Distinct cultural and behavioral beliefs make up the core values and traditions of East Asian philosophy. Among these unique concepts is the idea of human nature. Traditions, in East Asia and elsewhere, begin and end with the concept, theory, and practice of human nature. The concept of human nature introduces other notions and ideas which outline the thought and action behind that specific culture. East Asian thought, both historically and more modern, describes human nature as a tendential, developmental, and rational concept in nature. The concept of human nature in East Asian thought is individual in the sense that although it is an accepted thought that human nature is developmental, different theorists such as Mencius and Xunzi have slightly …show more content…
Tendencies are not like molecules where although dynamic characteristics are present, its actions and results are fairly fixed. A tendency is much more comparable to a plant. Depending on the level of effort devoted to the plant, the quality of care dedicated, the weather, and the location the plant can either flourish or die out. Although it has the tendency to flourish, the plant cannot grow itself and the farmer as well as the other conditions must form it (Magagna, 2014). East Asian thought then, is an attempt to describe this tendency, or a dynamic possibility. It concentrates on what is changing, but also what is constant. Although it is widely believed that human beings are dynamic in nature and are constantly changing, it is also believed that they will have specific constant elements. There appears to be a more expected pattern of change to go along with the dynamic growth of …show more content…
His beliefs could be throughly summed up by his belief that, “There is no human being lacking in the tendency to do good, just as there is no water lacking in the tendency to flow downward. Now by striking water and splashing it, you may cause it to go over your head, and by damming and channeling it, you can force it to flow uphill. But is this the nature of water? It is the force that makes this happen.” (de Bary, 1999. p. 147). He also had the belief that human nature had, “four beginnings just as they have four limbs.” (de Bary, 1999. p. 129). These four beginnings symbolize a human being’s ability to feel humaneness, rightness, decorum, and wisdom (de Bary, 1999. p. 149). However, despite that the instinct is there, the four beginnings must be developed. To illustrate the point, Mencius proposes a scenario of a child who is about to fall into a well. Because human nature has a tendency to be good, most would rush to save the child. Wealth, status, power, and reputation would be far from the motivation to save this child. Instead, it would just be your conscious reaction as to do good is an innate tendency, anything else would be to deny your human nature. Situations such as this one are instances in which the individual would be able to develop. The instinct which propels the individual’s drive to help the child is known as the derives from the instinct of
Social psychology is a scientific study that studies how people think, feel, and how they behave under the influence of other people (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013, p. 2). Thinking about what social influence really means, we tend to think of a person who tries to persuade another person to acting a certain way. It can be a form of peer pressure, like taking that first puff of a cigarette, or it can be conforming to popular societal views, such as obeying the law of the land. Fiction is a great way to learn about social psychological perspectives. Watching popular theatrical films is the perfect way to learn because it illustrates the application of many perceptions within the subject of social psychology.
There has been a huge debate throughout the years of whether humans are ethical by nature or not. Despite Christian Keyser’s research evidence that humans are ethical by nature, the evidence from the Milgram experiment shows that we are not ethical by nature. Humans learn to be ethical through genetic disposition as well as environmental factors such as culture, socialization, and parenting. In order to understand if we are ethical or not, we need to understand the difference between being moral or ethical. Many people believe that being moral and ethical are the same thing, but these two terms are a bit different. “Morality is primarily about making correct choices, while ethics is about proper reasoning” (Philosopher, web). Morality is more
It is widely debatable whether humans are inherently good or evil. From the past, people had their own opinions on this topic, and the debate still goes on today. The Aphorism 17.2 “The Master said: By nature men are pretty much alike; it is learning and practice that set them apart.” from Confucius Analects conveys Confucius’s view of human nature. Confucianism was the most important philosophy of China throughout the history and it greatly influenced China. The relevance of Aphorism 17.2 to China’s many of history can be easily seen.
...ut more importantly Mencius' core conception that human nature is also aware of its actions, and considers the well-being of others and that people are morally obligated to do so is also key to attaining our full potential. This conception of human nature and proper order together is what has shaped East Asian political and social thought for centuries. It is credited with creating an East Asia that is economically robust, and socially coherent and once again will be the center of human society in the decades to come. And contrary to popular Western belief, East Asian political thought does appreciate the necessity of the individual in defining society. In fact the only way to attain our human nature is to healthily self-cultivate ourselves morally and materially so we can reach our highest potential and in that way be a valued and contributing member to society.
