Drawing on philosophy, theology, psychology, sociology, politics, and biology, Leslie Stevenson introduces students to the endlessly fascinating subject of human nature. He outlines background theories of the universe, basic approaches to human nature, and diagnoses of what is wrong with humankind and prescriptions for putting it right, while offering clear, critical analyses of the ideas of Plato, Christianity, Karl Marx, Freud, Sartre, Skinner, and Lorenz. The Second Edition includes a new interdisciplinary final chapter suggesting areas of further inquiry, along with completely revised and updated bibliographies.