ON BEING HUMAN

by Ashley Montagu ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 17, 1950

A provocative expansion of Dr. Montagu's highly successful article in the November 19th issue of The Saturday Review of Literature. Two basic questions are asked: ""What is the nature of life?"" and ""What is the nature of human nature?"", and answered positively, constructively, backed by concrete scientific information and illustration in so far as is possible in a brief outline. In a brilliant repudiation of Darwinism and its cultural patterns and values, Dr. Montagu upholds that dependency and interdependency- social instinct- is the natural law, the determining survival factor rather than isolation, conflict, ""rugged individualism."" Secondly, man is innately good; love, cooperation, based upon his biologic nature and early parent-child relationship, is man's natural self-expression. Seeing the human race on the brink of self-destruction through the atom and hydrogen bomb race, he proposes the solution of our self-imposed problems through the teaching of cooperative, altruistic human relations as the one essential course in our educational systems. That parts of this book will be viewed as political rather than sociological will cause unlooked for controversy as well as much which honestly challenges debate. The interest aroused by the former article should assure the wide appeal to intelligent readers of which it is worthy.

Pub Date: April 17, 1950

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Sohuman

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1950

Categories: NONFICTION