Rousseau’s presentation of “human nature” is optimistic. According to Rousseau‚ “ If then the people promises simply to obey‚ by that very act it dissolves itself and loses what make it a people; then moment a master exits‚ there is no longer a Sovereign‚ and from that moment the body politic has ceased to exit” (22‚ The Social Contract)‚ he sees people as intrinsically good when they get away from social setting and political experience. Oppositely‚ Machiavelli sees “human nature” as something conditional
Premium Political philosophy Religion Jean-Jacques Rousseau
In The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne establishes several essential facets of human nature. In the beginning‚ Hawthorne introduces death and crime as inevitable in the human condition. Yet throughout the novel‚ Hawthorne also highlights another part of human nature as a common theme: concealment. This theme is reflected by characters such as Hester and Chillingworth‚ but particularly by Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale‚ the admired minister of the Puritan community‚ spends years hiding that he committed
Premium Suffering Puritan The Scarlet Letter
Mencius and Xunzi on Human Nature Mencius and Xunzi both follow Confucian philosophy yet have a dramatically different understanding of human nature. Additionally‚ the two philosophers make their arguments in strikingly different literary methods. Mencius believes that the “goodness of human nature is like the downward course of water” (147) in that people are naturally inclined to be good‚ and he makes this argument through conversations among friends and public figures. In contrast‚ Xunzi staunchly
Premium Confucius Religion Confucianism
amongst the people regarding human nature; is it‚ by nature‚ good or bad? Every option is discussed by Mencius himself‚ ranging from whether all are born good‚ born evil‚ born with both or born with neither. Overall‚ Mencius succeeds in his description of all possibilities of whether human nature is good or bad. The main permutation discussed by Mencius is that all humans are born good. In Book 2‚ Part A‚ Section 6‚ Mencius describes a child falling down a well. If a human were to see this child fall
Premium Virtue Human nature Meaning of life
central thesis‚ its plethora of information makes one easy to extract: that human nature is‚ although many would like to deny it‚ inherently competitive‚ and therefore violent. Although heavily focused in on the Aztecs‚ Harris proves that across all walks of life that human nature is to be inherently violent. Among other things‚ efficiency‚ conflict‚ and even culture all leads us towards violence. Perpetually‚ I believe humans are always leading themselves towards improvement. With the aim to improve
Premium War Aztec Domestic violence
"However Simon thought of the beast‚ there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick(Golding 128). This quote from William Goldings novel‚ Lord of the Flies‚ effectively suggests that human beings are evil; which is also the main theme of the novel. In the novel‚ the major characters at the ending reinforce Goldings negative view of human nature. Golding provides his view of human nature very early in the novel. The island on which the boys land is described as a paradise
Free Human Human nature English-language films
Mencius and Human Nature The way we think‚ act or feel seems to just happen naturally for us. Although we do not all think‚ act‚ and fell the same at the exact same time everyone has shared thoughts‚ feelings or actions at some point in time. These ways of thinking‚ acting‚ and feeling that are common to most people we define as human nature. Some believe these fundamental traits cannot be changed for better or for worse. Our author‚ Mencius‚ claims that human nature is a good thing. In our text
Premium Psychology Human Human nature
whether it is nature or nurture that plays a greater role in human development and behaviors. The pro-nature perspective is the more scientific theory meaning that our genetics we inherit make us who we are. On the other hand‚ the pro-nurture perspective contends that social factors and the surrounding environment play the deciding role. This controversial subject is one of the oldest arguments in psychology due to the abundant information that supports both sides. However‚ nature can only go so
Premium Nature versus nurture Genetics DNA
Are we humans the product of nature or nurture? Nature is how much of your personality is genetic‚ what you were born with. Nurture is how much of your personality was caused because of your environment‚ how you were raised. So does nature or nurture contribute more to someone’s personality and behaviour? Or do they both play a role in shaping our lives? I hope to come to a conclusion with this debate in the end of my thesis. With nurturing‚ people tend to observe others actions and behaviour
Free Human behavior Behavior Psychology
Relationship between human beings and nature Now is the time for human beings and nature to collaborate. Normally‚ most people would say‚ “human beings always destroy nature.” It is true. However‚ only a few people know the truth of why human beings destroy nature. It is a huge mistake to think of nature individually. First of all‚ the main reason people destroy nature is to use trees as materials for paper. As everybody knows‚ cutting trees has been becoming a reason for global warming
Premium Natural environment Earth Truth