In class you gave these answers. Elaborate and discuss them here.
* to leave a legacy
* to think in order to act
* learning
* social
*selfish
* self-preservation
* aiming to please
* self-actualization of human potential
I believe human nature is a combination of several things mentioned in class. I think some of these ideas have overlapping meanings that should be considered one definition of human nature. I believe human nature is both self-preservation and aiming to please or seeking acceptance. In order for a human to self-preserve they must recognize the human potential and continue to learn new things everyday so that self-preservation is possible. I do think that human nature is also aiming to please or seeking acceptance. This is because humans are social beings. We interact and react to other human beings and this is how we learn new things and is what allows us to self-preserve. Having social interactions with other humans is also what gives us feedback on our actions and behaviors. It is also what satisfies our desires to please and be accepted. I believe that this feedback we receive plays a big role in how we react and choose to behave in the future.
I think that Human Nature is based on many things. I think at our most basic level we are very instinctual and habitual. We do things in order to survive ie. eat, sleep, work, etc. On a more deeper level we are beings who need to build relationships and mean something to others. We are motivated by success, in business, in love, in friendships, etc. To say that human nature is only based on one thing is limiting and simplifying our humanity, when in all reality we are very complex beings. That is why in class we came up with some many answers to what human nature is essentially.
I agree with Michelle, in fact, I feel that human nature is a combination of all the answers given above. In class, we discussed how the ultimate goal of humans is to be happy. Thus, I feel that human nature consists of anything needed in our pursuit of happiness. Whether it be a need to feel accepted, to reach our full potential, or to gain immense knowledge, whatever it takes for us to be happy can be considered human nature. This is why some may argue that human nature can be evil because this pursuit of happiness can cause one to make immoral decisions in order to achieve happiness. All humans desire happiness, however, our uniqueness is stemmed from how we wish to achieve this happiness. Therefore, we all possess the same human nature of desiring happiness, but our means of finding happiness creates some diversity within our nature.
Like many others have stated, human nature seems to be a combination of the terms listed above. As the Palmer book showed us, there are multiple interpretations of human nature made by multiple famous men and women, who know far more then myself. Despite the fact that many similarities have been made, there is no true definition held by everyone about what and who we as humans are. As stated by Palmer, “The Ancient Greeks were right – we humans are the philosophical animal. It is good to think, and it is necessary to try to figure out who we are, even if our tentative answers are challenged on all sides” (Palmer 12). While there will always be differing opinions about human nature, I see human beings as creatures that are meant to learn and adapt throughout life. The ultimate purpose of this growth and adaptation is to prepare for death and, I believe, eternal life after this with God. Based on how well we have learned and put that learning to use through action, we will either be content with our well spent lives or look back in dismay. As Aristotle pointed out, ‘“…if a man on his deathbed looks back over his time on earth and says, ‘I have wasted my life,’ no greater misfortune can be imagined”’(Palmer 50). I believe that human nature is essentially learning and subsequent adaption to that learning, so that one can be prepared for death by living a well-spent life.
I said in class that human nature is essentially to please ourselves and/or others. We please ourselves in self-preservation and we please others by learning what is right and acting accordingly. We also please others and ourselves by leaving a legacy. We generally have a desire to do what is socially acceptable but sometimes we act selfishly because we are trying to please ourselves above others. We also think of ways to satisfy our needs and the needs of others. The trend in all of this is that human nature is essentially driven by this pleasing factor. I know some people say they don’t care what others think and that may be true but they do care at least about themselves and their own personal happiness. I feel that by aiming to please God, yourself, and/or others you are coinciding with human nature.
It seems that human nature is to humans to find meaning in life. For some that meaning is for the future to have the best possible circumstances while others try to indulge in the present life without regard for future generations. In general it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly humans are trying to strive for. We can see that some people have selfish motives when we see those that indulge in life. To a certain extent those striving for self-preservation through an offspring are also selfish because they are merely motivated by pride and not by others. On the other hand there are those that devote their entire lives to helping others. We see that people that sacrifice their comfortable lifestyle in order to help the impoverished and we see people that spend their lives devoted to religion in order to convert people so they may be saved in the afterlife. It is therefore difficult to pinpoint exactly what human nature is. I suppose that each person has a specific human nature which is developed based on genetics, the environment raised, and the events that helped to shape their current lives.
