Project Gutenberg 2004-09-13 Public domain in the USA. 906 Twain, Mark 1835 1910 Clemens, Samuel Langhorne Twain, Mark (Samuel Clemens) What Is Man? and Other Essays What is man? -- The death of Jean -- The turning-point of my life -- How to make history dates stick -- The memorable assassination -- A scrap of curious history -- Switzerland, the cradle of liberty -- At the Shrine of St. Wagner -- William Dean Howells -- English as she is taught -- A simplified alphabet -- As concerns interpreting the Deity -- Concerning tobacco -- The bee -- Taming the bicycle -- Is Shakespeare dead? An Anonymous Volunteer and David Widger "What Is Man? and Other Essays" by Mark Twain is a collection of essays and philosophical dialogues written in the late 19th century. The essays explore profound inquiries into human nature, morality, and the influences that shape our thoughts and behaviors. The opening dialogue focuses on a conversation between an Old Man and a Young Man, wherein they debate whether human beings are merely machines driven by external influences, leading to a discussion about personal merit and the essence of free will. The beginning of this work sets the stage for Twain’s exploration of existential questions and the concept of man as a machine. The Old Man argues that individuals do not create their thoughts or actions independently; instead, they are influenced and shaped by their experiences and environment, likening humanity's state to that of a complex engine rather than free-thinking beings. He discusses the origins of opinions and virtues, suggesting that every impulse—whether for noble or selfish reasons—is ultimately aimed at appeasing one's inner self. This establishes a provocative premise that invites readers to reflect on the essence of their own motives and the nature of human existence. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en American essays PS Text Browsing: History - American Browsing: Literature 597998 598045 2024-09-01T03:50:43.237358 2023-10-01T03:48:31.062819 text/html text/html 612524 2022-05-26T12:56:22 text/html 299903 2024-09-01T03:50:52.414317 application/epub+zip 304258 2024-09-01T03:50:45.145372 application/epub+zip 304258 2024-09-01T03:50:43.995337 application/epub+zip 541975 2024-09-01T03:50:57.725287 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 515693 2024-09-01T03:50:51.672321 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 513391 2022-09-01T03:57:51.667256 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 567525 567503 2024-09-01T03:50:42.269360 2023-10-01T03:48:30.003812 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 567324 2022-05-26T13:01:23 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18255 2024-09-01T03:50:57.863268 application/rdf+xml 17318 2024-09-01T03:50:44.372335 image/jpeg 4246 2024-09-01T03:50:44.179328 image/jpeg 218002 2022-05-26T13:01:56 application/octet-stream application/zip 223383 2022-05-26T13:02:16 application/octet-stream application/zip 280876 2024-09-01T03:50:43.289366 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia