Now, a note on the difference between philosophy and
religion.
• This course is called “Human Nature and Human Destiny.”
The two parts of this title can be taken to refer to
philosophy and religion jointly.
• Human nature is the domain of philosophy. Philosophers
think about why humans behave the way they do. They
ask: how should we live our lives?
• But human destiny involves a power that is greater than
ourselves. It is our destiny; it is not fully our choice,
because what happens to us is up to the deities or cosmos
that controls us.