By nature human beings are complex and our humanity cannot be simplified using one word adjectives. I think that Michelle and Kyle are right and that our humanity consists of a combination of the answers mentioned in class. I think that most people think about what they are leaving behind and the lives they have impacted. I think that humans are social beings and only want to seek acceptance and this leads to self-preservation as Michelle stated. We aim to please people as we live and our actions and behaviors are controlled by what we think others will think about us. We try to please ourselves, God, and those close to us and this is a major part of human nature that leads to self-preservation and self-actualization.
I believe that human nature is a combination of all these things, like it was said above. Peopple want to acheive and do great things in life, but some people do this for selfish reasons. Others do it to make their parents proud or they want to help people. I think that we all need to meet our basic needs but for some people this is not possible. I feel like the people that have the least, are the people that are the least selfish. Most of the time they are very appreciative of everything that they recieve whereas people that have everything only want more. Enough is never enough for them. They will do pretty much anything to get more money. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
I agree with Michelle and Anthony. Human nature is about "learning" and "find[ing] meaning" but it is more precise than that. To be human is to be inquisitive. People ask questions. Many philosophers agree that what seperates us from animals is our intellect. Animals can be trained, but humans have the ability to think and analyze the information presented in a situation. That is why human beings discovered fire, not rabbits or fish. Animals work on instinct and survival techniques. However, they can only look around them and make due with what is right in front of them. Humans can imagine and conceptualize things that allow them to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.
I think that at first Human nature was primal instincts such as eating, sleeping and reproducing. But I also think that over time as we have evolved from limited forms of humans to forms of humans which encompass all the traits in the list above. We have gone from just accepting that the sky is blue to asking why the sky is blue. I have to agree with Nicole when she says that animals have the ability to be trained, but humans have the ability to analyze information. To say that human nature is based on only one or a few things really limits us. Humans are so complicated as it is and essentially we are not an easy species to study.
I believe that human nature is all about learning from ones mistakes and bettering oneself. I believe that individuals make mistakes in their lives and reflect on what they can do next time in a similar situation to better themselves. Also by learning from ones mistakes you can help other individuals better themselves by encouraging them to reflect on their mistakes that they have made in life.
As many people have already said, human nature is very complex. It is not easily simplified into a few words. I would like to believe that human nature is essentially good. To be good, to do what is good, to know what is good, to teach what is good, and so on. However, from the western religious standpoint, human nature is essentially sinful, and we become better by willing control of our sinful impulses. From the eastern religious standpoint, human nature is essentially ignorant, and we become better by becoming more enlightened. But again, human nature is super complex. Different aspects of human nature might also be dependent on certain situations or environments.
Time after time I hear people say “it’s just in their nature” but what does that really mean? I feel like human nature is what we are made up of. It defines who we are as people and as individuals. Once we die we want people to remember us for the good things that we did while we were living. We like to be recognized by others and like to please people. We like to know that we have the potential to change ourselves and possibly the world.
Human Nature is the "the psychological and social qualities that characterize humankind, especially in contrast with other living things" according to the dictionary. The psychological and social qualities now become the hard things to define. And I think everyone has mentioned everything I think should be considered to be part of these qualities. If you focus on the part of the definition that says "in contrast with other things," the qualities exclusive to humans can be reduced. While human nature is still very complex, human nature compared to the nature of all other life seems to be different by our ability to reason. Plato believed that this ability to reason is caused by the spirited part of our soul. What affects our reasoning may vary, but our reasoning will cause our inclinations and fulfillment of actions. I think another important part of human nature that may be found in only humans is morality. Many humans care about what is right and wrong. This could be caused by human nature, but can also be caused by upbringing, fear of God or sense of social responsibility.
