Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature

By: Professor Daniel Breyer, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Professor Daniel Breyer

Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Hardly a day goes by that we don’t hear about someone committing a violent, reprehensible, even evil, act. And each time it happens, before we know anything about the circumstances, we are already sure of one thing: We are nothing like that perpetrator. But how can we be so sure? After all, we are all human.

In Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature, Professor Daniel Breyer takes us on a fascinating philosophical journey into many of the deepest and darkest questions that have engaged humanity for millennia. The dark side of our nature is our mysterious and fragile underbelly - our negative, but all too human, side. For many of us, it may be easier to simply avoid looking into the darker aspects of ourselves and our world - the suffering we see everywhere around us, from real world events to the entertainment we consume. But the truth is, if we don’t face the totality of what it means to be human, we can never fully understand ourselves or fully appreciate our deep desire for meaning and purpose in our lives.

Thinkers from across the world and in many different eras have considered the dark side of human nature, and that’s why this course will adopt a cross-cultural approach, investigating perspectives from many different traditions - Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and secular. This cross-cultural approach will help you see humanity as fully as possible from many perspectives, better allowing for progress toward finding answers that can apply across cultures and times.

This course is fueled by the power of questions, one of philosophy’s most potent tools. Some are questions we have all asked ourselves: Why do so many people commit violence against others, why is there so much suffering in the world? Professor Breyer provides some fascinating potential answers to many of our darkest questions.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 The Great Courses (P)2019 The Teaching Company, LLC

Brilliant and thought provoking

very engaging and dense material made understandable and relevant. highly recommend for both academics and regular folks.

Very philosophical

Not what I expected, but still great. Philosophical perspective on human actions and emotions, it will make you think deeper about a lot

More general philosophy than dark side

It tried to attack philosophy from a “dark” perspective, but for me it fell short. It felt like a gimmick to talk philosophy.

Now don’t get me wrong: the subject matter is good; the delivery is good. I just wanted more specifically about the dark side of humanity.

A lot of useful info

it takes quite some time to finish this book, but it really is a masterpiece. Having all kinds of references which were new to me (e.g. from Buddhism and other cultures), it really opens a third eye and helps you re-configure your place in this world.

Life Changing!!!

In this series of lectures, the very clever Daniel, offers insight into the deepest parts of behavioral science. So many of my life’s questions were answered in a inspiring journey into the darkest parts of the soul. Let the healing begin.

Great series of thought provoking lectures.

If you are a junkie for bite sized philosophy, this lecture is for you. Each piece was thoughtfully delivered and consistent despite oftentimes containing different philosophers' points of view. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a lover of philosophy, theology, or the human condition in general.

Professor Breyer is brilliant in these lectures

Professor Breyer delivers his lectures on Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature brilliantly. I only stopped listening to this audiobook for a very short period throughout these lectures.

Misses the mark

If you are looking for a "Great Courses" level deep dive into Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature, look elsewhere. This course barely scratches the surface, and then doesn't take the time to stare into the abyss to see what is staring back. The series of courses spends far more time examining philosophy, and even there it only pulls on some of the relevant information to hint at relationships to human nature.

Philosophy can do a great job examining human behavior, but the narrow brush used in this course fails to offer the breadth necessary to do you own digging. Bypass this course, pick up a free podcast on philosophy, and perhaps another on the study and understanding of serial killers, and perhaps one more on the study of how humans wield power in business and personal endeavors. You will get a lot more out of those that what is offered here.

Ok Course

Mildly interesting. Hard to follow at times. There were some parts that had my attention,but most left me wanting them to be over.

Philosophical

It’s interesting and insightful, i can appreciate the different point of view the author uses to grasp concepts.