It is no more natural and no less conventional to shout in…
““It is no more natural and no less conventional to shout in anger or to kiss in love than to call a table 'a table'. Feelings and passional conduct are invented like words. Even those which like paternity seem to be part and parcel of the human make-up are in reality institutions. It is impossible to superimpose on man a lower layer of behavior which one chooses to call 'natural' followed by a manufactured cultural or spiritual world. Everything is both manufactured and natural in man as it were in the sense that there is not a word, not a form of behavior which does not owe something to purely biological being and which at the same time does not elude the simplicity of animal life and cause forms of vital behavior to deviate from their pre-ordained direction through a sort of leakage and through a genius for ambiguity which might serve to define man.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Human behavior blends innate biology with cultural constructs; nothing is purely natural or purely invented, and the interplay creates ambiguity that defines humanity.
In simple terms: Our actions mix biology and culture, creating ambiguous, defining traits.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the blend of nature and culture.
Themes
philosophy
human nature
culture
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
reflective
When to use this quote
- personal identity
- social norms
- ethical decisions
- psychological analysis
Key Concepts
embodiment
social construction
Questions to Reflect On
- In what ways do cultural norms shape our "natural" instincts?
- Can we separate biology from culture?
A Different Perspective
Purely natural or purely cultural explanations oversimplify human behavior.