The Role of Reason in Human Behavior

1568 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Freud's view of human nature

Freud and Thomas Hobbes disagree with Plato and Aristotle regarding the role of reason in human behavior, and all four of these disagree with Jean-Paul Sartre on the same question. Describe.

Freud, Hobbes, Aristotle, Plato, and Sartre was all well-known philosophers which each one had their own theory on human behavior. The two philosophers Freud and Thomas Hobbes disagreed with Plato and Aristotle concerning their explanations about the behavior of humans. Freud theory is human behavior was out right egotistical and belligerent but on the other hand Hobbes theory point out that humans is merely like a natural device which is motivated by self desires. Freud and Hobbes theories were somewhat in agreement with each other because they both felt that human nature was based more on the cares of self whether than the cares of others. Plato theory about human behavior is different from Freud’s and Hobbes’s because Plato thought that human behavior involves three elements which was reason, appetite and aggression (Velasquez, 2010).

Aristotle believed that human nature was the product of prearranged reasons. Plato and Aristotle suggested that the most important part of human nature is reason because it takes precedent over the yearnings and assertiveness of humans. Even though the Freud and Thomas Hobbes did not exactly agreed on Plato and Aristotle theory on human behavior, they all disagreed on the theory that Jean-Paul Sartre had to offer to philosophy. As for as Sartre theory he believed that human do not have a purpose on this earth unless they decide to create a purpose for themselves. Sartre is a firm believer that we have the abilities to create our own self which in turn will make us humans. Sartre believes ...

... middle of paper ...

...spired to cause a distribution to be question as whether it is fair or not. In Nozick opinion people should be allowed to make their own decision on what to do with their property (Lucibella).

Works Cited

Johnson, O.A. (October 4, 1965). God and St. Anselm. Vol. 45. No.

Lucibella, C. (nd). Toppling the Jenga Tower: A Critique of Nozick’s Theory of Holdings.

Pharmakon Journal of Philosophy: Issue #2.

Shimozaki, S.S, Eckstein, M.P. & Abbey, C.K. (December 12, 2003). An ideal observer with

channels versus feature independent processing of spatial frequency and orientation in

visual search performance. Vol. 20, No. J. Opt. Soc. Am. A.

Taylor, D.P. (2009). Structure and transition: towards an accretivist theory of time.

Velasquez, M. (2010). Philosophy: A text with readings 11th edition. Mason, OH: Cengage

Learning.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing John Locke and Thomas Hobbes

    1242 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hobbes' theory is a pessimistic look at human being and the way they act around each other but Locke's theory suggests that people are more easy-going and peaceful towards each other. Hobbes point of view on human nature and how a government should be run is a more realistic way of looking at things than John Locke?s theory though. Both Hobbes and Locke see human nature differently, Hobbes sees people as being run by selfishness whereas Locke says that people are naturally kind. As we see in the news daily, people are often cruel and inhumane, and we also see kinder people in everyday life. We see people who give up their own personal pleasure so they can serve others. But these people are far and few between, it becomes quickly obvious that humans are drawn towards self-happiness.

    Read More

  • Reasoning within Animals

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rene Descartes and David Hume lived in two completely different time periods, yet they shared interest in some of the same philosophical categories. Could animals reason? How did humans expand their knowledge compared to animals? Questions like these were answered both by Descartes and Hume even though they had two opposing views. Descartes was the first to address the questions about animal instincts, and later on Hume set out to refute some of his ideas.

    Read More

  • Free Will and Choices

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    So I believe that Sartre prepares the best argument out of Darwin and Freud to explain the choosing of our paths in life. As Freud applies that child develop is chosen and Darwin thinks it was a process of natural selection, we are in fact the result of choices both of others and ourselves to make the actions and effects that we create society. We are all are not to blame higher power for choosing of accountability when we negatively affect others. In lacking of the higher power that no other source can value to the other our own actions. From Sartre’s argument, it is obvious that we are giving the freedom to choose our purpose in life and that we presented with free will in all the situations.

    Read More

  • William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sigmund Freud was born in 1856 to Jewish Galician parents in the Moravian town of Pribor in the Austrian Empire (“Sigmund Freud” n. pag). During his education in the medical field, Freud decided to mix the career fields of medicine and philosophy to become a psychologist (“Sigmund Freud” n. pag). During his research as a psychologist, he conceived the Structural Model Theory, which he discussed in his essay Beyond the Pleasure Principle. The theory states that the human psyche is divided into three main parts: the id, ego, and super-ego (“Id, Ego, and Super-ego” n. pag). He concluded that the id was the desire for destruction, violence and sex; the ego was responsible for intellect and dealing with reality; and the super-ego was a person’s sense of right and wrong and moral standards (Hamilton, n. pag). Freud argued that a healthy individual will have developed the strongest ego to keep the id and super-ego in check (“Id, Ego, and Super-ego” n. p...

    Read More

  • Hobbes and Locke

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    Reasoning deductively it is clear that Hobbes’ and Locke’s differing views on the nature of human beings is the core difference between their theories of societal evolution.

    Read More

  • The Ego and the Id

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    Over the years, people have wondered what goes on in a person's mind that guides them to meet their needs. Sigmund Freud developed a system of personality that boldly attempts to explain the course of personality and what was it origins. Freud theory assumes that one's personality is shaped and some powerful inner forces motivate one's behavior. According to Freud, personality differences commence from the different ways in which people deal with their underlying drives. By picturing a continuing battle between antagonistic parts of personality, Freud was able to develop three systems that make up the total personality. The three systems of personality are the id, ego, and the superego. If the three systems work together in harmony and unite together to form one complete organization, it enables one to create a positive transaction with the environment. If the systems are fighting with each other, one is said to be dissatisfied with himself or the world. By examining the ego, the id, and the superego, one should see how these three systems of personality play an important role in the development of one's personality. In doing so one should understand what conscious and unconscious, and the functions of the id, ego, and superego.