I stated human nature to be essentially social due to the fact that if you are asked to sum up all that makes people human and the biggest influence upon which people make decisions it is predominanly social. People as a whole decide what is socialy acceptable and whether people care to admitit or not, everyone is influenced by society in some way. Whether we are affected only by our close family or share the ideas of mainstream society everyone is affected. Therefore though I agree every person seeks happiness but society has the potential to impead that happiness so in some ways people act in ways that favor social acceptablity to achieve the happiness we all crave.
I believe that human nature is essentially social, self-preserving, and generally self-actualization. Social for the mere fact that humans are social beings, whether it's for the underlying fact of acceptance, popularity, family ties, bonding, etc, either way, it is rare to find a person who does NOT WANT human contact. A counter case for this could be an individual who has Autism. He/she may not be able to have contact in certain cases, however, he/she as far as anyone knows, wants the contact but unable to process the contact. I state that human nature is self-preserving for we all strive to stay alive, treat ourselves the best as possible, and to reproduce so that our names may continue on as well as our traditions. I also stated that human nature, finally and generally is in the process to self-actualization. People generally are trying to acheive the highest goal possible to discover what realms they can possibly reach and to figure out who they truly are. There are however, some people who have absolutely no ambitions to succeed wiht this human nature, but gernerally speaking, with the right upbringing and encouragement an individual strives for these goals.
In the list of qualities here, I think that only learning, being social, and self preservation are innate human qualities. I think that man has many innate drives and instincts and all of them are present unconsciously. In order to define human nature I don't think that we can use ourselves as examples and decide what we need in our lives. It is too difficult to look back at our lives and segregate qualities and events that we could not live without or could live without. In order to define human nature we have to think of a different situation. For example, if a baby were born and raised in the woods compared to a child raised by wealthy parents in a good neighborhood. Even though they were raised totally differently, what would they have in common? What about their personalities and drives would be the same?
I think the most primary characteristic of human nature is self preservation. At the beginning of life we search for food which is our form of survival. These instincts are not consciously recognized. I think that the human mind unconsciously tells the body to do what is needed to survive. Human Nature is the product of these innate drives. The primary survival needs like water, air, food and sleep are the most basic, but the most important. All other characteristics are secondary to this because without survival there could be no other. This goes along with the need for protection, because that is maintaining your survival. After this I think that it is in our nature to be social. Even a baby that was born and raised in the woods would not be alone. It would have contact of some sort. Certainly it would not be the same as the wealthy child, but there would be socialization. I do not think that people would be able to function without and contact with other beings. They need to have belonging, love and affection. While these needs are not as basic as the need for survival, people still need companionship and acceptance. It is an innate human nature to learn as well. This is also something that don't realize we do. From the time that we are born we begin to learn, even before we have developed and higher form of education.
I don't think that leaving a legacy or aiming to please are in our human nature. I think that these moral things learned by society and necessary for some. There are people who could go about their daily lives and be happy and never worry about who might remember them when they are gone. It is also nice that some people always aim to please, but it is true that some do not. I agree that the majority of people possess these qualities. However, in order to be human nature they must be unconscious and pertain to everyone, and these qualities do not.
I thought I posted on this after we had this discussion in class, but I guess not. I remember I stated that Human nature is essentially success driven. I still want to go with this because I believe everything and everyone in life are success driven. One may say well what about a person who is just on drugs and never wants to do anything. My answer would be that their success is getting their next high. This may not be a good success, but a success for them nevertheless. I know for me personally I am always trying to succeed with everything in life. Sometimes attaining success isn’t always the best thing though. Sometimes people “stab someone in the back” in order to get their success or people may pull a race card or sex card in order to get something. I do agree though there are other things that can be combines, such as Kyle said the pursuit of happiness, which ties into success. Because people once they succeed are ultimately happy that they succeeded. There are occurrences like I said that people may not be happy because they went behind a friends or co-workers back in order to get their success. They might feel guilty at first but in the end I feel as if they are happy.
