Arguements against the "human nature" arguement

I thought it'd be useful if we had a thread we could refer to whenever we encounter that argument. So feel free to post any relevant content.

Communism is human nature.

I've always thought pointing to 'primitive communism' as a counter to human nature arguments was very weak. That particular 'stage' of history is pretty vague.

In most instances when "human nature" is appealed to, it's really supposed to be a conversation stopper. The implication being "Stop talking about this. Let's get back to reality", which is a very ideological stance itself, though people claim it's not.

tater wrote:I've always thought pointing to 'primitive communism' as a counter to human nature arguments was very weak. That particular 'stage' of history is pretty vague.

You could always use the San people, they're so friking communal that to make compliments is almost forbiden

I'd say a great argument against human nature is to point out that the definition has changed over a large period of time. Also human nature tends to be justification for the bullshit that we live under. I'd make a longer post, but I've gotta get ready for class

Humans have the ability to define what human nature is. So the concept that there is a particular nature to humans is self-refuting. This is probably not unique to humans either. Higher apes and both corvids & parrots can be said to have a certain degree of self-determination due to their ability to solve complex puzzles. These demonstrate both positional/temporal memory as well as problem solving ability. The appeal to nature is silly, considering that nature is constantly changing and adapting to new circumstances.