The Nature Of Human Nature

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

Many researchers have tested the theory that humans are naturally war-loving. A fair viewpoint, from the article “Evolutionary Life”, is that “human nature is not one thing, neither 'good' nor 'bad' overall. People in general have been genetically endowed by evolution with a wide variety of tendencies and capacities that respond to -- but are not necessarily controlled or determined by -- their environment" (Atlee). With this, it’s fair to draw a line between how humans were “made” to act and how they act today. In the earliest stages of human life through the present, humans have fought, hunted, and killed their way through life. Today’s difference to the past is not much different besides the means we use to go about the deeds. Businessmen, politicians, and numerous other professions utilize harmful tactics in order to get what they desire. For example, a politician exposes the underlying “evils” of another candidate in order to gain votes, much like how the infamous Salem Witch Trials were pursued in the late seventeenth century when others cried witch in order to avoid being tortured and killed themselves. While one may argue that cavemen were, in some aspects, biologically different than we are today and that they were not exposed to as much as we are, one cannot argue that we are not still instinctively caveman-like. We hunt and gather food; we create new and improved ways of killing enemies or food source; and when we don’t like how or what someone else is

Humans by can sense their natural connection to the animal world via comparisons with nature. We have realized that we are unique and are highest on the ladder over the rest of the natural world. Over time critical questions concerning our origins have been made with respect to the context of our habitat, of the Earth and the universe. From the philosophical point of view, the distinctiveness and the development of the human race have become visible in many different ways. This is shown in the way we are able to adapt to their habitats in a convenient way for that specific individual; the development of language which allows us to communicate through both verbal and non-verbal forms; our ability to comprehend the natural world in a way that allows us we to predict certain behaviors and make the adaptation process easier and finally our ever-growing impatience when it comes to discovering the secrets of the Earth. These qualities have allowed us to produce culture mainly from a religious aspect leading to the speculation of our existence, autonomy and the beginning and the end of all things. Various religions have developed in the years which explains why the meanings of origins may be radically different from one another. The "tales of origins" that is told in the different religions worldwide mostly speak of a connection

Human nature can be explained to be certain characteristics and behavioral traits that everyone as humans, no matter were we come from or what we believe in or do not believe in, share or have in common. Throughout the years human nature has been a topic that various philosophers have tried to figure out or understand, but it is something they, even after multiple attempts and immensely thought out processes and experiments, have lacked the tools and knowledge necessary to fully comprehend and provide reasonable perceptions and reasoning for it. “ According to a legend of ancient Greek philosophy, the students at Plato’s Academy tried to unassailably define the phrase ‘ human being’ ( Austin 71).” Even though humans have failed to

There is a fundamental part of human nature that desires to be involved and engaged with nature. “We are in the fullest sense a biological species and will find little ultimate meaning apart from the remainder of life” (Wilson 81). Wilson identifies this urge as biophilia. While there is not strong formal scientific evidence, it is something that he sees in how people live their daily lives and how we have interacted with nature through history. “It unfolds in the predictable fantasies and responses of individuals from early childhood onward. It cascades into repetitive patterns of culture across most or all societies, a consistency often noted in the literature of anthropology. These processes appear to be part of the programs of the brain [...] They are too consistent to be dismissed as the result of purely historical events working on a mental blank slate” (Wilson 85). Some of these places that Wilson identifies are in the myths that share many similarities and a focus on the natural world between cultures around the world. As cultures and societies have grown and changed our relation to nature has as well.

As humans there are both similarities and differences among the different people and cultures in the world. Several aspects of human experience that are common to all people are kinship, security, and have their own highly regarded ideas and dreams. These are universal because common human nature is rooted in all humans that have been observed by anthropologists throughout the centuries. Several major kinds of differences between people are the argument between modernization and traditionalism; the division of power between classes, government, and the people; and bonds within the family unit; the perception of a woman’s role. I believe the differences to be more important than the similarities.

The brain is believed to involve two different views of human nature, the first states that it is a flexible organ that adapts in order to gain new information. The second view indicates that the it is formed by evolution in order to learn to perform different functions (Splleke, 2007) This essay will aim to understand these views by discussing and comparing Spllekes (2007) ‘core knowledge’ theory, and Gopniks (2004) ‘The scientist in the crib’ theory, the two main modern approaches to developmental cognitive psychology.