I believe human nature is a combination of several things mentioned in class. I think some of these ideas have overlapping meanings that should be considered one definition of human nature. I believe human nature is both self-preservation and aiming to please or seeking acceptance. In order for a human to self-preserve they must recognize the human potential and continue to learn new things everyday so that self-preservation is possible. I do think that human nature is also aiming to please or seeking acceptance. This is because humans are social beings. We interact and react to other human beings and this is how we learn new things and is what allows us to self-preserve. Having social interactions with other humans is also what gives us feedback on our actions and behaviors. It is also what satisfies our desires to please and be accepted. I believe that this feedback we receive plays a big role in how we react and choose to behave in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that Human Nature is based on many things. I think at our most basic level we are very instinctual and habitual. We do things in order to survive ie. eat, sleep, work, etc. On a more deeper level we are beings who need to build relationships and mean something to others. We are motivated by success, in business, in love, in friendships, etc. To say that human nature is only based on one thing is limiting and simplifying our humanity, when in all reality we are very complex beings. That is why in class we came up with some many answers to what human nature is essentially.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michelle, in fact, I feel that human nature is a combination of all the answers given above. In class, we discussed how the ultimate goal of humans is to be happy. Thus, I feel that human nature consists of anything needed in our pursuit of happiness. Whether it be a need to feel accepted, to reach our full potential, or to gain immense knowledge, whatever it takes for us to be happy can be considered human nature. This is why some may argue that human nature can be evil because this pursuit of happiness can cause one to make immoral decisions in order to achieve happiness. All humans desire happiness, however, our uniqueness is stemmed from how we wish to achieve this happiness. Therefore, we all possess the same human nature of desiring happiness, but our means of finding happiness creates some diversity within our nature.
ReplyDeleteLike many others have stated, human nature seems to be a combination of the terms listed above. As the Palmer book showed us, there are multiple interpretations of human nature made by multiple famous men and women, who know far more then myself. Despite the fact that many similarities have been made, there is no true definition held by everyone about what and who we as humans are. As stated by Palmer, “The Ancient Greeks were right – we humans are the philosophical animal. It is good to think, and it is necessary to try to figure out who we are, even if our tentative answers are challenged on all sides” (Palmer 12). While there will always be differing opinions about human nature, I see human beings as creatures that are meant to learn and adapt throughout life. The ultimate purpose of this growth and adaptation is to prepare for death and, I believe, eternal life after this with God. Based on how well we have learned and put that learning to use through action, we will either be content with our well spent lives or look back in dismay. As Aristotle pointed out, ‘“…if a man on his deathbed looks back over his time on earth and says, ‘I have wasted my life,’ no greater misfortune can be imagined”’(Palmer 50). I believe that human nature is essentially learning and subsequent adaption to that learning, so that one can be prepared for death by living a well-spent life.
ReplyDeleteI said in class that human nature is essentially to please ourselves and/or others. We please ourselves in self-preservation and we please others by learning what is right and acting accordingly. We also please others and ourselves by leaving a legacy. We generally have a desire to do what is socially acceptable but sometimes we act selfishly because we are trying to please ourselves above others. We also think of ways to satisfy our needs and the needs of others. The trend in all of this is that human nature is essentially driven by this pleasing factor. I know some people say they don’t care what others think and that may be true but they do care at least about themselves and their own personal happiness. I feel that by aiming to please God, yourself, and/or others you are coinciding with human nature.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that human nature is to humans to find meaning in life. For some that meaning is for the future to have the best possible circumstances while others try to indulge in the present life without regard for future generations. In general it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly humans are trying to strive for. We can see that some people have selfish motives when we see those that indulge in life. To a certain extent those striving for self-preservation through an offspring are also selfish because they are merely motivated by pride and not by others.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand there are those that devote their entire lives to helping others. We see that people that sacrifice their comfortable lifestyle in order to help the impoverished and we see people that spend their lives devoted to religion in order to convert people so they may be saved in the afterlife.
