THE HUMAN NATURE OF FREEDOM AND IDENTITY— WE HOLD MORE THAN RANDOM THOUGHTS DOUGLAS W. KMIEC* In contemplating the relation of freedom and identity‚ the Latin maxim libertas non datur sine veritate aptly reminds us that there can be no freedom without truth. While certain aspects of who we are‚ such as nationality or ethnic ancestry‚ may be cul‐ turally or serendipitously determined‚ there is a truth to hu‐ man nature which‚ if not observed‚ corrupts or
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The Diversity of Human Nature Is human nature good or evil? This is a question that has been debated for a long time. Certain people argue that the difference of formation of human nature is born‚ while others believe that the human nature is more determined by the acquired environment. The film "Rashomon"‚ the great and thought-provoking work‚ through the adaptation and combination of two novels‚ mercilessly exposing the darkness of human nature. And its impact until now have affected people’s
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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
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the way humans perceive things‚ which is part of the intricacy of mankind. "During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe‚ they are in that conditions called war; and such a war‚ as if of every man‚ against every man." (Hobbes) Hobbes states that Humans are naturally evil and need a powerful government to control them. Is it true? Rousseau thinks otherwise. "In reasoning on the principles he (Thomas Hobbes) lays down‚ he ought to have said that the state of nature‚ being
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Homer’s epic poem "The Iliad" is present as a classic because it promotes deep insight into human behavior‚ it is told in an elevated tone‚ and it contains a universal theme. Human nature in The Iliad is presented through many seminal characters that can represent different aspects of humanity. The two main characters of this epic‚ Achilles‚ the swift runner‚ and Hector‚ breaker of horses‚ are two character foils that‚ when combined‚ are able to represent all humanity. Achilles and Hector are character
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Immanuel Kant’s philosophical views of human nature and the ethical systems that govern human actions are primarily summed up in his composition of the "Categorical Imperative.” By his own logic‚ Kant attempted to describe the mechanics of nature and the morality of mankind. As Mitchell states: Indeed‚ as Kant showed us‚ the world appears to operate according to the principle of cause and effect‚ and our shared agreement of this interpretation allows us to reason about the world. (Mitchell‚ 259) Through
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The progression of a story may reveal hidden parts of human nature. This applies to the characters’ feelings and behaviors to different situations. In the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin‚ Louise Mallard is faced with the false news of her husband’s death‚ creating a mixture of emotions and false hopes. Through this short story‚ Chopin sought to question the woman’s role in a household. Mrs. Mallard was upset after learning of the death of her husband. She was expected to be upset
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characters and situations through the eyes of the main character. These situations expose Fieldings own views on human nature and how it affected society in the eighteenth century. Fielding uses the many characters and their relationships to one another to relate differing qualities of human nature‚ and I will explore those opinions in this paper. Fielding ’s main exploration of human nature is regarding morality in the eighteenth century and how it shaped society. At first sight‚ readers of Tom Jones
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Lord of the Flies Human Nature In the novel‚ Lord of the Flies‚ Golding has young and innocent children on a remote island to test how human nature works. Golding uses objects such as the conch and the Beast to reflect our society politically and psychologically. The novel shows human’s own illness and human nature. Human nature is unavoidable and can be a source of evil. It is one’s nature to do whatever it takes in order to survive. By trying to survive one’s evil creeps out. Jack and
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Striving for perfection is both inevitable yet totally useless‚ we‚ as humans naturally will strive for perfection yet will fail to reach it because humans are designed to be flawed. Perfection and the pursuit of it would supposably make us better. Women aim for having the “perfect” lifestyle with a family and white picket fence‚ just because we would be seen as “better” people. Arcadia by definition means paradise; the connotations involved with paradise are perfection and utopia‚ “Et in arcadia
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