1 . ▁To ▁abstract ▁from ▁the ▁historical ▁process ▁and ▁to ▁define ▁the ▁religious ▁sentiment ▁regarded ▁by ▁itself , ▁and ▁to ▁pres upp ose ▁an ▁abstract ▁— ▁isolated ▁- ▁human ▁individual . ▁ 2 . ▁The ▁ess ence ▁therefore ▁can ▁by ▁him ▁only ▁be ▁regarded ▁as ▁‘ species ’ , ▁as ▁an ▁inner ▁‘ d umb ’ ▁general ity ▁which ▁un ites ▁many ▁individuals ▁only ▁in ▁a ▁natural ▁way . ▁ ▁Thus , ▁Marx ▁appears ▁to ▁say ▁that ▁human ▁nature ▁is ▁no ▁more ▁than ▁what ▁is ▁made ▁by ▁the ▁' social ▁relations '. ▁Norman ▁Ger as ' s ▁Marx ▁and ▁Human ▁Nature ▁( 1 9 8 3 ), ▁however , ▁offers ▁an ▁argument ▁against ▁this ▁position . ▁In ▁outline , ▁Ger as ▁shows ▁that , ▁while ▁the ▁social ▁relations ▁are ▁held ▁to ▁' det erm ine ' ▁the ▁nature ▁of ▁people , ▁they ▁are ▁not ▁the ▁only ▁such ▁determin ant . ▁However , ▁Marx ▁makes ▁statements ▁where ▁he ▁specifically ▁refers ▁to ▁a ▁human ▁nature ▁which ▁is ▁more ▁than ▁what ▁is ▁condition ed ▁by ▁the ▁circumstances ▁of ▁one ' s ▁life . ▁In ▁Capital , ▁in ▁a ▁foot note ▁crit iqu ing ▁util itar ian ism , ▁he ▁says ▁that ▁util it ari ans ▁must ▁reck on ▁with ▁' human ▁nature ▁in ▁general , ▁and ▁then ▁with ▁human ▁nature ▁as ▁modified ▁in ▁each ▁historical ▁epo ch '. ▁Marx ▁is ▁arg uing ▁against ▁an ▁abstract ▁conception ▁of ▁human ▁nature , ▁offering ▁instead ▁an ▁account ▁root ed ▁in ▁sens uous ▁life . ▁While ▁he ▁is ▁quite ▁explicit