Human Nature And Science Corrupts Human Beings

Finally, an article written by Jessica Krampe entitled Does Money Really Make People Happier? says that happiness comes from making the right choices and acting on your passions. According to Krampe, the purpose of having wealth is to use it enhance the lives of the people you care about. Leaving a mark that represents your passion and values is what truly makes you happy. Furthermore, Krampe tells us that there are several ways on how to find happiness. First, you need to reflect on what you enjoy most about your life. It could either be a hobby or a talent that you love to do during your free time. Next, you should share your goals with those who are supportive of your dreams. Lastly, make the right choices and pursue the choice that will

It is natural for a person to focus their goals on what will provide happiness. People do not focus on being poor for instance but it does not mean that being rich provides complete happiness.

Rousseau, in his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality of Men, discusses the beginning and development of inequality of individuals. Rousseau seeks to discern whether the unequal treatment of men is dictated by natural laws or if it is a man made creation. When Rousseau analyzes humans in the state of nature, he claims we are all animalistic by nature. Humans in the state of nature are motivated by self-preservation much like animals and also pity. The difference between man and animals according to Rousseau is man’s perfectibility. Because man has very minimal needs in the state of nature, no concept of morality and limited interaction with other individuals, he is generally happy. Because in the state of nature man embodies the quality of perfectibility, he is able to adapt with his environment. As nature drives men to leave certain areas it forces them to learn new skills as they come in to contact with one another more often. As man connects with more and more individuals around him he becomes aware that he has more needs. As men begin to live in societies with more people they start comparing themselves to those around them and self-preservation and pity are no longer their main goals. Now, they have to do more work in order to be happy such as raise to greater heights then their fellow humans. Moral inequality is created as division of labor and property rights are invented. Owning property allows the rich to take advantage of the poor, leading to unstable relations

     Jean Jacques Rousseau stated that the view of science, art, and social institutions has corrupted humankind. He also stated that natural state is morally greater than civilized state. Later he stated that it is more important to express yourself than to hold back on becoming a unique individual (Hampshire, 149).

At the end of the day, the affluent are still not satisfied with their wealth or material items. Source D provides a great example. Even though the couple has purchased everything they could possibly want, they still feel “something is missing.” What they are missing is not a tangible object. It is not something one could go to a store and buy. They cannot obtain happiness in a nice little box on a store shelf. There is no price on happiness. Source A believes “happiness is desirable in itself and never for the sake of something else.” Nothing can supplement happiness. True happiness is “something final and self-sufficient.” People with affluenza can never find this happiness through the constant purchasing of more stuff. Happiness is achieved in many different ways for different individuals but not through wealth. For example, the mother in Source I begins to understand this when she becomes older one Christmas. She realizes no matter how many gifts she may receive,

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (born 1712) was a philosopher whose beliefs were that humans, in a natural, primitive state without the influence of any societies, are good beings. People’s “uncorrupted morals” are not washed away when they are without societies. Rousseau also believed that a society is what corrupts a human. He believed “ownership” of land or property is a lie, because the products of Earth are for all humans to share, saying:

There are many different stances one could take on the subject “Unimpeded technological progress is good for society.”. One could agree with Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, and Bradbury’s The Veldt and claim that technology is dangerous and will inevitably fall into the wrong hands one day. Another stance would be with Spike Jonze’s Her, which brings forth the opinion that technology is both good and bad. Finally, one’s opinion could lie with George Saunder’s “Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz” and claim technology is a good thing. While I can see where both Saunders and Kubrick are coming from, my own opinion is more closely represented by Jonze. I believe that technology can be both good and bad, and that its rapid growth can be both helpful and harmful to those around us.

