” Corrupted self-love simply pursues public recognition by any means, even vice; Cavendish calls this “infamy.” The chapter considers Cavendish’s views about the soul and immortality and argues that Cavendish thought fame provides humans with a kind of afterlife. It ends with a discussion of her account of virtue and how she thought humans can become virtuous.

Categories – an Attribute of Scientific and Sociotransformative Activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-103
Author(s):  
S. S. Antyushin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Science And Society ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Special Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Entity

Introduction. Cognition is an essentially human attribute; a cultural entity and a precondition for social progress, in which categorisation and methodological significance play a key role. But the essence and functions of such categories can also cause disagreement in the scientific community. Hence the importance of understanding the origin, essence and meaning of categories by implication. Theoretical Basis. Methods. In order to fully and thoroughly comprehend the essence, role, types and functions of categories, it is necessary to employ rational systemic and dialectic methods, and also semantic analysis. Results. After due consideration of these issues, there was a increased conviction that categories are the most important tools, guidelines, foundations and outcomes of cognitive activity. The importance of categories in scientific research, in ensuring day-to-day life of society, as well as in the development of special knowledge systems and the implementation of specific types of social practice, is high. It is determined by the place of categories in the lexicon of science and social reproduction, in the organization of essential social activities, all of which would be impossible without having a theoretical, political and organizational uniqueness. A more complete and deeper understanding of the place of categories can be found in their origin and etymology, in the very concept of ”category” and in the essence of certain categories. Of great importance is also the typology of categories, as well as the functions and limits of their application. An important result of the study is the conclusion that categories do not ultimately give rise to fundamental contradictions between researchers of various specialisations. On the contrary, good and skilful use of categories makes it possible to gain a full perception of reality and interaction. Discussion and Conclusion. Understanding categories has become an important factor in the development of science and society. These findings present further opportunities for the development of science, technology, and the improvement of social relationships.

scholarly journals El conflicto epistémico de la pulsión

2019 ◽  
pp. 13-19
Author(s):  
Michel Oriard-Valle ◽  
Yara Suhan Juárez-Campusano
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Assisted Reproduction ◽  
Biological Origin ◽  
Clinical Interventions ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
Genetic Results ◽  
The Way

This article analyzed the epistemological validity of the term drive (trieb) in psychoanalysis by contrasting its supposed biological origin in Sigmund Freud's theory with recent genetic results. Culture, for Freud, appeared in a moment of human evolution when it became necessary for our ancestors to form alliances in order to face natural hazards. Therefore culture’s main purpose is to protect us from nature and to regulate social relationships. Consequently it is implied that drives formed part of human’s nature before culture existed and due to drive’s sacrifice that culture demands it’s possible to live in society. Given that drives, in Freud’s theory, are the source of psychic suffering and the resources used to defend against it are cultural, the way in which these are considered have repercussions on the basis of clinical interventions and the aims of psychoanalytical treatment. At present, genetics questions the idea that human nature cannot be modified by culture. In other words, epigenetic studies, assisted reproduction, cloning, among others, seriously query the idea of an unchangeable human nature.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
John Stuart Mill ◽  
William Godwin ◽  
Jeremy Bentham ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
Classical Utilitarianism ◽  
Henry Sidgwick

This book presents biographical/philosophical sketches of the founders of classical utilitarianism such as William Godwin, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Henry Sidgwick. The great irony of the legacy of utilitarianism is that its name has long been an obstacle to its message, an irony compounded by the infatuation, in recent decades, with work in the area of “happiness studies,” an offshoot in many respects of the “positive psychology” movement that emphasizes the positive side of human nature. The influx of recent books on happiness has mostly not been matched by a serious interest in utilitarianism. This book revisits classical utilitarianism with the goal of highlighting some important aspects of it that have tended to be neglected or underestimated by both the critics and the professed supporters of utilitarianism, including many economists of the twentieth century.

The literary trend “postmodernizm” and its self-expression in modern Azerbayjani literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (07) ◽  
pp. 51-54
Author(s):  
Irada Farzali Rahmanova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Objective Reality ◽  
European Literature ◽  
Literary Trend

The article deals with such a literary trend as postmodernism and its self-expression in modern Azerbaijani literature. The article contains the review of the different scientists’, philosophers’ and writers’ views related to the postmodernism, forms of its manifestation and its impact on Azerbaijani literature. Many Azerbaijani writers created their works under the influence of European literature in the postmodernist style during the period of independence. Their works are analyzed on the basis of the concrete facts. It is noted that while encompassing a wide variety of approaches, postmodernism is generally defined by an attitude of skepticism, irony, or rejection toward the meta-narratives and ideologies of modernism, often calling into question various assumptions of Enlightenment rationality. Consequently, common targets of postmodern critique include universalist notions of objective reality, morality, truth, human nature, reason, language, and social progress. Keywords:postmodernism, globalization, fiction, literary trend, symbols

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