Exploring Views on Human Nature: From Hobbes to Rousseau

Henry Miller, a famous American writer, once said “Man has demonstrated that he is a master of everything except his own nature.” The discourse on human nature dates back to ancient times, and this conversation is as complex as it was since the beginning. Considering that this is an abstract topic and a major theme in Western philosophy, there is no unanimous understanding of human nature. For example, Hobbes describes the original state as a constant state of war filled with misery, greed and evil. Rousseau describes natural man to be peaceful, timid and innocent. People like Rousseau would argue that civilization is miserable, and that human nature is a perfect place to escape from civilization because man is free and more equal in the

Since most people get their truth through the senses, human nature is uncertain because the senses sometimes are unreliable. The senses are deceptive especially when our experiences are just dreams, not sense perceptions. The “dream argument” by Descartes is a perfect example. What happened in the “Dream argument” is that the Mediator dreamed of clothing in dress gown, but the reality is that he was actually undressed in bed. The only way of knowing the truth is by waking up because it is very difficult to differentiate a dream moment from a waking moment when asleep. The idea of experiencing real things in our dreams, while we actually aren’t is the reason why our senses deceive. Watching the sunrise and sunset is another good example of sense deception. When we see sunrise and sunset, it seems like the sun is moving. I assume that the sun moves because I can see it

By deeming that nothing is certain and recognizing that our senses are false, this is a step to prove that “I” exist. Following the logic of sense deception and the idea that nothing is certain, there has to be a material thing that doubts and is deceived. According to Descartes in the Second Meditation, that material thing is “I,” thus “I am, I exist.” Since the material thing (body) is known, what is the material conceptually made of? I believe that the doubting thing, “I,” has knowledge that depends on things that are certain, but it can also sense (simulate images of things). Supporting my argument that humans need reason to prove their existence, I quote Descartes when he says “I would seem to be speaking no less foolishly were I to say: I will use my imagination in order to recognize more distinctly who I am.” In this quotation, Descartes reiterates my previous point that sensing is unreliable and that reason is the only way to knowing our existence. Since we need reason to determine our existence, it means that human is a “thinking thing” because it “doubts, understands, affirm, denies, wills, refuses and imagines.” The “Wax argument” is a good example of why reason is essential. The Wax argument is a theory that discusses the different conditions of wax. Wax has a distinct form when it is solid but melt when close to fire. Without reason how will I know