It is therefore difficult to pinpoint exactly what human nature is. I suppose that each person has a specific human nature which is developed based on genetics, the environment raised, and the events that helped to shape their current lives.
By nature human beings are complex and our humanity cannot be simplified using one word adjectives. I think that Michelle and Kyle are right and that our humanity consists of a combination of the answers mentioned in class. I think that most people think about what they are leaving behind and the lives they have impacted. I think that humans are social beings and only want to seek acceptance and this leads to self-preservation as Michelle stated. We aim to please people as we live and our actions and behaviors are controlled by what we think others will think about us. We try to please ourselves, God, and those close to us and this is a major part of human nature that leads to self-preservation and self-actualization.
ReplyDeleteI believe that human nature is a combination of all these things, like it was said above. Peopple want to acheive and do great things in life, but some people do this for selfish reasons. Others do it to make their parents proud or they want to help people. I think that we all need to meet our basic needs but for some people this is not possible. I feel like the people that have the least, are the people that are the least selfish. Most of the time they are very appreciative of everything that they recieve whereas people that have everything only want more. Enough is never enough for them. They will do pretty much anything to get more money. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michelle and Anthony. Human nature is about "learning" and "find[ing] meaning" but it is more precise than that. To be human is to be inquisitive. People ask questions. Many philosophers agree that what seperates us from animals is our intellect. Animals can be trained, but humans have the ability to think and analyze the information presented in a situation. That is why human beings discovered fire, not rabbits or fish. Animals work on instinct and survival techniques. However, they can only look around them and make due with what is right in front of them. Humans can imagine and conceptualize things that allow them to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.
ReplyDeleteI think that at first Human nature was primal instincts such as eating, sleeping and reproducing. But I also think that over time as we have evolved from limited forms of humans to forms of humans which encompass all the traits in the list above. We have gone from just accepting that the sky is blue to asking why the sky is blue. I have to agree with Nicole when she says that animals have the ability to be trained, but humans have the ability to analyze information. To say that human nature is based on only one or a few things really limits us. Humans are so complicated as it is and essentially we are not an easy species to study.
ReplyDeleteI believe that human nature is all about learning from ones mistakes and bettering oneself. I believe that individuals make mistakes in their lives and reflect on what they can do next time in a similar situation to better themselves. Also by learning from ones mistakes you can help other individuals better themselves by encouraging them to reflect on their mistakes that they have made in life.
ReplyDeleteAs many people have already said, human nature is very complex. It is not easily simplified into a few words. I would like to believe that human nature is essentially good. To be good, to do what is good, to know what is good, to teach what is good, and so on. However, from the western religious standpoint, human nature is essentially sinful, and we become better by willing control of our sinful impulses. From the eastern religious standpoint, human nature is essentially ignorant, and we become better by becoming more enlightened. But again, human nature is super complex. Different aspects of human nature might also be dependent on certain situations or environments.
ReplyDeleteTime after time I hear people say “it’s just in their nature” but what does that really mean? I feel like human nature is what we are made up of. It defines who we are as people and as individuals. Once we die we want people to remember us for the good things that we did while we were living. We like to be recognized by others and like to please people. We like to know that we have the potential to change ourselves and possibly the world.
ReplyDeleteHuman Nature is the "the psychological and social qualities that characterize humankind, especially in contrast with other living things" according to the dictionary. The psychological and social qualities now become the hard things to define. And I think everyone has mentioned everything I think should be considered to be part of these qualities. If you focus on the part of the definition that says "in contrast with other things," the qualities exclusive to humans can be reduced. While human nature is still very complex, human nature compared to the nature of all other life seems to be different by our ability to reason. Plato believed that this ability to reason is caused by the spirited part of our soul. What affects our reasoning may vary, but our reasoning will cause our inclinations and fulfillment of actions. I think another important part of human nature that may be found in only humans is morality. Many humans care about what is right and wrong. This could be caused by human nature, but can also be caused by upbringing, fear of God or sense of social responsibility.
