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An Essay on Man
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An Essay on Man

poem by Pope
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History

An Essay on Man, philosophical essay written in heroic couplets of iambic pentameter by Alexander Pope, published in 1733–34. It was conceived as part of a larger work that Pope never completed.

The poem consists of four epistles. The first epistle surveys relations between humans and the universe; the second discusses humans as individuals. The third addresses the relationship between the individual and society, and the fourth questions the potential of the individual for happiness. An Essay on Man describes the order of the universe in terms of a hierarchy, or chain, of being. By virtue of their ability to reason, humans are placed above animals and plants in this hierarchy.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.