Why Human Nature Matters

Does human nature constrain social and political change? Or do social and political changes transform human nature? Why Human Nature Matters argues that instead of being mutually exclusive, the answer to both questions is yes! This philosophical account of human nature explores the relation between biology and politic, explaining clearly what is at stake in issues from climate change to the social and political consequences of the technological revolution.

Appeals to human nature are often used in support of a politics of exclusion. The biological study of human beings has been put to the service of racism, sexism, ableism, and other forms of oppression. By demolishing these existential biases and building on advancements in biological theory, this book explores the philosophical significance of those developments and offers new conceptual tools for linking a biological understanding of humanity to a politics of inclusion and freedom.