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Akan View Of Human Nature

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Carosilva 1
Eric Carosilva
Professor Pryba
PHI 150
4 May 2015
Comparative Philosophy Essay
How does the Akan view of human nature compare to the views of Mencius and Xunzi on human nature? Human nature is the characteristics of humans and is what makes us truly extinct. Human being have control of their nature. They have control and are capable of showing their true emotions, feelings, and their thoughts. They express different type of feelings, for example, being happy, feeling sad or depressed, feeling stressed, and many other feelings depending on the situation they are in or they are facing. Humans have control of this; they have control of their feelings. Human nature is responsible for all this. In philosophical view, human is nature …show more content…

Mencius admits that human nature is morally good. He also explains how we are born with virtues. These four virtues are also known as the “four roots”, which are, righteousness (yi), benevolence (ren), propriety (li), and knowledge (chin). Mencius also states that these virtues become fully developed as we used them in our lives. As our life goes on, he believes that throughout our life and our existence, that these virtues become more effective as we use them and then become fully developed. “We are born with a faculty of moral intuition, giving rise to feelings that correspond with moral character of events. Our faculty of intuition can be developed and clarified, but it can also become clouded selfish desire. We all have a disposition to virtue, but we must protect and cultivate our intuition to make our feelings good guides to what is right.” (2.2 Pg. 46). This quote explains how Mencius argues that we are born with virtues and they develop. He also explains how our feelings intend us to do the right thing and what we believe what is good. Mencius also states another example about a child falling into the well. According to Mencius, if a child falls into a well and we see it happen, our intentions is to help the child who fell instantly. He characterizes that as his view on how human nature is good. It is good by helping out and doing the right thing. Mencius view …show more content…

The Akan is a tribal group from Ghana, Africa. Where they also have strong philosophical thinkers. In Akan philosophy, they believe that human nature is neutral. Basically clarifying that human nature is what it is. Akan thinkers believe that a person is who he or she is because of who he or she has become. In Akan, they also concluded, “A person is what he is because of what he does, rather than that he does what he does because of what he is… For it would appear that for the Akan what a man is is less important than what a man does… a person is what he is because of his deeds.” (6.2.1 Pg. 196). Based on this quote, in Akan philosophy view on human nature is neutral by a person is because of what he does. They clarify that a person is who he is because of what he has become to. It does not matter when the person is from or what he does for a living. He is who is no matter what. That is what thinkers believe in Akan. That is why they recall that human nature is neutral because “it is what is”. Basically, things are what they are, that is how it goes. Akan philosophical view on human nature is also far superior as Mencius and Xunzi

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