Essay On Human Nature

human nature Essay
What is human nature? It is very simple. Human nature refers to the patterns of behavior that are
typical of our species or our kind. Human undergoes change as all humans grow up they nature seems
to change; the environment someone grow up in effects that persons nature. To fully understand
human nature Dr. Marvin Harris takes us on trip to time, which makes sense because if we better
understand our past and our origin we will better understand our very existence and our nature. We
will know more about who we are where we are from and such other questions that puzzle the human
mind.
As I mentioned before our environment has a great effect on our nature. For example a theory
claimed that, the first humans...show more content...
However we don't, and that is due to time going by and the changing of the environment.
In the book Our Kind Dr. Harris mentions the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin. He went to
great details about our closest living relative the chimpanzees, and how their survival was base on
they will to fight. Therefore, our willingness to fight wars and kill each other for nonsense reasons is
simply our nature.
Our behaviors that may be said to be our nature is also depend on the circumstances we encounter
in our lives. Such as, it is very rare to find someone who was raised in a dangerous area ahs the same
time of nature as someone who was raised in very nice calm area where the biggest crime one could
commit is littering.
Another issue of Human Nature that shows us how changes in time leads to changes in the way
we act and perform is Family life. I will compare family life in early America to family live today
in America. The Indian tribes that lived on in this very country we now call ours, they had a
custom where they would give away they daughters to much older men if they provided the father
of the husband labor or land which was called brides wealth. That way what they believe, what they
practice, that was simply they nature of doing things. So really, human nature could also be looked
as our way of doing every day things, our practices or
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Human Nature: Good or Evil? Essay
For centuries many philosophers, as well as most individuals, have pondered on the question what is
good and what is evil. More–so philosophers of all ages have also stumbled upon a more in depth
question which is if the intuitive knowledge of man's nature is good, or if it is evil. Many have
claimed to have an answer to these puzzling questions yet most of their answers were found to be
incomplete and inadequate at a later date. Religion also tried to provide a solution but to my
understanding only caused more of an entanglement if anything. According to the current definition
from Webster, good is defined as morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious; where as evil is
defined as morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked. One could...show more content...
Would these people be considered evil and if so how did they become this way? Were they born
this was or was it some sort of external forces that led them to become evil? Well according to Hsun
Tao, another Chinese philosopher, humans were born of an evil nature and with some sort of
guidance from a teacher could learn to become good. He believed that what is natural to human
beings is desire and desire inevitably leads to conflict; since this is evil then so is the nature the
results within. Yet referring back to the young child and well example, why would most people do
the right thing? Is it because they are taught to be good again is it something that is deeper?
However, another Chinese philosopher, Kao Tzu, beleived that human nature is neither inherently
good nor inherently evil but rather a "blank slate" that could be conditioned in both directions.
When an individual is born he/she has no ideas or preexisting behaviors but that through life
experiences and external forces, such as family and friends, that influence ones human nature. Or
according to John Locke "the mind at birth is a blank white sheet of paper on which experience
writes." Religion also claims to provide a solution for whether human nature is initially good or evil
but this of course varies upon the religion. According to Catholicism everyone who has been born is
tainted with original sin which according to the bible is an inclination to evil caused

Human Nature Essay
The Evil Nature of Man: An Essay on Human Nature
People today enjoy the many pleasures life provides, including entertainment and technology, all
the while living longer than ever before. This would not be possible, if it were not for a
government that protects it's citizens from danger and promotes peace. Humans are evil by nature,
and therefore require some form of power in a society that will protect each person. This evil is
described in a interview with a U.S. soldier who after returning from Iraq, found his evil nature to
control his emotions toward Muslims, until he was able to join their group, an become a member of
their society. Thomas Hobbes, an English Philosopher from the 17th century, wrote a book on the
subjects of human...show more content...
Of course with this State, the idea of the third law of nature comes into view, with people of the
State "perform[ing] their covenants made"(45), having each man follow the rules of the State,
which is able to determine for itself what is just and unjust. The violent nature of man is thwarted
through the existence of the State, which every man gives up certain rights to, yet gains security
and peace from, allowing them to live with instead of war, the pleasures of industry, invention,
culture, exploration: all the things that make life worth living (Hobbes 42). This is evidenced by
our culture, where most men and women are able to go about their daily lives, enjoying all the
pleasures in our society, while our government protects each of its citizens from threats. The only
thing we as citizens have to do in return is follow the laws of the government. Another Philosopher,
John Locke, took a view that was opposite of Hobbes. In his work "Of the State of Nature," Locke
feels that since humans were all equal, left to their own devices, they would be able to establish
their own form of government that they themselves could control (48). The argument made starts
off in a form similar to Hobbes idea of two men having the same goal, yet in Locke's

Maus Essay On Human Nature
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. In the comic, Jews were sent to
concentration camps but before they left a riot downtown was described. Vladek said "...Everyone
Yelling, "Jews Out! Jews out!"...even two people killed. The police just watched!"(Spiegelman 37).
The quote shows how people are constantly being influenced when a higher authority figure has
more power than them. In this instance, Hitler had the authority and did not want the best for Jews.
Police are to keep everyone safe and control chaos. As we can see in the quote above, the...show
more content...
Anja knew she involved herself in illegal action by translating communist messages. Instead of
hiding the messages in her house, which she knew by doing so she would get arrested. She gave
them to her seamstress. Anja said "Miss Stefanska–Please! Hide this package for me–don't tell
ANYONE about it!" (Spiegelman 28). She deceived her seamstress because she tricked her into
hiding the messages and later on the seamstress paid the price of Anja. Anja gave the envelope full
of translated words to her to protect herself, but this does not justify what she did. Spiegelman
shows us that instead of accepting our faults we try to blame others for

Human Nature Essay
"It is a sin to believe evil of others, but it is seldom a mistake."
–H.L Menckens
From the moment they are born, humans have a naturally evil predisposition. Although the term
'evil' is difficult to define, there are various views on morality. The most commonly referenced one,
Moral Objectivism, holds that moral standards are universally transcendent, and that certain acts are
right or wrong independent of human subjectivity. It is by this unspoken moral code that humanity's
acts are judged. There is some debate whether a fundamental human nature exists, as social and
environmental influences are present from the moment someone is born. But if we can define
human nature, it is beyond doubt, naturally evil. The English philosopher Thomas...show more
content...
The atrocity of acts committed by mankind throughout history demonstrates the dangerous results
when society is unable to restrain the natural evil present in human beings. The words 'humane', and
'civilized', both come from roots that describe society. Their positive connotations associate
humankind with an inherent morality. But it is hard to have faith in our race when throughout
history; we have brutalized each other in such barbaric ways. How can independently thinking,
emotionally compassionate beings take part in massacres like the killings at Columbine or in the
terrorist attacks in 2001? The September 11th bombings took thousands of innocent lives, and
struck fear into the hearts of millions. What shocked the observing world though, was not the
number of dead. It was the senselessness of the cause, the raw savagery of the attacks, the utter
lack of humanity. It begged the question: what happens when the moderating hand of society fails
to restrain a group of radicals? The answer was simple. We saw the innate evil present in each one
of us, in its undistilled, uncensored form. The Columbine killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold,
were disillusioned bullies– torn away from society's expectations through a combination of violence
tendencies and psychosis. Their horrific acts were a result of their innate evil nature breaking
through the wall of societal structure. Golding's contention was that in most cases, rules were forced

Shakespeare Human Nature
It was very common that authors during the Renaissance Era would mostly talk about their
feelings and about human nature. William Shakespeare and Francis Petrarch are both examples
of authors that are well known to talk about human nature and expressing their feelings about
love, people and nature. Shakespeare's sonnets contain an overall sense of story and deep
feelings where the reader can relate. A lot of people like his poems since it is very easy to
understand and relate to them. However, we still do not know if they were real life events or not
because nobody knows enough about Shakespeare's life to say this is accurate. In the other hand,
Francis Petrarch sonnets are also very easy to relate since he talks a lot about love. In his...show more
content...
In his sonnets not only shows his love side but also how he struggled with self–doubt and
insecurities. One example of this would be " All men make faults, and even I in this, authorizing thy
trespass with compare, myself corrupting, salving thy amiss, excusing thy sins more than thy sins
are" (Sonnet 35, lines 5–8). I think sometimes as humans we tend to judge and blame others even
if it's been our fault. In this sonnet he talks how his lover betrayed him and something I actually
liked that he said and I think we, as humans should do is that he decides to assume equal guilt
despite the pain that his lover gave him. As most of the Renaissance era authors talk about love,
there is many times where their sonnets express loss, grief, and pain where we can also relate. An
example would be "and yet I live, grief and disdain to me, left where that light I cherished never
shows, in fragile bark on the tempestuous sea. Here let my loving song come to a close, the vein of
my accustomed art is dry, and this, my lyre, turned at last to tears" (Sonnet 292, lines 9–14). Petrarch
is dealing with the death of someone whom he has loved for many years and feels useless and
rather be death than suffer and being in this world since she is

Human Nature Essay
Human nature is loosely defined as the ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that that tend to come
naturally. Our human nature is a mixture of our own personal beliefs and views as well as the
perceptions of our surrounding environment and the society we reside in. It affects the way we
interpret and present knowledge without realizing it, including our thoughts and actions. Since
writing is just a collection of our thoughts and the way in which we interpret the world, our human
nature inevitably seeps into our writing. This paper will argue that the Hesiod's writings, in
particular the creation story of Pandora in both Theogony and Works and Days, are heavily
influenced by the misogynistic views held by the Greek patriarchal society at the time. The
influence of society's misogynistic views on the portrayal of characters and roles are fully
exemplified when comparing the creation story of Pandora to that of her male counterpart and Eve.
The portrayal of Pandora in Hesiod's Works and Days is filled with the philosophy and viewpoints
that men held towards women, greatly influencing her creation. Many of the characteristics
possessed by Pandora mirror the viewpoints that men, and in particular Hesiod, had towards women.
The mere creation of women, by Zeus, was an idea set around the punishment of man for the acts of
Prometheus: "To set against the fire I shall give them an affliction to which they will all delight as
they embrace their own misfortune" (W&D 57–59).

Essay on Principles of Human Nature
Fundamental Principles of Human Nature The heated controversy over how human beings develop
their behavior, ideas, reasoning and other abstract traits has been in ongoing debate for centuries.
John Locke's "blank slate" theory of experience and sensation, and Edward Wilson's theory of
evolutionary biology and innate genes are both valid and apply to the development of human nature.
It is has been proven through scientific research of the human genome over time, that both sides of
this controversial subject are partially correct (Powell). However, I believe Wilson's theory is the
most reasonable and legitimate in influencing the outcome of one's character. John Locke's theory
states that the mind begins as a "blank slate", and that...show more content...
Locke's theory that all ideas and knowledge result directly from experience is quite reasonable,
however I believe that experience only goes so far in determining the overall outcome of who a
person is and the way in which they behave. A common saying some like to say when referring to
the way a person acts or behaves is, "Oh, she got it from her mother/father." I hold this true to
myself, being my own example, I know for a fact that I inherited certain unique qualities and
behavioral traits from my mother and father. My older sister and I were raised together in the same
environment for 18 years, under the same/similar circumstances, and it is quite obvious that
although we share many interests and ideas, our personalities are nearly polar opposite. She is calm,
patient, and extremely shy, which is strikingly similar to my father's personality. I am very outgoing,
impatient, and (unfortunately) emotional, which my mother finds humorous at times, seeing how
we are so similar in the way that we reason and react to things. Although there is no documented or
scientifically proven evidence that this is true, I know that it must be true to some extent, and that
hereditary must have played a role in my collection of reasoning and understanding. For instance, if
genetics did not play any role in this outcome, then how could fraternal twins, raised under the same
environment and conditions, differ at all in behavior

Nature And Human Essay
Maria Moiseeva
Professor Ahrens
English 101
13 August 2014
Illusory Freedom
"...Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this
vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves."–Carl Sagan.
If there is only one thing that humanity has to learn, that would be the superior power of compliance
with natural laws. Human species have never had any true freedom. Freedom is illusion. When it
comes to the order of nature, either you align or you suffer.
So, who are we, homo sapiens, a branch of great monkeys, the source of all problems on the Earth,
the reason behind dramatic changes of environment,...show more content...
Where is the "second chance" for the people and other inhabitants of this planet who died from this
man made disasters? These examples prove that there is no such rule of a "second chance" simply
because nature doesn't privilege us with one.
The relationship of humans to the Earth is an evolutionary process. First Homo sapiens are the most
obedient environmentalists of the planet. Many thousands of years ago, our super–monkey brethren
began to discover how to engage nature. We went from being completely at the mercy of the habitat,
gathering our food with some hunting, living and migrating around the natural seasonal
regeneration, to an agricultural revolution, learning how to cultivate food, create more sophisticated
tools to ease labor. In fact, this new awareness and ever–increasing understanding to harness the
processes of nature to our advantage is what has led to the vast technological innovation and

Humans Nature
Human Nature
Good or Bad?
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. Philosophers such as Mengzi (4th Century BCE) also known as Mencius in the
West, explains...show more content...
These ongoing debates continue into literature and are for example the two philosophical authors
Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) and Joseph Butler (1692–1752). One philosopher fighting for the truth
of the evil nature within humans, and the other rebutting for the good. Hobbes' book the "Leviathan"
expresses harsh outlines for the nature of human and describes the human life as, "solitary, poor,
nasty, brutish and short." 1 He concluded that humans are antisocial, and that cooperation between
individuals or groups is nothing but self–interest. Joseph Butler however, wanted to reestablish his
belief and published the book "Fifteen Sermons Preached at Roll Chapel." His goal was to prove that
human nature included positive elements. Within his book, Butler states that humans have varying
characteristics pertaining to their nature and this encompasses a measure of self–interest. This
self–interest is a natural attribute that roots back to the human animalistic nature of "survival of the
fittest." This self–interest is also a human quality that does not conflict with benevolence. Butler
arranged these human attributes into a hierarchy with the top being conscience. In regards to
conscience, Hobbes maintained the opinion that acts of kindness

Essay On Human Nature

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