Kerri Devine Essay on Human Nature There are two conflicting views on human nature. Chinese scholar Hsun Tzu believed that man’s nature is evil and when man acts “good” it is only the result of what he called “conscious activity.” In the text‚ he describes conscious activity as “the part [of man] that can be acquired by learning and brought to completion by effort.” In other words‚ Hsun Tzu believed that man is naturally selfish‚ and that unless there are rules and principles put in place to guide
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describing what life would be like without one in his book Leviathan. The central argument in the book describes the conditions that would exist in a state of nature—at a time where there would be no organized government or no laws to influence human behavior. Throughout the book Hobbes attempts to justify his claims about what a state of nature would be like with arguments that are false when examined closely. According to Hobbes‚ life would be “ war of every man against very man” (Hobbes 106) lived
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In Thomas Hobbes’ most iconic work‚ Leviathan‚ in chapter thirteen to sixteen he begins his argument for how human beings should live in society. According to Hobbes‚ human nature is inherently violent and filled with fear. Hobbes argues that human beings are never satisfied with any amount of power which causes a constant power struggle between human beings. For as long as modern human beings have been around‚ our species has almost always been at war or some kind of struggle with ne another. Human
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Because Hobbes argues that the relationship between people in nature is similar to the animal. And thus the safety of survival has become an important purpose of the people. He considers the so-called natural rights: "the liberty each man hath to use his own power as he will himself for the preservation of his own nature‚ that is to say‚ of his own life; and consequently of doing anything which in his own judgment and reason he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto."(Leviathan‚ 4.1) To
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Macbeth is a play that examines human nature. During the play there is a significant amount of emphasis on the different attributes and sides of human nature. The play demonstrates that everyone has the ability to do good or evil by what choices they make and what the ramifications of these actions are‚ decisions are made that affect the outcome of a person’s future. Macbeth is a prime example of the human nature in its very worst form. Throughout the play‚ Macbeth experience somewhat of a fall
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NATURE VS NURTURE I. Human development is based in 2 assumptions A. having the capacity to become a member of human society B. becoming a social being through interaction II. Nature and Nurture A. Nature biological factors implies the contribution of heredity to the human being human potential determiner examples: height‚ weight‚ health B. Nurture social environment all things that influence affects our human potential examples: nutrition‚ emotional experiences‚ psychological
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Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) SELECTION FROM THE XUNZI: “HUMAN NATURE IS EVIL” Introduction Xunzi (Xun Qing‚ or Xun Kuang: c. 310-c. 219 BCE) lived at the very end of the Zhou dynasty. Like Mencius‚ he was an advocate and interpreter of the teachings of Confucius. Living a generation after Mencius‚ Xunzi lived through the final‚ brutal wars which ended with the state of Qin absorbing and unifying all the Chinese feudal states. Xunzi was a widely traveled scholar‚ teacher‚ and official
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The condition of nature reflects the condition of man. Focus particularly on the contrasts between the ravages of the battle‚ the earthquake‚ and the general surroundings‚ and the Utopian state of El Dorado‚ and later the farm at the conclusion. Also‚ tie the role of one of the main themes of the book (the failure of Leibnizian optimism) with what Candide perceives. There is a difference between when Pangloss interprets the world as a philosopher at the beginning‚ and the roots of starting to disbelieve
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Humans in the State of Nature There are many theories about how humans used to be‚ before a state or any form of government was involved. Many imagine that we were in a State of Nature‚ which is where no political power exists‚ no laws or government. These theories were brought on to answer the questions‚ “Why do we need a state‚ and what would things be like without a state?” Many philosophers have given their views on what humans would be like in the state of nature. Thomas Hobbes‚ John Locke
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Human Nature: Western vs. Eastern Views Within the western view of human nature‚ it emphasizes that humans are made in the image of God. It is mostly composed within Judeo-Christian tradition. This view looks at human nature to be loving‚ rational‚ and relational to God. The way the western view decides good or evil depends on actions and choices. Good expresses life‚ charity‚ happiness‚ and love. Evil would consist of discrimination‚ humiliation‚ destructiveness‚ and so on. Society would be
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