Is there such a thing as human nature? Here Sean Sayers defends the controversial theory that human nature is in fact an historical phenomenon. He gives an ambitious and wide ranging defence of the Marxist and Hegelian historical approach and engages with a wide range of work at the heart of the contemporary debate in social and moral philosophy.

Sean Sayers is Reader in Philosophy at the University of Kent at Canterbury. Well known for his work on Marx's philosophy, he is the author of, among other books, Reality and Reason (1985) and Hegel, Marx and Dialectic (1994). He is also a founding editor of the journal Radical Philosophy.

Part 1 WORK AND HUMAN NATURE; 1 INTRODUCTION: HUMAN NATURE AS A HISTORICAL PHENOMENON; Chapter 2 CONCEPTS OF HUMAN FULFILMENT; Chapter 3 THE NEED TO WORK; Chapter 4 THE ROLE OF LEISURE; Chapter 5 ALIENATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; Part 2 VALUES AND PROGRESS; Chapter 6 THE ACTUAL AND THE RATIONAL; Chapter 7 ANALYTICAL MARXISM AND MORALITY; Chapter 8 MORAL VALUES AND PROGRESS; Chapter 9 MARXISM AND HUMAN NATURE; Appendix: GORZ ON WORK AND LIBERATION; Notes; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX;