Human nature has been argued over for centuries, yet still, there seems to be no concrete answer. The controversy After gathering information from both sides and considering nature versus nurture one can conclude that humans are innately good, but outside forces can cause people to develop evil thoughts and ideas.
The debate whether humans are good or evil is seemingly endless as philosophers such as Hsün Tsu and Thomas Hobbes insist that humans are simply evil creatures filled with greed from the start. While Mencius or Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s say just the opposite of Tsu and Hobbes. A common topic that is brought up when discussing human nature is “nature versus nurture” which expresses the debate that humans are either simply born a certain
…show more content…
Hsün Tzu makes this exact argument in his essay “Man’s Nature is Evil” (84). However, the outcome of the experiments done by Rand, Greene, and Nowak specifically shows the opposite of Tzu’s argument. In their experiments, when the subjects were given less time to think, they shared their money. These experiments contradict the statements that good comes from one’s conscious activity alone. When the subjects were given time to think, they actually chose to keep their money for themselves, confirming that greed and evilness comes from an individual’s conscious activity, while goodness and generosity is human instinct. The philosophers that argue that man is good typically touch on this by explaining that, yes, people may make evil decisions, but that is only in response to their environment, not their nature. Mencius was one of the philosophers that defended this idea that men are not instinctively evil, because you can see that evilness comes from time and age. Although, the experiments and the words of many philosophers show that nature is good, it can be agreed, on both sides of the argument, that a person’s environment alters and shapes one’s
Are humans inherently good or evil? The simple question has been asked many times, even though the answer isn't so simple. In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, he further explores the concept. His novel is viewed through young boys trapped on a deserted island, striving to survive. In The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell investigates influences and integrity. In non-fiction texts, like "Why Boys Become Vicious" also by William Golding, the author defends his position and gives specific examples to support his stance. In other non-fiction works, authors have given their own views of human's natural behavior. Although some authors believe humans are good and others believe they are inherently evil, based on the evidence humans are born balance with both good and evil. Different situations however, shape their behavior and cause them to be either more good or evil.
Human nature is a topic some people are torn about. Are humans born good or bad? Or are there more factors that need to be involved with that conclusion? William Gay's opinion on human nature is that all humans are born bad, that deep inside there is evil. Some people may agree or disagree with Gay's opinion. In psychologist Samantha Smithstein's article, "Are We Born Good (or Evil)?", Smithstein states, "We are
A famous philosopher Socrates once said, 'the unexamined life is not worth living.' With that idea, the question 'Are Human Beings Intrinsically Evil?' has been asked by philosophers for many years. It is known as one of the unanswerable questions. Determinists have come to the conclusion that we are governed by the laws of science, that there is nothing we can do about ourselves being evil because we naturally are. Evil is simply the act of causing pain. In this essay I will argue that human beings are born with a natural reaction to 'fear and chaos' to be instinctively evil.
Genetics are the main factor when it comes to humans being inherently “evil”. They play a big part in our life, see as how our genes determine everything about us before we are even born. Before humans are they are selfish and have evil tendencies, they want everything to themselves and will do anything to achieve it. Genes have been proven to be a
The debate of whether man is born entirely good or evil is a universal discussion that never seems to resolve. Even though a human is a complex individual who cannot be defined by a simple assessment, the people of today are convinced that there is a straightforward explanation as to why acts of wickedness exist. Some believe negative influences taint the naturally innocent heart of man, while others suppose evil men are born with an unavoidable capacity for darkness. This however, suggests that the wicked are created from birth without morals or the ability to be considered righteous. Despite the theories that exist, good and evil are not always separate. Man typically is neither solely good or bad, but a combination of the both. In the
It is a very arguable subject on whether or not people are born with good intentions, and therefore taught by others the ‘evil’ side of their personality. Whether it is the absence of ethical conduct in human nature, or just the way one perceives a situation, evil seems to be prominent in our everyday lives. Humans seem to have a moral code that follows them with every decision they make, yet despite the laws of morality and society, people of this world still seem to behave inhumanely because of the act of self-preservation, human interest, and who exactly the authority figure is at the time.
Many people have their own views on humanity. They can either be that humans are essentially good but can become corrupt or that people are just essentially evil. They have their own opinions, some people can tell their perspective on humans in other fashions. If people are essentially good, they how do they become corrupt? Or if are truly evil, then why do some people seem like they are kind people and they can never do such things? To take both of these into account, a person may saw that people are good but deep down have evil within them. People may ask how does the evil within a person come out, the answer to that is that it is thanks to their environment. The environment around a person can undoubtedly draw out the evil within them
“Human nature is evil and goodness is caused by intentional activity” - Xunzi. Humans by nature have natural tendencies to evil however not everyone acts on those emotions.
Hsun Tzu wrote an essay called “A Man’s Nature is Evil.” The idea behind this essay is to show that a man’s nature is evil, and that goodness is the result of conscious activity (Tzu, 2017, p. 709). This idea depicts that human beings are evil from the beginning of their lives. One must be taught “the ways of the sages”, as Tzu would describe. In his essay, Tzu compared human beings to that of a warped piece of wood. Tzu states that “a warped piece of wood must wait until it has been laid against a straightening board, steamed, and forced into shape before it can become straight” (Tzu, 2017, p. 710). I do agree that we must be taught how to be good when we are born. But, I do not agree that a man’s nature is “evil.” Instead, I believe that a person’s nature is to think for the benefit of
We see good versus evil in many books, movies, our society and more, but are humans influenced into becoming evil when they are good? We cannot deny that their is still some good left in some people nor is their a little bit of evil among all of us. Reserchers have come to a conclusion that people act the way they act because they do not know what to do in certain situations or others influence them to make bad choices. Humans are seen as evil or good based on their reactions and their perspectives in certain situations because of the one part of the brain that determines their reactions that they eventually adapt to and being influenced by others.
Whether human beings are instinctually good or evil in an elementary natural state is a question that has been boggling the minds of even the greatest philosophers. There is a spectrum of theories that support both good and evil within the human race, each with valid points that explains the range of our interests, being either for ourselves or for others. However, my personal stance is the sensible theory of Altruism. Past experiences and observations allow me to take the stance, and support the argument that humans are caring and genuinely good individuals and have the will and desire to help those around them.
The Nature vs. Nurture has been a long never ending debate for some time now. Nature vs Nurture has been so profoundly debated, that now it’s unclear whether what makes us who we are and what we do, nature or nurture. For purposes of this essay Nature is going to be defined as characteristics we acquire through our genetic and biological factors, while that Nurture is going to be defined characteristics we acquire through our interactions and influences with the environment. There are endless ways of taking an approach to the Nature vs Nurture conflict, thus the reason that it’s truly unclear if its Nature or Nurture or even both what makes us who and what we are.
From the moment they are born, humans have a naturally evil predisposition. Although the term ‘evil’ is difficult to define, there are various views on morality. The most commonly referenced one, Moral Objectivism, holds that moral standards are universally transcendent, and that certain acts are right or wrong independent of human subjectivity. It is by this unspoken moral code that humanity’s acts are judged. There is some debate whether a fundamental human nature exists, as social and environmental influences are present from the moment someone is born. But if we can define human nature, it is beyond doubt, naturally evil. The English philosopher Thomas
Human Nature is defined by Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as "the fundamental dispositions and traits of humans." Throughout the world, however, there are many different groups of people, all with varying personalities and characteristics. One recent article that brought up this issue was What's Really Human? The trouble with student guinea pigs. by Sharon Begley. Begley states that "given the difference in culture between the U.S. and East Asia, no one claims the American way is universal." This suggests that one's environment, not one's nature, shapes one's characteristics and features. This separation of cultures also leads to a different view of good and evil throughout the world; murder is generally bad and charity good, but not everyone may care about murder or think charity necessary. The only way to find human nature may be to look at the time before the first cultures developed. Thomas Hobbes referred to this time as the state of nature, where every man competes for resources, driven on by greed. This greed is considered to be a bad trait by today's society, making human nature apparently evil. I believe that humans are evil in nature and need parameters to be good because of the writings of twentieth century authors, Chinese philosophers between the Qin and Han dynasties, and pre-Enlightenment philosophers.
The concept of human nature is somewhat debated in Confucianism and its followers. In the absence of a personal or supernatural god in this belief system, the question of whether someone is inherently good or evil does not have the same importance as it does otherwise. For example, Christians believe that they are created with sin and must create a certain form of relationship with their god to live a moral life. However, without such a personal god, the focus is more on human behavior than and sort of dogmatic debate. In fact, Confucius hardly ever touches on this issue but noted that "by nature men are similar; by practice men are wide apart" (Confucius, N.d.).