ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the history of the concept of ‘human nature’, through examining major philosophical and religious account. It discusses the distinction between ‘psychological and natural kinds’. The book then identifies different kinds of consciousness and the difference between this and self-consciousness and considers the relationship between consciousness and the brain. It also focuses on two deterministic accounts of human nature, namely behaviourist and psychodynamic approaches. The book examines what Maslow called the ‘third force’ within psychology, namely, the humanistic-phenomenological approach. It then discusses influences on terrorism, in particular, the Internet. The book also explores the relationship between biological and cultural evolution. It examines the sex–gender distinction in the context of culture and history. The book provides a brief outline of basic genetic processes, before comparing and contrasting human and chimpanzee genomes; and those of modern humans and Neanderthals.
