The self-appraisal of man -- The theory of human nature in the American constitution and the method of counterpoise -- The desires of the self-conscious animal -- Approbativeness as the universal, distinctive, and dominant passion of man -- The "love of praise" as the indispensable substitute for "reason and virtue" in Seventeenth and Eighteenth century theories of human nature -- Approbativeness and "pride" in political and economic thought -- The indictment of pride -- Some ethical reflections.
Open Access
Originally published in 1961. Arthur O. Lovejoy, beginning with his book The Great Chain of Being, helped usher in the discipline of the History of Ideas in America. In Reflections on Human Nature, Lovejoy devotes particular attention to influential figures such as Hobbes, Locke, Bishop Butler, and Mandeville, tracing developments and changes in the concept of human nature through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He also discusses the theory of human nature held by the founders of the American Constitution, giving special attention to James Madison and the "Federalist Papers."