The Imperfection Of Humans

As time goes by one would think the world is evolving in a positive manner. With all the new technology and new resources, we would assume to be better people than the generation before us. Many would argue that we are better because we are always well informed by the tabloids and social media of what is happening in the world. Unfortunately, we as humans are evolving in a negative manner. Our human nature since generations before us show how cruel we are. In the book, Maus written by Art Spiegelman shows us how malicious and inhuman people can treat each other. The novel illuminates our understanding of human nature as being evil as well as deceiving individuals, who do not act to better the world as time goes on.

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.

At some point in time we have all wondered what it means to human, and what we are supposed to do with our lives. Throughout the centuries, there have been gradual changes in what it means to be human. Through Pico della Mirandola we will how man became the measure and took the place of God, through Charles Darwin we will see how nature and science began to take the place of man, and through the art of Friedrich we can visually see all of these changes.

Only recently has the topic arisen in its modern interpretation, but mankind has long pondered over the possibility of automation. For centuries, scientists, authors, and philosophers have discussed the potential creation of automatons, or automated machines, as well as the possibility that the processes of the human mind are mechanical, and could perhaps be replicated artificially. In his 1748 materialist work titled L’Homme Machine, or “Man a Machine”, philosopher Julien Offray de La Mettrie describes “that thought seems to be a property of matter, like electricity, power to move, impenetrability, extension, etc” (de La Mettrie 30). De La Mettrie negated the ideals of Descartes, who had previously stated that the functions of the mind were of a different nature. This new way of thinking helped to get the scientific ball rolling for the future creation of intelligent machinery. For the majority of history, such matters would be considered supernatural or simply out of the realm of foreseeable scientific accomplishment, in that they were merely works of fiction and such technology was too far out of reach. However, with the development of computer technologies in the 1900’s, suddenly the sky became the limit. With the help of computers, new innovations quickly advanced the technology industry, allowing for much more efficient

Throughout history, the human race has always had constants in how the world functions; love, hate, war, life, death, and at the base of it all, free will. Without free will, life would have no meaning, there would be nothing special about anyone on this earth and the fact that every single person on this earth has a say in everything that they do is what makes life itself beautiful. Elie Wiesel once stated, “…action is the only remedy for indifference: the most insidious danger of them all.” Mr. Wiesel’s statement is true when he says that indifference is a danger and that taking action is a good way to fix it, but his statement is also wrong because it does not take into account human free will and that when people

Human evolution is the biological and cultural development of humans. A human is any member of the species Homo sapiens, meaning "wise man." Since at least the Upper Paleolithic era, some 40,000 years ago, every human society has devised a creation myth to explain how humans came to be. Creation myths are based on cultural beliefs that have been adopted as a legitimate explanation by a society as to where we came from.

During the time of the Renaissance, the nature of man, in Europe, went through a rebirth. The idea that the nature of man is unique upon the person was established. The core basis of all men is not the same. Different men are comprised of various types of talents, and not every person has the exact same talents. In addition, human beings strive to live their lives a certain way, which is usually different from their neighbor.

There are many aspects that are apart of developing a person’s identity and sense of who they are. We are fully responsible for the outcome of our life according to Sarte. There are no excuses in life and we are responsible for our successes and for our failures. Whether we choose to sit back and wait for whatever to happen around us or take action and try to go out and make the changes you want in your life, you are responsible for all the lows and the highs. Our values are formed from the decisions we make, which help us form our identity. The decisions you make in life have an impact on you’re happiness. This can be through making a difference in the world or finding love or having a successful career.

What is the Human Condition? The Human Condition are characteristics in life in which one will experience at one moment or more in their life. The real question is, however, do you experience the Human Condition even if you’re not conscious of it? In order to be considered “human”, one must experience one of the characteristics of life. Conversely, there is Nihilism. Nihilism is the rejection of all religious and moral principles, believing that life is meaningless. The idea of Nihilism goes against what the Human Condition stands for. Even without being conscious of it, people go through at least one if not all characteristics of the Human Condition.

With the progression of technology, we are losing our values as humans. In Jennifer Hick’s critical article, she talks about how there is no humanity in machines. She says, “Rather than feeling compassion or sympathy for the animal, the robot mice whir around busily... We are reminded that the rodent cleaners are mechanical, that feeling-those highly prized human emotions-do not exist in machines.”(Jennifer Hicks). What Hicks is trying to say in her article is that what makes us so different from machines is our emotions. There isn’t a way that we can duplicate that. Humans are creating all these different types machines that do one thing, but if something is wrong or broken it won’t stop to try and fix that situation because that’s not what

Flaws in Human Nature: A Study on the Satire of Humanity in Orwell The novels Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm by George Orwell provide intriguing commentaries on humanity that are still applicable even today. Nineteen Eighty-Four unfolds in the year the book is named after in Oceania, the totalitarian new world superpower presumably post-World War II. The book’s protagonist, Winston Smith, works in the records department of the Ministry of Truth, altering records of the past to fit with the ruling Party’s current rhetoric. The story follows his desire for rebellion though a passionate love affair with co-worker Julia and his subsequent arrest, torture and conversion to the Party’s principles.

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.

Homo sapiens were a potent factor on eliminating the remaining Neanderthal population due to their intelligence (Echoes).

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 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.