Abstract:
This work examines and provides evidence for social connection's integral role in human nature. I first introduce a distinction concerning separation and connection between self and other as it appears in Dr. Carol Gilligan's In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. I then explore this distinction in the context of human nature. I use evidence from evolutionary history, cognitive development, and health to demonstrate the fundamental role of connecting with others in being human. I then investigate this social nature as it relates to the Western worldview, concluding that Western thought has historically maintained an emphasis on separateness, and so has wrongly distanced us from our nature.
