The Nature of Man
Introduction
Is man born instinctually good or evil? The answer to this question has been the subject of much debate amongst the greatest philosophers, with each philosopher developing a theory that supports the nature of man being good or evil. Each theory is based on valid points that seek to explain and prove the opinion of the philosopher. In addition, the conclusions of the majority of the philosophers are biased from the onset of their research; these bias stems from the different religious affiliations that each philosopher holds dear(Hale, 2016). As such, the research and conclusion is aimed at proving the superiority of their beliefs.
Attempting to answer this question raises all sorts of controversies because it involves our own species and the nature of being good or bad is extremely subjective. Human nature is understood to be the belief that humans have common natural instincts and tendencies that dictate their thought process, feelings, and actions. The subjective nature of the human race makes it even harder to unravel this mystery.
In an attempt to answer this question, we have to define good and bad. According to the Webster dictionary, good refers to conduct that is excellent, virtuous, righteous and pious. On the other hand, evil conduct is determined by the moral perceptions of an individual or society. Casting morality into this debate makes the puzzle even harder, because of the diverse nature of morals across the human race.
What is thought of as immoral to one person may be held as ethical to another and vice-versa. The cause of this discrepancy is the different human perceptions, which is part of the intricacy of the humankind. However, I believe that the answer to man being born good or evil lies somewhere in between.
Theories of the Nature of Man
The Pragmatic Theory of Truth, the Devine Command theory and the Correspondence theory hold that human beings are good by their very nature. The pragmatic theory of truth holds that humans are responsible for making their own truths through experience. This theory asserts that man is a creator and creates his own reality through experience and interaction with other human beings and nature.
The divine command theory is founded on the belief of the existence of a supreme being who defines right and wrong; it follows that different cultures around the world have been founded on their opinions of what their supreme being defines to be right or wrong, good or bad. The divine command theory asserts that the Supreme being is naturally good, hence cannot create something that is inherently bad(Hale 2016).
The correspondence theory of truth holds that a belief is true if it agrees with a fact and connects to something in the physical world. Based on the suggestion that something is true as long as its factual and can be related to the physical world. In this regard; God is perceived to be good, and the existence of man on earth is a manifestation of his goodness. Hence, the nature of man is good.
Nature of Human Beings
The nature of a person is a trait that is inherent in all of us. The nature of being good relates to being selfless, kind to everyone and observing morals. On the other hand, the bad nature of human beings relates to being rebellious, selfish and not caring about the welfare of others. A theory by Rousseau is based on the assumption that man is good by nature because it is bequeathed to him, but this good is in a negative light; man is not evil of his own accord and intention, but only in danger of being contaminated and corrupted by evil or inept guides. As such, human beings are born void of any evil, and any evil that comes by is a result of human interaction.
Human nature refers to the patterns and behaviors typical of the human race. One of the major characteristics that all philosophers agree upon is that we are intellectual beings. The meaning of which translates to human beings wielding the ability to reason. It is this ability to reason that forms and shapes our norms of conduct. However, this should not be construed to mean that the ability to reason is uniform across the human race. The ability to reason is not preinstalled at birth. Instead, it is nurtured and informed by many external factors. Some of these factors include the environment, societal morals, and norms, peers and religion.
Factors influencing Nature of Human Beings
Empathy and morality
There is no denying the fact that infants demonstrate selflessness and are attracted to people with such traits. However, as we age the selfless nature in infants is replaced by an individualistic and selfish trait(Baumeister 2017). The lack of empathy and morality in adults is a result of the development of the cognitive areas of the brain responsible for rational thinking, planning and impulse control. As a result the selfless nature does not come naturally because our instincts are meditated by other processes in the brain before being expressed outwardly.
Societal morals and Environment
Human beings are social beings. As such, human beings learn and experience life through this interaction. Every human action is informed by the personal experiences of interaction with the environment and interaction with fellow beings which enables us to form perceptions which inform our approach to each situation or person. The decision to be kind or hostile is often informed by societal morals and the environment. Indeed, we are a product of the environment we were raised in or that we find ourselves in.
Freewill
Freewill is another major factor that influences the nature of human beings. The concept of freewill embodies the inherent power in all human beings to exercise their own will regardless of forces external to him. However, this freewill does not operate in isolation; it is limited to the extent that all choices attract equal consequences. Good actions attract good consequences, while evil actions attract evil consequences. Hence, all decisions that human beings make have to make a compromise on their preferred consequence.
Altruistic Nature of Man
Human nature is not primarily selfish; on the contrary kindness and altruism are the primary instincts innate in all men, the fact that even the youngest children try to be helpful is a testament to this fact(Pfaff 2015).
The view that human beings are naturally evil and selfish is as a result of primary focus on competition and the ruthlessness of natural selection. However, this view fails to appreciate the glaring reality that the human race cannot survive in nature without values such as charity and social reciprocity.
The altruistic nature of man continues to puzzle philosophers and scientists. Attempting to explain the source of altruism in human beings through evolution theory makes no sense because if at all the human race is drive by survival as its primary instinct altruism should not emerge. Yet all of us have helped a stranger at one point in our lives. The economic theory of rational maximization holds that when it comes to money and resources, human beings are bound to act selfishly, yet the existence of charities proves this theory wrong.
Conclusion
Based on my informed reason, the question about the nature of man being evil or good will remain a mystery. The logical explanation to this paradox can be found in the Confucious reasoning, ‘by nature men are similar by practice men are wide apart.’ The meaning of which translates to judging human beings on an individual basis as opposed to attempting to create a compromise based on personal bias.
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