Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- Philosophical anthropology - Origins and terminology
- Scottish Enlightenment - The philosophical context
- history of Europe - Rousseau and his followers
- Anthropology - History of anthropology
- Ethics - Shaftesbury and the moral sense school
- social science - Cultural anthropology
- Cultural anthropology - Historical development of cultural anthropology
How did 18th-century anthropology approach the study of human nature?
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Philosophical anthropology
Socrates, Roman fresco, 1st century bce; in the Ephesus Museum, Selçuk, Turkey.
In the 18th century, "anthropology" was not a distinct empirical science but a branch of philosophy dedicated to providing an account of human nature. During this period, almost all systematic knowledge was categorized under philosophy; for instance, physics was termed "natural philosophy," and economics was part of "moral philosophy".1
The study of human nature in the 18th century was characterized by several key approaches:
- Science of Human Nature: Thinkers like David Hume sought to replace rationalist methods with empirical inquiry to establish a true science of human nature.2
- Moral Sense: Influenced by the 3rd earl of Shaftesbury, many philosophers argued that humans possess a natural "moral sense"âa capacity for benevolence and sympathyâthat balances self-interest.3
- Social and Political Theory: Philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau used the "state of nature" as a hypothesis to critique contemporary society and explore the foundations of legitimate authority, liberty, and equality.4
Rather than serving as a primary field of research, 18th-century anthropology functioned as a review of the implications of broader philosophical doctrines, often incorporating empirical observations that would later be classified as psychology.1