Re: [xmca] second nature

From: maria judith <mariasucupiralins who-is-at terra.com.br>
Date: Fri Oct 12 2007 - 04:55:48 PDT

Andy
Thomas Aquin created this expression "second nature" not only for
the world of artefacts, but for human being in the world of artefacts,
the new human being that emerges from cultural social activities who is not
anymore simply the human being from the point of view of nature.
maria

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andy Blunden" <ablunden@mira.net>
To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 12:12 AM
Subject: [xmca] second nature

> Anyone have an answer to this one?
>
> I sometimes use the term "second nature" to mean the world of artefacts,
in
> contrast to the "first nature" the world of things existing before and
> outside human civilisation. I am interested in where this usage comes
from.
> According to the Oxford English Dictionary Online, the use of "second
> nature" to mean habits and other aspects of the human character which are
> developed during our life through participation in activity dates back to
> Aristotle, but they record no-one using the term in the way I use it. I
see
> that Hegel only used the expression in the sense of acquired habits. Max
> Stirner appears to be the one, much to my surprise, who started referring
> to culture as a "second Nature" but who knows what "culture" meant to the
> author of "The Ego and his Own"? Marx in the 1844 manuscripts goes so far
> as to refer to human needs which are "second nature" and it would seem
> consistent with his idea that he should ascribe "second nature" to the
> objectification of those new human needs in the world of artefacts. I do
> not feel I am "betraying" Marx in using the term in that way, but so far
as
> I can see Marx and Engels never use it that way themselves.
>
> Any ideas on who first called the world of material culture our "second
> nature" (as opposed to civilised habits)? Was it one of those American
> Pragmatists or Benjamin Franklin or someone?
>
> Andy
>
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Received on Fri Oct 12 05:00 PDT 2007

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