He explains that Mencius is wrong for thinking men are born good. Tzu believes Mencius’ point shows that he does not understand the difference between basic nature and conscious activity. Nature is described as what is given to you by Heaven, and is something you cannot learn. Ritual principles however, are factors you can learn and work on until they are perfected. Those factors you cannot learn are considered nature while those you can learn are conscious activity. An example of this is that men are given the luxury of sight and sound. Clear sight and fine hearing cannot exist without eyes or ears. These are not factors acquired by a man’s studies. This shows that there is a difference between nature and conscious activity. Mencius makes a point that men are good and only become evil when they lose their original nature. Tzu counters this opinion with his own, saying that men move away from simplicity and naïveté the day they are born. This move means that men have lost their original nature. The loss of man’s original nature the day he is born proves that men are naturally
Mencius (Mengzi 孟子 371–289 B.C.) was a Chinese philosopher who followed in the steps of Confucius. A major part of his philosophy was that human nature is fundamentally good. (Wing-cheuk 154) Mencius believed that “the feelings of commiseration, of shame and dislike, of respect and reverence, of right and wrong, are found in all men” and that these four beginnings give rise to principles of humanity, righteousness, propriety and wisdom. (Wing-cheuk 162) The oft-provided example of these feelings is that of a child about to fall down a well. As someone watching this, you feel worry for the child and will try to help, not because you want a reward from the parents or are afraid of the disdain of others for failing to help. Mencius claims that
Mencius believed that human nature was inherently good. Through his writing, Mencius tends to use metaphors to get his point across, some of which were very hard to understand. One that he uses to explain his theories is, “Human nature is inherently good, just like water flows inherently downhill” (Mencius 79). He makes it seem as if it is obvious that human nature is good by the way he states how water flows downhill. He also states, “You can make them evil, but that says nothing about human nature” (Mencius 79). Even though some points were made effectively, his writing style and overuse of metaphors that no one understands made his argument weak. Overall, Mencius truly believed that the human nature of man was inherently good.
In conclusion, it remains that, even after being around for over 2000 years, Aristotle’s philosophy on human nature remains one of the most accurate questions to the eternal question of “what is human nature?” It may not, in the end, prove to be the correct answer to the question, in fact, it may very well be possible that there is no definite answer possible. But until scholars and students in programs such as ours can find a suitable replacement, his analysis will remain superior to all others.
Confucius, the founding philosopher of Confucianism, never explicitly details what he believes to be the inherent nature of humans. However, through his teachings and writings, his opinion can be understood to be that humans reach good nature, through self-cultivation and self-improvement. He believes that humans are improvable and teachable, but lack virtue. “Confucius
The understanding of human nature is the concept that there is a set of inherent distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that all humans tend to possess (Winkler, 1996). My basic view of human nature correlates with Charles Darwin’s nature vs. nurture theory. Human nature is influenced by both nature and nurture. Nature is all that a man brings with himself into the world, and nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth. An individual’s morals, values, and beliefs are developed from the nurturing aspect of their life. The environment that an individual is raised in creates their human nature. Then they go through life developing more upon their own morals, values, and beliefs. The nature vs. nurture theory is an every changing concept, and I believe that human nature changes for each individual based on their life experiences.
What is human nature for Confucius? What evidence does he give to show that his views about human nature are correct? Confucius is known for stressing that human nature is intrinsically good. He stresses that human beings are born with the ability to differentiate between wrong and right. A person may not be aware from infancy which acts are tolerable and which acts are not, but all offspring feel shame, and once the children learn which deeds are bad or good, they have a normal tendency to consent to the former and criticize the latter (Van and Bryan 27).
One of the biggest questions asked by not only researchers, but everyday people as well, has been the question of what makes we as people human. Being human consists of a complexity of definitions and factors that coexist with one another to make up who we are as people, and through anthropology, being human is studied very carefully in order to provide an answer to this question. Aspects such as language and communication, self-conceptualism, and bipedalism all correlate to what consists of being human, and while some of these can relate to other species, human beings use them in uniquely different ways that enhance our functioning in the world. Anthropologists have researched the complexity of human beings for centuries and throughout this
What makes us human? What is it that we are made up of? I know a human has a body made up of two legs, two arms, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and two ears, but that is not what makes us human. Human beings are made up of feelings, the ability to think, communication, and many other elements. Feelings show the way we feel between each other and is the reason for our survival. The ability to think is so important because just because we can think doesn’t always mean we do think. Communication is essential to human society. These are some of the elements I consider to be the most important of being human. Feelings, is something that makes us humans. Feelings, is one important element that makes us humans because that is how we can relate how others feel and that is the
What is human motivation? According to authors Kleinginna & Kleinginna, the definition of motivation is “an internal state or condition (sometimes described as a need, desire, or want) that serves to activate or energize behavior and give it direction” (as cited in Huitt, 2011). As teachers, it is important to be aware that motivation to learn is a “source of diversity” in the classroom. This diversity among students in the classroom can range from students who have no motivation to learn (they are forced to be there because that is the “law”) to students who have the “need/desire/want” motivation to learn. According to Pink, there are two types of behaviors in regards to motivation to learning reflected in our classrooms, there are students who display
This is my first semester in college. Being a new college student, I was very nervous about how college life went about and how I would manage school, work, and raising my child. Thankfully, this class is required for incoming students, or else I never would have thought to take it. Throughout this semester, I have learned more about myself, what I truly value, my personality type, my multiple intelligences, my learning style, and how these are all correlated to my long- term career goal.