Humanity's greatest deficiency to Rousseau was that they tampered too much with nature. When humans tamper with nature, they become evil as Rousseau writes, "God makes all thing good; man meddles with them and they become evil."5 An example that Rousseau gives is that man forces one soil to yield the products of another. By doing this, humans are defacing nature. Nature is an important aspect to understanding God. Rousseau viewed that nature "is nothing but God's handwriting which can be read and understood by all."6 Nature is then a way for humans and God to communicate. Since man will have nothing as nature made it, he removing God from being part of the world, and is how humanity is evil. Rousseau holds that even humanity will even deform themselves. The changing humanity itself is where the concept of a society develops. Humans tamper with the order of nature in order to fulfill their own desire. The collective desires of a group of people then forms a society. Rousseau was a strong opponent of society. Rousseau wrote, "society has enfeebled man."7 When humans participate in this society, they become civilized. Rousseau writes, "civilized man is born and dies a slave."8 Rousseau contends, "all his long life man is imprisoned by these

Thoreau, an opinionated and respected author, made the assertion that our technological society is an indication of our materialistic values. Modern society is heavily dependent on technology and comfortable with their adapted materialism. In many cases, the dependency on material items is unhealthy or is an obstacle. However, many technological advancements, such as the cell phone, are useful in emergencies and in communication. Numerous technological inventions allow people to do beautiful things, such as take pictures or share their knowledge publically with the world. There does come a point where cell phones should be put down, conversation should be made, and people should remember to remain humble.

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a classic short story in U.S literature. Written in 1948, the short story has been published in multiple languages around the world. It is still a required reading in U.S today. The story was later adapted into both a TV short and a play (“Shirley Jackson’s Bio”). Jackson uses irony and symbolism in “The Lottery” to show the corruption of human nature.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau is the author of the work, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality. His writings take a strong and interesting stand on the nature of man. More specifically on how mankind started, how mankind is now, and where man kind is heading in the future. His bold assumptions lay out a projection for man kind that is less than optimistic. According to Rousseau, all of man kind is headed for the inequitable ruling of one singular person. Also, according to Rousseau, wealth will become the only standard which people are measured and all of the progress man kind has made has actually made the race worse off instead of improved. Although Rousseau makes a compelling argument, I do not agree with his philosophy on man kind. Due

Rousseau believes that society has made people selfish and it has resulted in a generalized loss of compassion towards one another. “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” show the possible dangers of materialism. These dangers include, selfishness, relying on others for a source of happiness and a lack of compassion and empathy towards

Rousseau believed that man was born good, but it is society that corrupts him. In a state of nature, there is no war, people are isolated, desires are minimal, and people lived for themselves. It is when people are hurled into society where the corruption begins. For Rousseau, he saw that society’s negative influence of men centers on the transformation of self-love, which we wish to preserve, that when combined with reason creates a fear that allows men to take pleasure in the pain and weakness of others. Evil, greed, and selfishness emerges as human society begans to develop. And as society grows stronger, these ailments grow stronger with. In Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, Rousseau states that the arts and sciences had not been beneficial to man-kind because they are not human needs, but rather the result of pride and vanity. And these technological opportunities lead to further corruption and in a way makes the government more powerful at the expense of freedom. Also, due to advances in science and technology the people who had a talent in this field grew with and those who did not have that talent were left behind, thus causing inequality. And with all of this came dependency. Those who have talent to create them were dependent by those who bought and sold those products. And so, everyone become competitive, rivalrous, jealous, power-hungry, prestige seeking, and desirous for superiority over others. Civil

Landau states that “more money does not necessarily buy more happiness, but less money is associated with emotional pain” meaning money is materialistic and in the long run will not effect long term happiness (Landau 2). Money will buy you something materialistic that will be temporary in your life but after time fades you will eventually get bored until you find something new although it might have left you with some good memories and experience.

The concept of human nature has been questioned numerous times throughout history. Debates on the issue have come and gone, but the underlying question still remains on the mind of societies across the globe: Are humans generally filled with an innate sense of goodness and light or are we debase creatures at heart continuously tainted with the stains of vice? Though some texts in literature would prefer to prattle on about the exclusive and rewarding wonders that being a human provides, others tend to focus on humanity’s capacity for corruption and blatant savagery. The texts Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, and an A Satire against Reason and Mankind by Rochester are quick to showcase the corruption that plagues the English human nature while displaying society’s role in masking this corruption with a perpetuating sense of nationalism and egotism.