Different Viewpoints on Human Nature

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Different Viewpoints on Human Nature

Throughout history there have been arguments about anything and everything that is disagreeable. People innately have there own and often different opinions. A prominent discussion topic throughout history has been the nature of mankind. Many have written works about human nature but few are discussed in greater detail than Candide, The Prince, and Essay on Man. Voltaire, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Alexander Pope, who wrote these three works respectively, concur with each other on many view points. But it is their differences that make the works unique.

Voltaire wrote Candide in 1759 during the period known as the Enlightenment. It is a story that has a deeper symbolic meaning about life and human nature. At face value it seems to be an optimistic tale that speaks highly of man. But when looked at closely, it envelops a whole new meaning. It is full of sexual allusions and darker views on human nature and man himself. This wasn't exactly a new concept, it was just brought about in a different and unusual way. Candide is different from the othe...

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