The Nature Of Human Nature

What does it mean to be a human? Is it anything significant in this? Or we are simply just a bunch of nerve impulses enclosed in biological mass of our bodies? Certainly, there should be something that constitutes a person, something that discern humans from the life of plant, or even other living organism. No surprise that we feel that we are superior and special above all other species.

To get a sense of what it is to be human, at least in the evolutionary world, we need only to compare our modern selves to our ancestors such as the Neanderthals. The Neanderthals were our closest hominin relative and died out thousands of years ago. Like us, they walked on two legs, hunted , made fire and tools, and lived in shelters (caves). They were more advanced than many of us imagine they were thanks to the way they are portrayed in the media. They had brains similar in size to ours, they stood fully upright (not hunched over), and had a surprisingly complex culture. When asked what it means to be human, you can compare many different aspects of our lives, such as biology, culture, and even religious beliefs. We obviously have

In Genesis the word of God leads humanity in the direction of self preservation, urging them to procreate, to ”Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 9:1), and to minimize hostility and violence among people. As Freud asserted, “Besides the instinct to preserve living substance and join it into ever larger units, there must exist another, contrary instinct seeking to dissolve those units and bring them back to their primeval, inorganic state” (Freud 77). Genesis exemplifies the struggle between the two opposing human instincts, with God acting as a moderator between them. Forms of justice are put into place in an attempt to control these drives, one example being the proclamation that “Whoever sheds the blood of a human, by a human shall that person’s blood be shed” (Genesis 9:6). The ethics and laws that develop throughout Genesis seek to “prevent the crudest excesses of brutal violence” but are unable to control “the more cautious and refined manifestations of human aggressiveness” (Freud 70). Since they cannot be completely eradicated, the scriptures instead play into the more negative aspects of human nature, especially narcissism, and manipulate them into a force for conservation rather than annihilation.

Human beings are part of the animal kingdom, and therefore part of nature. If that is true, then everything they create or destroy is by default "natural". I agree with the statement.

Human nature by essence has been the cause of many entrepreneurial paths, all follow to known the essence itself behind of what we conceive as life. Moreover it’s righteous description and abstract content, that many great man has humbly studied and that for centuries have made a path closely enough to the understanding of it, yet far from the light, it seems to be and unsolvable question that gives us a “Raison d'être” to our existence in this world.

As the predominate species of Earth, humans possess qualities that distinguish the race as an ordered civilization, rather than an instinct based animal kingdom. However, what pertains to the human race that allows it to influence the world more strongly than other species? To understand humanity’s effect on Earth, it is imperative to know what a human is. Though genetically similar, humans are greatly distinguishable from animals through basic, yet key characteristics of idiosyncrasy, conscious thought, complex emotions, and advanced psychological development (Stix). Within the subjective realm, humans possess the ability to empathize and act upon free will.

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

The flaws of human nature are many, but one of the biggest is the gullibility, especially in the presence of the supernatural. It is often easy to think that the thoughts or actions of an individual are of their own doing. It is even easier to assume that the range of the mind falls between good and evil. But society is not quite clear and even in fiction, there is always something motivating an action that lingers in the back of the mind of any character. The supernatural in particular is known for its ability to push people to extremes and alter their perception drastically. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is easy to assume the blind ambition that brews within Macbeth and his wife or the guilt that plagues them following their actions is the biggest motivator. But that is just the surface of the complexity interlaced into this tragedy. Dig further, and it becomes clear that these emotions were not always prevalent in the characters, but were instead prompted by a force so powerful, it toyed with fate and provoked deception until the end; it was the supernatural that fueled the emotions and actions that take up much of the play.

This is a question that I have never thought about but is very interesting to research and look into. I was interested to find out what the real definition of human was. So, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of human is “of, relating to, or characteristic of humans.” This didn’t give me a clear and concise explanation, but thankfully we have talked about this in our DMACC LIT 101 class. Talking amongst our class, we have composed a list of possible things that make us humans.

1st is about Evil, 2nd is about Good, 3rd is about Every Man for Themselves and 4th is about experience. We are going to learn about four men known and revered for their philosophical teachings on human nature, unfortunately all four have very different opinions. Human Nature what is it? Where does it come from? Why, after so many years do we still not know the answer? The philosophers Mencius, Husun Tzu, Hobbes, and Locke are all very passionate in their beliefs and have written different arguments trying to prove their philosophy is the correct one. My job is to figure out who is the most convincing and who has the strongest argument. Which philosopher will be the winner of this debate.

To conclude, the process of basing a state around human nature arguably falls into two camps. Either building to enhance mankind and allow him to prosper or to prevent mankind from his own nature. when using a positive definition of society, the system that usually is constructed can be seen to have developed into a more secular liberal society. A key development can be seen to be societies in the west constructed post enlightenment. The separation of church and state can be seen to be the cornerstone of secular society. The reduction of the power of the church has led man to look for moral justification for his actions outside the realms of religion. Darwin’s on the Origins of Species can be seen to be the most destructive text to the power

In the third instalment of his famous thesis; A Treatise of Human Nature; Of Morals, David Hume determines that morality is a character trait approved independently of social conventions. He goes on to conclude that morals cannot be derived from reason when reason is inert, and can neither prevent nor produce action or affection. Hamlet (1602), Frankenstein (1823) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) are all consumed by the innate passion that Hume defines as ‘morality’, yet pivot around the social conventions of their respective eras, broadly identified as ‘reason’. While Hamlet is embodied by his tendency to reason and rationality, Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray’s conformity to the values of their era functions to illuminate the irrationality of their actions.

Since the beginning of time,man has questioned themself of what makes them different from others that walk the Earth. Today we walk with pride to be human,we rightfully put ourself at the top of the food web,and we say we know what it means to be human,but what does it really mean? To be a human we must express emotions,show bravery, and have human intellect.

For this discussion, the definitive answer for being human is not limited to Homo sapiens in the taxonomy of the animal kingdom. It entails features not limited to an opposable thumb, genome sequence, higher intelligence and cognitive speech, but distinctive qualities that define each individual person within the group. A human

"What is Natural Has to be Investigated Not in Beings That Are Depraved, But in Those That Are Good According to Nature"