MAN IS EVIL BY NATURE! DONE BY: KARISH GOVENDER “Human nature cannot turn back. Once man has left the time of innocence and equality‚ he can never return to it.” (Rousseau as quoted in Franklin) But was humanity ever innocent? Stories were told of the barbaric deeds of humanity-how Asian philosophy talks of Yin and Yang and how it is used to describe how good and evil are connected and in every good person there is a spot of bad. The views of human nature have changed throughout the centuries
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HSUN TZU AND MENCIUS: Their Conflicting Perspectives of Society The Warring States period in China (453-221 BCE) presented a time of great confusion and chaos among the people of China. However‚ it was also a great period for the philosophy of Confucianism‚ with the teachings of Mencius and Hsun Tzu to lead the way for their lost followers. According to Hsun Tzu and Mencius‚ human beings give birth to their children with a sense of an inherent reaction to life. Without proper teaching‚ children
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Written On The nature of man is a subject that dates back centuries‚ though it is one that is still highly debated today. Philosophers‚ sociologists‚ and even sociobiologists have brought evidence leading to various conclusions to the table‚ so the question still stands. Mencius said that man’s nature is good‚ while Hsun Tzu argued from the opposite side. Centuries later‚ John Locke published a theory relating the nature of man to a blank piece of paper‚ stating that man is neutral until he
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Kerri Devine Essay on Human Nature There are two conflicting views on human nature. Chinese scholar Hsun Tzu believed that man’s nature is evil and when man acts “good” it is only the result of what he called “conscious activity.” In the text‚ he describes conscious activity as “the part [of man] that can be acquired by learning and brought to completion by effort.” In other words‚ Hsun Tzu believed that man is naturally selfish‚ and that unless there are rules and principles put in place to guide
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As we continue to discuss and analyze evil in our world today and try to figure what it actually is I se that it is interpreted differently by different individuals. This variation in interpretation causes it to be necessary to come to an understanding of the nature of the problem of evil. Evil is looked at as a problem in our world today because most of us think "how can a thing like evil exist in our world today when is the exact opposite of god and what he has come to stand for". In other words
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The nature of evil is a crucial yet difficult to understand concept. The conundrum of how good people can turn bad is one of the most prominent questions in today’s society. However‚ the word good is to be used lightly as following John Locke’s theory of Tabula Rasa; people aren’t born inherently good or evil thus their morality comes from experience and perception. The privileged like to think that they are all good people and there is a distinct line that separates them from everyone else. However
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2/26/12 The Nature of Man What is the strongest motivation for humans? Is it man’s greedy sense of self-preservation and survival that motivates him? Hobbes would think so. Is it the idea that man is more important than other living creatures on this earth? Is it the acquisition of supreme power that proves his ideas to be right? Does might make right? I think the real question here is what the true nature of man is‚ what is man’s strongest motivation? Is man naturally motivated by evil or good
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For centuries many philosophers‚ as well as most individuals‚ have pondered on the question what is good and what is evil. More-so philosophers of all ages have also stumbled upon a more in depth question which is if the intuitive knowledge of man’s nature is good‚ or if it is evil. Many have claimed to have an answer to these puzzling questions yet most of their answers were found to be incomplete and inadequate at a later date. Religion also tried to provide a solution but to my understanding only
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The Puritans were a very opinionated people. They believed that every person was born evil and could never be good. They believed that good was something that only a chosen few could achieve. I disagree. I believe that all people have some amount of good inside them. I think people are generally good‚ but can become evil due to their surroundings. I don’t think any person wants to be evil. I think it just happens. My first argument against the Puritans’ beliefs has to do with the first responders
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Macbeth explores the nature of evil by the gradual change in the environment and the people within the play. Various factors of individuals‚ society and politics and supernatural themes contribute to the nature of evil. Individuals and Supernatural influences cause Macbeth to become king of Scotland and his reign affects social and political factors. Macbeth was a Scottish general and Thane of Glamis‚ a loyal‚ brave man who turned into a murderer and traitor in order to become King of Scotland
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