Social Determinism And Its Impact On Society Essay

Philosophers have attempted to define human nature for centuries, each coming up with a radically different idea of what makes us human. These determinists relate outside events or forces as the reason behind our actions. Our cognitive abilities separate us from beasts, however we are highly influential animals unconsciously and subconsciously. Social determinism has distinctly shaped mankind over time with a high degree of influence on our minds. 1. Historical Determinism Fredrick Hegel’s philosophy initially defined historical determinism and strongly influenced Germany and Karl Marx. Hegel is highly recognized for his ideas of Geist and human progression over generations with raised consciousness (Twelve Theories). With this view, he saw that throughout history humans had advanced mentally and culturally to reach full development. With his various works, Hegel influenced many readers and lead to the division of historical determinists. Hegel’s followers were categorized by the â€Å"Left† and â€Å"Right† camp based on whether or not they felt humans had reached â€Å"absolute knowledge† (Twelve Theories). In the left camp, a philosopher that left an impression on the concept of history named Karl Marx pushed Hegel’s theories further. Karl Marx criticized the other camp in his work, Philosophy of Right and expanded on his economic standpoint. Working with Engels, he formed a materialism theory based off of the historical determinist point (Twelve Theories). Marx argued that theShow MoreRelatedSocial Shaping of Technology and Technological Determinism1431 Words   |  6 Pagest Social Context of Society Social Context of Technology – Essay â€Å"Technology is an independent factor impacting on society from outside society† Discuss with reference to both the Technological Determinist and the Social Shaping of Technology perspectives. The power technology obtains is incredible. 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