On Being Humans. An Introduction

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Preface v
3. Contents vii
4. On Being Humans. An Introduction 1
5. I Conceptualising the Human
6. Anthropological Universality. On the Validity of Generalisations about Human Nature 25
7. “World-Openness” and the Question of Anthropological Universalism. Comments on Justin Stagl’s Paper 37
8. A Reply to Neil Roughley 45
9. Human Nature, Human Variety, Human Freedom 47
10. A Cultural-Historical View of Human Nature 64
11. Human Diversity and Human Nature. The Life and Times of a False Dichotomy 81
12. II Contexts of the Human
13. Encountering the Other through Grammar 107
14. A Grammar of Human Life? Comments on Rom Harré’s Paper 131
15. A Reply to Thomas Luckmann 138
16. Human Universals and their Implications 156
17. Are Women Human? 175
18. III Anthropology, Literature and the Aesthetic
19. Redefining the Human. A Survey of Approaches to Literary Anthropology 199
20. Approaching Literary Anthropology. Comments on Aleida Assmann’s Paper 216
21. A Reply to Gottfried Seebass 221
22. Understanding Homer: Literature, History and Ideal Anthropology 224
23. The Implications of Human Picture Making: The Articulation of Visual Space 233
24. Universality and Cultural Particularity in Visual Aesthetics 258
25. IV Humanity, Morality and Politics
26. Learning to be Natural 287
27. Emotion, Moral Value and Being Human. Comments on Ronald de Sousa’s Paper 308
28. A Reply to Wolfgang Friedlmeier 313
29. Politics and the Unnatural Infirmity of Being Human 317
30. Rationality, Autonomy and Basic Needs 334
31. Hedgehogs, Foxes, and Persons: Resistance and Moral Creativity in East Germany and South India 356
32. Afterword: “Human Nature”. A Conceptual Matrix 379
33. Bibliography 391
34. Notes on Contributors 422