We are all human, and in our daily lives, we seem to know what we mean when we make that claim. However, when we start reflecting on what it is to be human - whether all human beings, in spite of individual and social differences, share the same nature, whether that nature is unchangeable, whether it is animal, or divine, or neither, and whether anything follows from the way we naturally are to the ways we should lead our lives, treat others and organize our societies-we can see that the commonsensical assurance about there being an easily identifiable human nature in all of us gives way to a myriad of questions and problems. Conceptions of human nature-sometimes explicit, sometimes implicit-have shaped many philosophical, scientific and religious views, in addition to providing grounds for many human practices, such as law, arts, medicine and education. The aim of the course is to examine a variety of different accounts of human nature, and a variety of consequences different thinkers have derived from their accounts. We will read selected texts by Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Freud, Darwin, Skinner, and Sartre, as well as several contemporary philosophers and scientists. In each reading, we will try to articulate what the favored conception of human nature consists in; what kind of evidence is provided in its support; what are the consequences derived from it about human happiness, the ways we should lead our lives, the manner in which we should treat others, and the ways in which human societies should be organized; how are such norms derive from a descriptive account of human nature, and whether such derivations can be justified. Finally, we will confront and evaluate the two central assumptions which all of the different accounts share: that there is a universal human nature, an "essence of humanity," and that an understanding of it is necessary for thinking about morality, law, politics, human knowledge, and religion. Course structure: For 10 weeks, the course will be conducted in a tutorial format, each pair of students meeting with me for an hour a week. In the first and the last week of the semester, however, I will organize a two-hour seminar for the whole class. Everyone interested in taking the course will be seriously considered, irrespective of the official enrollment status. In order to be considered, however, you must contact me no later than by December 1, 2001. Requirements: class and tutorial attendance; six short papers, and six oral comments on your tutorial partner's papers. Prerequisites: one course in philosophy, or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limit: 10 (expected: 10).