Background
Numerous concepts have been developed and held towards or against human beings. All the ideas either support a specific behavior among human beings or question a particular behavior among human beings. One of the main contested human concepts is human nature, which has widely been discussed and explored and showed how it affects human life. Contrasting views have been developed toward the concept of human nature by different authors over the years. Human nature generally refers to the psychological characteristics and behavioral patterns denoted naturally by human beings. Human beings share common behavioral patterns, although they might slightly vary from one group of people to nature due to cultural and ethnic differences. Behavioral patterns are still prevalent in modern society as human beings continue to adopt new and more sophisticated ways of living. This paper supports the concept of human nature and explores what various philosophers have explored concerning the idea of human nature.
Opponents of human nature argue that the term “human nature” does not have any conclusive meaning. For instance, anthropologists say that the behavioral patterns adopted by human beings are determined by the interaction between the natural and cultural aspects of life. Biologists also differ with the concept of human nature by claiming that each human being possesses a unique way of behaving and living that cannot be likened to the behavioral patterns of other people. However, the proponents of human nature claim that the concept is firmly grounded on the thinking patterns, behavioral patterns, and ways of doing things that resemble across the human race. The proponents of human nature argue that it originated from the evolution theory, where human beings adopted specific behavioral patterns depending on the stage of evolution.
The Concept of Human Nature
The concept of human nature defines human beings by the way they behave, think, and act towards specific issues in life, and their general approach to life. Human nature is strongly harbored in the psychological characteristics of human life. People have varying views towards life, with some believing that human beings are evil while others argue that human beings are good (Baumeister & Bushman, 2020). Human nature has several characteristics that define it. The first characteristic of human nature is laziness. Laziness is defined as shortening the time needed to accomplish a specific task. All human beings possess some form of laziness that triggers them to devise shortcuts toward performing tasks. The second characteristic of human nature is greed, defined as the desire to have more (Zoeller et al., 2021). Every human being strives to have more by maximizing all the opportunities available to acquire more material possessions.
The third characteristic is ambition, defined as the desire to improve one’s life. All humans desire and strive to live better lives and compete among themselves. The passion for a better life is mainly based on material possessions, which forces human beings to heighten their working capabilities. The fourth characteristic of human nature is self-interest. Every human acts toward life issues from their point of view (Zoeller et al., 2021). The fifth characteristic of human nature is ignorance, which can be defined as the tendency of human beings to act upon incomplete information. The sixth characteristic of human nature is vanity, which can be defined as the ego that triggers human beings to hold high expectations in their lives. However, most of the expectations are never achieved.
What Authors Say about Human Nature
Plato explored the concept of human nature and developed the theory of human nature. According to the idea of human nature, a human being is characterized by the soul and the body. Plato argues that the soul exists before a person is born and continues to exist even after death. He also urged that the soul is responsible for knowing the issues that affect human life and directs people towards tackling the issues that affect them (O’Connell, 2021). The soul is further divided into three sections; reason, appetite, and will. These three sections constitute the behavioral and thinking patterns humans adapt throughout their lives. The soul of a human being enables them to make decisions in society. For instance, human beings make decisions about their political well-being and participate in the politics of their culture. According to Plato, human beings can rely on their reasoning power to overcome appetite and any other vice that can ruin their peaceful living in the community. Therefore, human beings define their communities by thinking patterns and perceiving the issues affecting public lives.
Rousseau Jean Jacques believed that human beings are naturally good, but their goodness is corrupted by the society they live in and the interactions they have with nature. According to Rousseau, humans have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other creatures. Human freedom and perfection are the two main characteristics that distinguish human beings from other animals (Reisert, 2018). Due to the characteristic of human freedom, human beings can participate in political issues and be perfect in their choice of leaders. However, society renders them unreliable by corrupting their way of thinking and forcing them to join in morally-unacceptable behaviors.
Additionally, Jacques developed the social contract theory, which argues that the freedom and independence of human beings enable them to participate in matters that determine the status of society. The social contract theory also argues that human beings are oppressed and depend on each other for survival. The social contract theory also suggests that a human being’s freedom depends on the government and can be denied at any time depending on the laws set to govern a particular society.
In Solinger Rickie’s case, he explained about the sensitive issue of women’s perception in modern society and the challenges they face. In particular, the book by Solinger dwells heavily on the subject of adoption (Solinger, 2019). In the mid-20th Century, pregnant women of the low economic class were forced to allow their newly born children to be adopted by the wealthy class. This act disadvantaged the less privileged class of women and denied them the right to become parents or exercise motherhood. The politics of motherhood were used to deny some people in society their right to become mothers. The book advocated for the community to have equal motherhood rights and privileges, allowing even the less privileged to enjoy them.
