Peter Max

Peter Max 1937-, American artist, b. Berlin. Max is noted for his undulating graphic designs in bright, vibrating colors. His style has influenced much commercial art. It is reminiscent of art nouveau and comic strip art, incorporating psychedelic colors in floral and celestial motifs.

Schreier, Peter (Max) (b Meissen, 1935). Ger. tenor and conductor. One of the 3 Boys in Die Zauberflöte, Dresden State Opera 1944. Début Dresden 1961 (1st Prisoner in Fidelio) and with co. 1961–3; Berlin Staatsoper from 1963. Bayreuth 1966; London (SW) 1966 (Hamburg co. visit); Salzburg Fest. 1967; NY Met 1967; La Scala 1968. Specialist in Lieder and Mozart roles. Recital début London 1978. Début as cond. 1969; Salzburg Fest. 1988.

human nature A variety of sociological writers refer to the concept of human nature in different contexts. Most frequently, however, the term implies a recognition of some core and loosely determining characteristics which are assumed to underlie human action and consciousness. The exact composition of these elements is a matter of debate. Some social and political theorists (such as Thomas Hobbes, Charles Darwin (see DARWINISM), Sigmund Freud, and utilitarians generally) have invested human nature with selfish and egoistic motives, perhaps emanating from deeper biological imperatives. Others—such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Karl Marx, and Peter Kropotkin—have linked human nature in varying degrees to co-operation and altruism. The most influential perspective in sociology, typified for example by the work of Max Weber, has been to view human nature as a consequence of human histories and experience, rather than any predetermined essence. Indeed, many recent social theorists (including Michel Foucault, social constructionists, and post-modernists generally) have rejected the very notion of human nature itself.