    Read More

  • How Did Freud's View Of The Changes During The Enlightenment

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    Humans are people that's instincts provoke aggressiveness. Influenced by World War I and its aftermath, Freud broke away from the Enlightenment era and his philosophy that stated that man was inherently good. Along with Freud, many artist and writers followed as they rebelled against traditional artistic and literary ways. With this movement, it created what is now known as

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast John Locke And The Social Contract

    1233 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many of the greatest thinkers of the 17th and 18th centuries theorized about human nature. Many like John Locke believed that living minds were like a blank slate. Others such as Thomas Hobbes believed people were born “bad or brutish”. These philosophies were shaped by their views on the English Revolution. Hobbes and Locke both experienced many things during their lifetime that influenced the way they constructed their philosophies. The events in their lives were clearly evident when they talked about human nature and the social contract.

    Read More

  • The Philosophies Of John Rawls Vs. Nozick

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nozick agrees with the liberty principle proposed by Rawls, but he disagrees with the equality principle and the fashion in which resources are distributed. I believe the historical principle of distribution is one strength of Nozick’s ideas. The historical principle of distribution states that the justice of any distribution does not depend on how closely it resembles any form of an equality pattern but how the distribution came about (959). I also agree with the theory that people are entitled to anything they acquired voluntarily and anything that is transferred to them voluntarily (958). Nozick does not agree with redistribution of wealth because taking resources from one person to benefit others is not necessarily voluntary. The biggest weaknesses of Nozick’s idea of equality comes from the idea that taxation and federally funded programs would be unjust forcing everything to be owned privately. This creates the most issues because people are self-interested and the virtue of market may not create the balance which Nozick proposed. Public school systems and public roads being deemed illegitimate would create issues with access. Also, making taxation illegal would make it difficult to have services like a police force, fire department, court system, or penal system because they would have to be paid by the individual directly. The police and court systems could become corrupt

    Read More

  • Distributive Justice By Robert Nozick And John Rawls

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nozick’s central claim is that any sort of patterned distribution will have a significant effect on liberty. First, Nozick’s idea of a “patterned distribution” needs to be separated from the notion of “unpatterned distribution”. Obviously, patterned distribution adheres to an unspecific pattern. Nozick’s own theory in itself is unpatterned, a theory that suggests that each person acquisition of goods have been acquired through legitimate means. Nozick’s conception of “legitimate means” is manifested through his Entitlement Theory. The Entitlement Theory ...

    Read More

  • The Life of Jean-Paul Sartre

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    Existentialism could be defined as a philosophical theory that focuses on the individual person being a free and responsible person who determines his or her own development through acts of will. Existentialism is a thesis that has been discussed by some of the greatest philosophical minds ever to live. Minds such as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche all had their own view on what existentialism was and major impact on the development of this thesis. Each of these philosophies played a huge influence on a great mind that would come later on in history. That was the mind of Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre, who is considered one of the great philosophical minds, based many of his ideas around the idea of existentialism and phenomenology. Throughout this paper we will take an extensive look into the life and mind of Jean-Paul Sartre.

    Read More

  • Sigmund Freud: The Comparison Of The Id, Ego And Superego

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was based on the belief that human personality is made up of three components: the id, ego and superego. These three components are arranged in a hierarchy order with the id at the basal end, the ego in the middle and the super ego at the pinnacle. The id at the base, seeks instantaneous pleasure and fulfillment, driven by the pleasure principle. The id wants what it wants, when it wants it regardless of whether or not it is possible to satisfy that particular want or need. The presence or logic of reality or societal behavior has no effect on the id. For example, if an infant is thirsty and sees a bottle of water, he will take the bottle and drink even if it belonged to someone else and he did not have permission to drink, all that matters is that the needs have been met.

    Read More

  • Kierkegaard And Camus View Of Existentialism

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... Sartre thought of the science and technology as part of a larger quantity of life and lock of freedom due to the capitalist, which attempted to reduce humans in a certain process. “The image of technological progress seduces people away from collective free responsibility for the future. Social processes seem fixed and unavoidable; changing them requires cooperative revolutionary action, not just Sartre's earlier individualistic choice. (Kold, David)” He believed that existentialist’s people tend to have more freedom than other people just because of their belief on life and what is right to them. Existential people tend to have a different view on life due to the way they feel life should be lived. They tend to be the total opposite of other people just because of their own beliefs they have on everything. Which doesn’t make them bad people at all, just different.

    Read More

  • Psychoanalytic Approach vs. Humanistic Approach

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    The psychoanalytic approach, proposed by Sigmund Freud, is based on the idea that childhood experiences significantly influence the development of later personality traits and psychological problems. In addition, psychoanalysis emphasizes the influence of unconscious fears, desires and motivations on thoughts and behaviors. The humanistic approach, presented by Abraham Maslow, emphasizes self actualization and free-will. It is based on the belief that each person has freedom in directing his or her future.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Freud And Karen Horney

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    There have been many theorist in psychology such as Erik Erickson, Gordon Allport, and Raymond Cattell, among others. They have all made significant contributions to psychology and understanding human behavior. However, two theorist have distinguished themselves over the rest of them. Sigmund Freud is known as the father of psychoanalysis. He developed numerous theories to facilitate the understanding of the different stages humans go through. As well as Freud, Karen Horney also created her own theories. Her theories were relatively similar to Freud’s, however, they also have their differences. It is essential to have general knowledge of their background and to understand both of their theories before we begin contrasting them.

    Read More

More about The Role of Reason in Human Behavior

Open Document