IBDP Philosophy Core Theme - Being Human

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Rationality (Human Nature)

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A defining characteristic of human nature that separates humans from other animals. In philosophy, it is the capacity for reason, logic, and deduction. Assessments often ask you to evaluate if reason is our 'essence' or if emotion plays an equal role.

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The Blank Slate (Tabula Rasa)

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The empiricist view (associated with John Locke) that humans are born with no innate knowledge or content. This argues against the rationalist (Descartes) view of innate ideas. It suggests all knowledge comes from experience and sense perception.

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Personhood

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The status of being a person. Philosophers debate criteria, such as self-consciousness, agency, and moral responsibility. It is distinct from being biologically human; a test for moral consideration (e.g., does a fetus or AI have personhood?).

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Agency

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The capacity of an agent (a person) to act in a world. It implies the ability to initiate action independently, distinguishing a person from an object that is merely acted upon. In the Being Human theme, it connects to free will.

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Substance Dualism

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The view (most famously Descartes) that reality consists of two fundamentally different kinds of substance: mind (non-physical, thinking) and body (physical, extended). It faces the 'interaction problem' of explaining how the immaterial mind affects the physical body.