What is Human Nature?
Humanity is difficult to define, but Chinese philosophers, Master Kao and Hsun Tzu, seem to have their own understanding about what humanity is. Tzu states that “our nature is born evil and his nature cannot be learned or worked for” (84). Kao states “humans are born as a ‘blank slate’ (neutral) and can be conditioned into either good or evil” (78). I believe as humans we are born with pure intent and can decide if we become benevolent or malicious. Tzu is wrong because he doesn’t understand that environmental factors, such as family, school, and internet, can determine if you become evil or not.
Family environment can a play a key role into determining whether we are evil or not. Hsun Tzu states that either an environment …show more content…
I use to go to a school surrounded by the “projects.” At this school, everything happened from break-ins, to lock downs, to bomb threats, though I did not let it change me for the worse. At this school, I saw people about to have sex (gross by the way), I saw people get arrested, and I saw people stealing from other people. Even though I was surround by this horrible environment, I still remained the person I always was. I didn’t let the “evil” school change me into some rebel girl that broke laws. If Tzu saw the school environment I was surrounded by, he would think I was like the most of the people that went there. Though I was one of the lucky ones, one girl had sex with one of the school officers. Even though we went to the same school, she let the school change her into the type of person to think it is ok to do that. Peers in school environments can change you as well. Sometimes peers can define who you are, but it does not have to be that way. I hung out with the type of people that made bad grades, smoked weed a lot, and had sex with multiple people, but I wasn’t like that. I let my school environment break me out of my shell. I was lucky though, I had a friend that let her peers define her and change her into the type of person that stole other people’s
Humanity is difficult to define, but Chinese philosophers, Master Kao and Hsun Tzu, seem to have their own understanding about what humanity is. Tzu states that “our nature is born evil and his nature cannot be learned or worked for” (84). Kao states “humans are born as a ‘blank slate’ (neutral) and can be conditioned into either good or evil” (78). I believe as humans we are born with pure intent and can decide if we become benevolent or malicious. Tzu is wrong because he doesn’t understand that environmental factors, such as family, school, and internet, can determine if you become evil or not.
Family environment can a play a key role into determining whether we are evil or not. Hsun Tzu states that either an environment …show more content…
I use to go to a school surrounded by the “projects.” At this school, everything happened from break-ins, to lock downs, to bomb threats, though I did not let it change me for the worse. At this school, I saw people about to have sex (gross by the way), I saw people get arrested, and I saw people stealing from other people. Even though I was surround by this horrible environment, I still remained the person I always was. I didn’t let the “evil” school change me into some rebel girl that broke laws. If Tzu saw the school environment I was surrounded by, he would think I was like the most of the people that went there. Though I was one of the lucky ones, one girl had sex with one of the school officers. Even though we went to the same school, she let the school change her into the type of person to think it is ok to do that. Peers in school environments can change you as well. Sometimes peers can define who you are, but it does not have to be that way. I hung out with the type of people that made bad grades, smoked weed a lot, and had sex with multiple people, but I wasn’t like that. I let my school environment break me out of my shell. I was lucky though, I had a friend that let her peers define her and change her into the type of person that stole other people’s