Essay on human nature

A reflection from Abraham Maslow

Abstract

This paper presents some thoughts about who we are as humans, a task that fits in the field of moral psycology, specifically in the areas which aim understanding and defining more broadly the moral subject or agent. The perspective adopted here is that of the American Abraham Maslow, whose work is focused on the defense of a human nature endowed with high potential and in a sense neglecte by the Western tradition. Regarding its methodology, it is hard to define the author’s approach, but in general terms it has a phenomenological aspect. Nevertheless, it is studied here for its contributions to a realistic ethical theory focused on a comprehensive understanding of our concrete moral life.