The Greatest Philosophers Of History

* The Origin of Man * The Nature of Man * The Dominion of Man * The Environment of Man

It does, however, imply that at the center of all of us is a genetic code of animalistic survival. Regardless of how civilized we become, what moral guidelines we breed, or how giving we are to the less fortunate, we all at the core will do what is necessary to survive. This includes actions that would be considered antisocial, if not actions directly against others.

Since the proper order of the city has now been established, it is time to turn inward to one’s soul to determine where justice and injustice might lie, and what the difference is between the two. Plato believes, “if an individual has these same three parts in his soul, we will expect him to be correctly called by the same names as the city if he has the same conditions in them” (Cahn 148). Now that Plato has found the four virtues within the larger environment of the city, he now wants to investigate their relationship to the smaller environment of the soul.

what factors affect them and how. We analyze Plato's expressions and thoughts about what makes us humans. From virtues to building a perfect city, Plato tries to explain in different occasions the morality behind humans. He is focused on understanding the why and how can humans reach their highest potential with the given resources such as nature and others.

In Plato’s republic, a philosophical account on the kallipolis (the beautiful city) is built on the perspective of Socrates and his discussion between his companions. In the republic, the city in which ones live in depends on the soul and the character of the city one lives in. In this paper the character of human nature and politics will be discussed in how a city is ought to be by the influence of human nature and politics. Firstly, the influence of human nature on politics will be looked at, for example according to Plato on behalf of Socrates; he claims that a just soul creates a just society, where it is human nature to be just, that influences in creating a just political system. Secondly, politics influences human nature, where in

To clarify, the “human condition” is an ambiguous term used to describe the foundational aspects of humanity, both the instinctive traits, which all animals have, and the further-evolved or uniquely-human traits, which set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. To illustrate my purpose, I will focus on the both aspects, since both prevent us from thinking logically and acting objectively.

The questions, “What does it mean to be human, and how might we transcend human nature?” have been a subject of debate for philosophical and theological thinkers for centuries. In recent history, scientific discoveries have led to a resurgence of these ancient debates that break down into three primary schools of thought. There are those who believe that we, like the rest of the animal kingdom, have certain basic “programming” that determines our fundamental nature, and those who believe that human beings are born “tabula rasa” and that nurture determines who we are. The issue becomes increasingly complex for those with the theological belief that human beings are spiritual creatures and that our spirituality is what defines us. However, a

Human nature, the general psychological characteristics, behaviors, and feelings shared by all humans, is a perplex ideology that can be considered a combination of interactions. In our text book, human nature is depicted as your physiology prompting “you to urinate, but it’s your socialization that tells you where and when to do so” (Conley 120). With the combination of both social constructs and social interactions, human nature can be constructed through interactions with other humans. An example of this can be seen when studying children who have been raised by animals. The story of Djuma is quite riveting to many sociologists as they can observe the effects of a boy raised by wolves (Maclsaac).

Hello Briahna. I really enjoyed reading your commentary on the question. Since I picked a similar topic, I thought it would be interesting to see another person’s view on “human nature.” I agree with you on the fact that human interaction shapes what we depict as human nature. Without any type of human interaction, what are we more than another mammal that roams the earth. The ideology that human interaction shapes human nature can be shown by looking at children when they lack the interactions of humans. When looking at the story of Djuma (Maclsaac) and how his human interactions were almost none until he was the age of seven, shows how his human nature was not even present. When looking at the nature of Djuma, he resembled more animalistic

In book VI of The Republic, Plato uses Socrates as his mouthpiece to reveal the ideal city. Plato points out that the idea city is based on the foundations of three basic forms. Consequently, these three forms are manifested in the individuals that make up the city. The functioning of the city will thus depend on the analogy of the structures within the city and within the souls of the people. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the argument by Socrates with respect to the three forms in the city and in the soul. Additionally, the paper seeks to analyze the rationale behind Socrates’ comparison and subsequent establishment of analogy between the forms in the city and the forms in the city in the context of justice. The paper also

Human nature is what tells us apart from each other and makes us distinctly human. Our nature and understanding is what makes us different from animals and other creations due to our ability to think and reason. No other creature on this earth has that given ability. Our reason gives us the upper hand and allows us to reflect on our nature and behaviors that allows us to make changes and transform. For example, when facing adversity, we have the choice to continue with our struggles or terminate the situation; if we witness someone else’s misfortune, we have the option to follow in their footsteps or avoid making the same mistake. Human nature, gives us the capability to express our emotions, love and connect. It also allows us to display emotions and actions that are not always appropriate like hate, rape, murder and war. Despite our positive sides, as humans we are capable of destruction, competiveness and greed. Although, I strongly feel that a person’s environment and upbringing will shape their life choices, it does not automatically define who they are or

In addition to the intrinsic ambiguity of human nature, Mengzi and Xunzi have utterly distinct emphasis on their theory about human nature. As long as part of human nature is overly stressed by each of them, they become more and more biased with respect to their overall definition of human nature.

In Book II, Plato begins to construct the first city, Kallipolis, analyzing the fundamental parts of societal life that relate to the needs of human life. Plato says, "The goal is not to create 'happy' individuals

Human nature, the essence of what makes a human person what they are, is something that everybody has. Every person is innately a person, but how they put their personhood into action is the biggest indicator of their character, or the projection of a person’s human nature. At their core there is human nature, but their actions are what direct this source of humanity. The quality of someone’s actions is shaped by their environment and sometimes their biological makeup as well. Human nature does not have good or evil characteristics. It is how a person thinks and acts that is the true factor in the shaping of their character.

A principle is a fundamental source or basis of something. A principle cannot be proven, because to prove something we have to go back to the basics and principle is basis of everything. Although, what most philosophers seem to be doing to prove the validity of their theories is by showing that if we accept something else as a principle it would make no sense.