Human Nature Fact and Fiction Literature, Science and Human Nature [Hardcover]

Human Nature: Fact and Fiction brings together a collection of inspiring, thought-provoking and original perspectives on human nature by ten leading writers, scientists and academics.

What do we mean by human nature ? Is there a genetically determined core of humanity that unites us all as members of a single species? Or is the thing we call human nature a social construct? And how do we explain the mystery of human creativity? Do great writers have an intuitive grasp of what makes human beings tick, or are they merely the mouthpiece of contemporary culture?

It has been claimed that the greatest enterprise of the mind has always been and always will be the attempted linkage of the sciences and humanities (Edward O. Wilson). This groundbreaking book marks the beginning of a new dialogue between the two. Rather than focusing on the division between them, it shows that the sciences and humanities have much to learn from each other. Points of disagreement remain. Yet there is in this volume a genuine attempt to bridge the gulf that has traditionally separated the sciences and humanities and to reach a better understanding of what it means to be human.

ContributorsForeword, AC GraylingAcknowledgementsIntroduction, Robin Headlam-Wells and Johnjoe McFadden

Part I: Is human nature written in our genes or in our books?1. The biology of fiction, Steven Pinker2. Literature, science and human nature, Ian McEwan

Part II: Can science and literature collaborate to define human nature?3. Literature and evolution, Joseph Carroll4. Human nature: one for all and all for one?, Gabriel Dover

Part III: What has biology got to do with the imagination?5. The biology of the imagination: how the brain can both play with truth and survive a predator, Simon Baron Cohen6. Biology and imagination: The role of culture, Catherine Belsey7. The limits of imagination, Rita Carter

Part IV:lÓ