Good versus evil, light versus dark, right versus wrong. These are the battles frequently fought in life and the world. Good can mean morally excellent, virtuous, or righteous. Evil is morally wrong, or bad. “Morally” is the repeated phrase in both definitions. When a person is born, their morals are defined by the society around them and develops as they develop in life. These morals are questioned quite frequently as their true nature within man seems to differ from society to society. These questions plague man and created years of study into the instinctive nature of mankind. The questions are not limited to time or location, but are timeless and ever expanding between cultures and to every corner of the earth. English philosopher Thomas
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Hobbes claims that men begin their lives on a level playing field, but not necessarily all at the same skill levels. A man who is faster will likely face opposition from a man who is smarter (Hobbes 95). When these two men come to a quarrel, they will go about the dispute in different ways whether through blunt force or through the alliance of fellow men (Hobbes 95). A man will prepare himself to face unknown dangers by travelling in pairs, securing his surroundings, and ensuring that he is well equipped to face any troubles he may encounter along the way (Hobbes 97). Even with the implementation of structure and rules to govern man he still ensures that he is prepared because he knows that man is not governed by society but instead to his internal, instinctive practice (Hobbes 97). Even against closest peers, family, neighbors, and servants, he ensures his property is secure and that he is not at risk (Hobbes 97). The rule of law should serve to maintain order and tranquility amongst men, but this requires man to submit to its rulings. Man’s nature is to overcome and defeat its challenges providing the rule of law only partial control until man is pushed, then laws are ignored and instinct will take …show more content…
Mencius claims that much like water, human nature can be twisted and manipulated into to perform acts and behave in ways that it normally would not (79). Mencius also states that there are many different moral characters within a man, and that each one is responsible for the way that he behaves or acts that are created within a man and then nurtured and formed through life’s experience (80). In times of good, men act as they should and exist happily amongst each other, but with the rise of wars and violence, they transition to be evil and destructive (Mencius 80). All of the men begin life with the same chances and opportunities to arise into whatever it is they wish to become, but much like a farmers field, the men grow and develop differently depending on the situations they experience (Mencius 81). Much like any person, animal, or plant, mankind will all face different challenges to define who they are and what they do, but at a bare primal level, men will act in the instinctual way that is imbued in them. As Hobbes claims, the experiences will shape them, but their problem solutions will come from the way that they intuitively react (98). If a decision is to be made, it will still be made with the basis of defeating competition, defending oneself or territory, or for the pride of defeating
Hobbes claims that men begin their lives on a level playing field, but not necessarily all at the same skill levels. A man who is faster will likely face opposition from a man who is smarter (Hobbes 95). When these two men come to a quarrel, they will go about the dispute in different ways whether through blunt force or through the alliance of fellow men (Hobbes 95). A man will prepare himself to face unknown dangers by travelling in pairs, securing his surroundings, and ensuring that he is well equipped to face any troubles he may encounter along the way (Hobbes 97). Even with the implementation of structure and rules to govern man he still ensures that he is prepared because he knows that man is not governed by society but instead to his internal, instinctive practice (Hobbes 97). Even against closest peers, family, neighbors, and servants, he ensures his property is secure and that he is not at risk (Hobbes 97). The rule of law should serve to maintain order and tranquility amongst men, but this requires man to submit to its rulings. Man’s nature is to overcome and defeat its challenges providing the rule of law only partial control until man is pushed, then laws are ignored and instinct will take …show more content…
Mencius claims that much like water, human nature can be twisted and manipulated into to perform acts and behave in ways that it normally would not (79). Mencius also states that there are many different moral characters within a man, and that each one is responsible for the way that he behaves or acts that are created within a man and then nurtured and formed through life’s experience (80). In times of good, men act as they should and exist happily amongst each other, but with the rise of wars and violence, they transition to be evil and destructive (Mencius 80). All of the men begin life with the same chances and opportunities to arise into whatever it is they wish to become, but much like a farmers field, the men grow and develop differently depending on the situations they experience (Mencius 81). Much like any person, animal, or plant, mankind will all face different challenges to define who they are and what they do, but at a bare primal level, men will act in the instinctual way that is imbued in them. As Hobbes claims, the experiences will shape them, but their problem solutions will come from the way that they intuitively react (98). If a decision is to be made, it will still be made with the basis of defeating competition, defending oneself or territory, or for the pride of defeating