Mankind 's Nature
Many ponder on the idea whether mankind 's human nature is inherently good or evil. With philosophers and theorist having had devised theories to prove their thoughts and opinions over this matter, human nature in regards to being innately good or evil, is still up for debate. Two famous Chinese philosophers from 300 B.C.E., Meng Tzu and Hsun Tzu, proposed two distinct ideas pertaining to mankind 's human nature. Meng Tzu, in his excerpt "Man 's Nature is Good," drawn from chapter twenty-one from his work Meniscuis, argued that people are innately born as genuinely, good people who are capable of no harm. On the other hand, in Hzun Tzu 's essay "Man 's Nature is Evil," he argued that we are all essentially immoral, …show more content…
In the sense of human nature, he infers that we are all the same.
His support for the counterargument in which why evil people exist today can be explained through his observations of water’s nature. Meng Tzu states that water is “responding to the forces around it. It’s like that for people too: you can make them evil, but that says nothing of human nature” (P.79) Meng Tzu proclaims that outside forces shape us into being evil but that doesn 't mean that we were born evil. He attempts to make the point that water doesn’t go against nature, (I don 't think that this part is necessary); water only responds to its surrounding environment and forces that act upon it. Although he touches upon an interesting topic about the influence in regards to the environment we live in, his overall argument was not too convincing. Mankind’s human nature and water are two completely different …show more content…
Hzun Tzu states that we are "born with feelings of envy and hate" and that if we indulge in these characteristics, we will ultimately reinforce the insipidus and selfish beings that mankind naturally is. He states that “If men have no teachers to instruct them, they will be more inclined towards evil” (P.85). He believes that without providing teachers, mentors, or some sort of restraint to our human nature, we cannot control our human nature. What comes as natural can not be easily molded. That is why the need to constantly cultivate an environment the enforces people to do the right thing all the time is necessary. Charles Darwin in his excerpt "From Natural Selection; or, the Survival of the Fittest," the biology behind human instincts and behaviors explained in Darwin 's essay, further supported that human nature is evil. Natural selection, as Darwin puts it, is “ those which do survive, the best adapted individuals,...,will tend to propagate their kind in larger numbers than the less well adapted” (P.320). We are more inclined to care for ourselves. The nature of being selfish has been instilled in us for generations. The need to survive and flourish is part of our primitive nature. Being morally altruistic and performing selfless acts for no gain, will lead to a disadvantage in survival. The weak don’t survive. As brutal as it may
Many ponder on the idea whether mankind 's human nature is inherently good or evil. With philosophers and theorist having had devised theories to prove their thoughts and opinions over this matter, human nature in regards to being innately good or evil, is still up for debate. Two famous Chinese philosophers from 300 B.C.E., Meng Tzu and Hsun Tzu, proposed two distinct ideas pertaining to mankind 's human nature. Meng Tzu, in his excerpt "Man 's Nature is Good," drawn from chapter twenty-one from his work Meniscuis, argued that people are innately born as genuinely, good people who are capable of no harm. On the other hand, in Hzun Tzu 's essay "Man 's Nature is Evil," he argued that we are all essentially immoral, …show more content…
In the sense of human nature, he infers that we are all the same.
His support for the counterargument in which why evil people exist today can be explained through his observations of water’s nature. Meng Tzu states that water is “responding to the forces around it. It’s like that for people too: you can make them evil, but that says nothing of human nature” (P.79) Meng Tzu proclaims that outside forces shape us into being evil but that doesn 't mean that we were born evil. He attempts to make the point that water doesn’t go against nature, (I don 't think that this part is necessary); water only responds to its surrounding environment and forces that act upon it. Although he touches upon an interesting topic about the influence in regards to the environment we live in, his overall argument was not too convincing. Mankind’s human nature and water are two completely different …show more content…
Hzun Tzu states that we are "born with feelings of envy and hate" and that if we indulge in these characteristics, we will ultimately reinforce the insipidus and selfish beings that mankind naturally is. He states that “If men have no teachers to instruct them, they will be more inclined towards evil” (P.85). He believes that without providing teachers, mentors, or some sort of restraint to our human nature, we cannot control our human nature. What comes as natural can not be easily molded. That is why the need to constantly cultivate an environment the enforces people to do the right thing all the time is necessary. Charles Darwin in his excerpt "From Natural Selection; or, the Survival of the Fittest," the biology behind human instincts and behaviors explained in Darwin 's essay, further supported that human nature is evil. Natural selection, as Darwin puts it, is “ those which do survive, the best adapted individuals,...,will tend to propagate their kind in larger numbers than the less well adapted” (P.320). We are more inclined to care for ourselves. The nature of being selfish has been instilled in us for generations. The need to survive and flourish is part of our primitive nature. Being morally altruistic and performing selfless acts for no gain, will lead to a disadvantage in survival. The weak don’t survive. As brutal as it may