Recently I heard the story of Edd, a man who begin therapy after being found on a kitchen floor with a knife, several vicious wounds, and no knowledge of how he got there. In his first therapy session the therapist asked about family and medical history, and finally life events leading up to the “kitchen incident,” as Edd termed it. After Edd filled him in on his struggle with depression and suicide and explained the “kitchen incident,” The therapist exclaimed, “You’re lying.” Edd said this statement totally threw him. He restated that he really had no clue what had gone on and only realized what he was doing after he came to. The therapist exclaimed again, “you’re lying and you know it, what you’re saying is not possible.” Edd recounted, “I fell apart. I wanted to throw up, hide, die, anything, he made me feel worse, at that moment, than I had when I found myself on that kitchen floor.”

Human beings have been struggling to learn the meaning of life since the first day. Ideologies are born as human’s interpretation of the world and belief system, also an endeavor to seek the truth of human nature. Ideologies emerge throughout the periods of great changes: the Enlightenment, the English “Glorious” Revolution, the American Revolution, etc. They have become the motivations, the standards, and the roots to modern political systems. Their roots are the philosophies developed by famous philosophers throughout the time. However, as each ideology is developed, its own contradiction also grows, takes place in the realm of actions. This, in turn, shows contradiction as human nature.

To begin with Adam Smith wrote about the nature of human beings and their relation to the community. In contrast to moral relativism Adam Smith argued that it is in human nature that they are interested in the fortunes of other people. Smith moral philosophy suggest that people are social actors and their satisfaction as individuals depends on other happiness, moreover he claims that people are design in this way by nature.

NO!! I disagree with the statement that whatever human beings create or destroy is by default natural. Though they are part of the animal kingdom and therefore part of nature but they have no rights to harm nature. In many Religions such as Traditional, Judeo, Christian, and Islam in particular has shown that our relationship with nature is that nature was made for us. Plants, animals, even the planets, all were made for humans.

Humanity has undergone evil and chaos since the beginning of mankind. This is not a cause by some outside force, but by the hands of each person. There is not a single man who has not sinned, men have an overwhelming tendency to sin even if it is done unwillingly or subconsciously. Since this is so, people are naturally inclined towards greed, pride, and corruption. Due to this unfortunate tendency that man has it causes a desire to dominate the rest of humanity.

An author, introduced as a phycologist has revealed that human nature is unique and are easily influenced by each other which help them to shape and built social practices, to create different ambience to follow belief as well as to have suggestibility which can induce a normal person. Human beings are not only effected by other’s behaviour but also by all those social sciences which have been observed and been practised. As a citizen, an individual should focus on their study to show themselves as the best human being from their role on the society and their contribution for the place where they live in.

Humans are born with an innate goodness that is only corrupted by outside forces throughout one’s lifetime. No one would ever look at a newborn child with the thought of that child as being someone who is evil-hearted. Children have come to be the symbols of innocence. Our hearts are hardened through our experiences and through our disappointments and mistakes. We become aware of judgments of ourselves and others as we grow as adults and begin to care more what others think of us. As children, we happily compete against ourselves and just have fun to be with our friends on the same team. As we grow older and it is brought to our attention that another is a better competitor than we are, we begin to compare ourselves to the other player and begin to experience feelings such as envy and jealousy. We lose the innocence by no fault of our own. Our favorite activities are no longer as fun as they used to be because we no longer feel good participating. The goodness that is in our hearts organically, is snubbed out by society’s belief that everything must have a comparison, that nothing can just be good or happy unless it is better or happier than something or someone else. Goodness is also extinguished by personal pain caused by unfortunate life experiences.

Does man define his own meaning in life? Moreover, throughout history, the nature of the world has been in debate. Philosophers have been thinking about the nature of the world for thousands of years. The first philosophers have the belief that the nature of the world comes from natural things such as water, fire, and air. Socrates came up with this idea of existentialism, where existence precedes essence. Rene Descartes built upon this idea in stating that man should have extreme doubt because then we will know that something is real, such as a person 's body, is it really there? But, no one can doubt their own mind because it is what is doing the doubting. Descartes states that a man with a mind will be “like masters and possessors of nature”. If a man is self-surpassing then they can be the possessor of nature, but one must do this without the hubris of a Homeric hero(human condition of mortality). Jack London writes about the existentialist view of the world in his short story “How to Build a Fire”, by having a prideful man who is struggling with his mind-body dualism. London uses plot, Character/POV, and symbolism to convey the theme that man should not reject his physical being because of pride in his mind by having the man not imagine he has a body because of his excessive pride in his mind that is undefeatable to nature because of his mind and in the end he dies.