While Rickie focused on people’s liberty, Mill John Stuart concentrated on the freedom needed in society to enable the people to live in harmony and without fear of intimidation. Human nature prevails in a society where the people have freedom of expression and the ability to make conclusive decisions about issues that affect their well-being. Mill John Stuart argued that a society that denies its people freedom is not free. Humans delight in freedom and independence and achieve greatness when the two virtues are exercised (Niesen, 2019). According to the arguments by Mill, everyone in society should pursue their good but should not interfere with the rights set for others. Our pursuit for better lives in the community should be based on protecting others and ensuring they thoroughly enjoy the rights established for them by nature and the society around them.
Nevertheless, Calllenbach Ernest exhaustively described the fact and fiction concepts that determine the ability of human beings to adopt alternative ways of coping with issues that affect their lives. Human nature equips people with the ability to overcome challenges that affect their lives by devising alternative and reliable methods of doing things (Lohmann, 2018). People live in the ecosystem because of the ability to regenerate and develop alternative techniques for coping with undesirable living conditions. Ecotopia is written about the future, depending on the issues currently affecting the people. The sentiments made by the writing on Ecotopia are reliable for human nature because they emphasize the need for tolerance and hope for a better future.
My position in this discussion is that modern society is controlled and run by decisions made by the people. To maintain peace and harmony among the people, there must be leaders who direct the other people and decide on what should be done to achieve the common goal of living. As a result, politics play a crucial role in determining the well-being of the people and the societies they live in and interact with nature. Political leadership reigns in every community and is controlled by human nature because all the decisions and actions taken must comply with the practices acceptable to human nature. Human nature lays the foundation of all courses that humans engage in and sets the limits of techniques to avoid harming some groups of people in modern society. The various scholars and philosophers who researched and wrote about human nature identified some methods that do not conform to the concept of human nature. They also shed light on the expected interactions and norms that humans must adapt to promote sanity among themselves.
Human nature is an important and relevant aspect of modern society. Human nature determines the well-being of the people because it defines human beings’ practices and the skills needed for a better life. Human nature plays various roles in defining the status of society and how people relate and interact with nature. First, human nature plays a crucial role in defining the stability of society. Community is strengthened by the politics adopted by the people, which is determined by the ability of the people to make informed decisions (Kurek, 2019). Making informed decisions has been sentimental in establishing peaceful societies that observe human rights for various groups of people.
Secondly, human nature determines the desires that human beings need. People live in harmony because of the ability to understand what other people desire and wish to achieve in life. The ability to know what each other person wants enables all the people to live peacefully and harmoniously. Thirdly, human nature explores how humans should react to issues that affect their everyday lives, whether positive or negative (Kurek, 2019). In times of chaos and hard times, human nature triggers the people to make decisions channeled towards establishing peace and ensuring the well-being of the people is protected. Peace in society is established when reliable choices are made by the people affected by chaos or conflicts.
During hard times, human beings are also expected to make decisions to enable them to come out of the complex and trying moments. All human beings can make decisions through abilities that might vary from one person to another. However, the decision-making process by human beings confirms the existence of human nature and its importance. Fourthly, human nature distinguishes human beings from other creatures. Other creatures do not have the freedom to make decisions and do not have freedom and independence (Kurek, 2019). However, human beings require freedom and independence to live well in society. Without liberty and independence, it would be impossible for humanity to accommodate all the people because it would be characterized by chaos and struggles. Human beings thrive in communities where freedom and independence are guaranteed and exercised. As a result, the fight for freedom and independence has become a norm among many human beings. Generally, human nature, such as decision-making and liberty, remains relevant and essential for their existence.
Inconclusively, numerous human concepts determine the nature and lives of human beings. One of the leading human concepts is human nature. Human nature explores the psychological nature of the people and how they interact with the natural system. Human nature defines life and equips people with reliable skills and knowledge on relating to character and others to live peacefully in modern society. Numerous scholars and psychologists have written about human nature in the light of how it affects life. The various authors condemn the vices practiced in contemporary society and advocate for alternative and more reliable ways of keeping the organizations in harmony and peace.
References
Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2020). Social psychology and human nature. Cengage Learning.
Kurek, J. (Ed.). (2019). Alkaloids: Their importance in Nature and Human life. BoD–Books on Demand.
Lohmann, R. I. (2018). Fiction in Fact: Ernest Callenbach’s Ecotopia and the Creation of a Green Culture with Anthropological Ingredients. Anthropology and Humanism, 43(2), 178-195.
Niesen, P. (2019). Speech, truth, and liberty: Bentham to John Stuart Mill. Journal of Bentham Studies, 18(1), 1-19.
O’Connell, R. J. (2021). Plato on the human paradox. In Plato on the Human Paradox. Fordham University Press.
Reisert, J. (2018). Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Cornell University Press.
Solinger, R. (2019). Pregnancy and power. In Pregnancy and Power, Revised Edition. New York University Press.
Zoeller, K. C., Gurney, G. G., Marshall, N., & Cumming, G. S. (2021). The role of socio-demographic characteristics in mediating relationships between people and nature. Ecology and Society, 26, 20-43.