ReplyDeleteI stated human nature to be essentially social due to the fact that if you are asked to sum up all that makes people human and the biggest influence upon which people make decisions it is predominanly social. People as a whole decide what is socialy acceptable and whether people care to admitit or not, everyone is influenced by society in some way. Whether we are affected only by our close family or share the ideas of mainstream society everyone is affected. Therefore though I agree every person seeks happiness but society has the potential to impead that happiness so in some ways people act in ways that favor social acceptablity to achieve the happiness we all crave.
ReplyDeleteI believe that human nature is essentially social, self-preserving, and generally self-actualization. Social for the mere fact that humans are social beings, whether it's for the underlying fact of acceptance, popularity, family ties, bonding, etc, either way, it is rare to find a person who does NOT WANT human contact. A counter case for this could be an individual who has Autism. He/she may not be able to have contact in certain cases, however, he/she as far as anyone knows, wants the contact but unable to process the contact. I state that human nature is self-preserving for we all strive to stay alive, treat ourselves the best as possible, and to reproduce so that our names may continue on as well as our traditions. I also stated that human nature, finally and generally is in the process to self-actualization. People generally are trying to acheive the highest goal possible to discover what realms they can possibly reach and to figure out who they truly are. There are however, some people who have absolutely no ambitions to succeed wiht this human nature, but gernerally speaking, with the right upbringing and encouragement an individual strives for these goals.
ReplyDeleteIn the list of qualities here, I think that only learning, being social, and self preservation are innate human qualities. I think that man has many innate drives and instincts and all of them are present unconsciously. In order to define human nature I don't think that we can use ourselves as examples and decide what we need in our lives. It is too difficult to look back at our lives and segregate qualities and events that we could not live without or could live without. In order to define human nature we have to think of a different situation. For example, if a baby were born and raised in the woods compared to a child raised by wealthy parents in a good neighborhood. Even though they were raised totally differently, what would they have in common? What about their personalities and drives would be the same?
ReplyDeleteI think the most primary characteristic of human nature is self preservation. At the beginning of life we search for food which is our form of survival. These instincts are not consciously recognized. I think that the human mind unconsciously tells the body to do what is needed to survive. Human Nature is the product of these innate drives. The primary survival needs like water, air, food and sleep are the most basic, but the most important. All other characteristics are secondary to this because without survival there could be no other. This goes along with the need for protection, because that is maintaining your survival. After this I think that it is in our nature to be social. Even a baby that was born and raised in the woods would not be alone. It would have contact of some sort. Certainly it would not be the same as the wealthy child, but there would be socialization. I do not think that people would be able to function without and contact with other beings. They need to have belonging, love and affection. While these needs are not as basic as the need for survival, people still need companionship and acceptance. It is an innate human nature to learn as well. This is also something that don't realize we do. From the time that we are born we begin to learn, even before we have developed and higher form of education.
I don't think that leaving a legacy or aiming to please are in our human nature. I think that these moral things learned by society and necessary for some. There are people who could go about their daily lives and be happy and never worry about who might remember them when they are gone. It is also nice that some people always aim to please, but it is true that some do not. I agree that the majority of people possess these qualities. However, in order to be human nature they must be unconscious and pertain to everyone, and these qualities do not.
I thought I posted on this after we had this discussion in class, but I guess not. I remember I stated that Human nature is essentially success driven. I still want to go with this because I believe everything and everyone in life are success driven. One may say well what about a person who is just on drugs and never wants to do anything. My answer would be that their success is getting their next high. This may not be a good success, but a success for them nevertheless. I know for me personally I am always trying to succeed with everything in life. Sometimes attaining success isn’t always the best thing though. Sometimes people “stab someone in the back” in order to get their success or people may pull a race card or sex card in order to get something. I do agree though there are other things that can be combines, such as Kyle said the pursuit of happiness, which ties into success. Because people once they succeed are ultimately happy that they succeeded. There are occurrences like I said that people may not be happy because they went behind a friends or co-workers back in order to get their success. They might feel guilty at first but in the end I feel as if they are happy.
ReplyDelete