human nature

论人性(OnHumanNature)

Philosophershaveinitiatedadebateaboutthehumannaturesince

m"stateofnature"isudto

refertothehypotheticalconditionofhumansbeforesocialfactorsare

impod,thusattemptingtodescribethe"naturalesnce"ofhuman

ewsofitfallinthreetypicalgroups.

t

famoustheoryinthisgroupisJohnLocke'ssocialcontracttheory.

AccordingtoLocke,humansinthestateofnaturehaveabsolutefreedom

tomaketheirordersandtaketheiractions,withouthavingtoask

arebornequal,andwillingtotreat

llisknownas

sympathy,

ancientChinaawidelyknownphilosopher,themostnotablediscipleof

Confucius,Mencius,heldsimilarpoints,declaringthathumansare

naturallymoralbeingsbutarecorruptedbysociety.

Thecondgroupincludesviewsthatehumansasinherentlybad.

Accordingtooriginalsin,humansinthestateofnaturearetarnishedby

hegrouphadamorerationalspeaker,Thomas

believedthathumansinthestateofnaturewouldbehave

"badly"towardsoneanother,buthearguedthatpeoplehadeveryrightto

ly,hebelievedthatsucha

conditionwouldleadtoa"warofeverymanagainsteveryman"and

makelife"solitary,poor,nasty,brutish,andshort."Similartheoriesalso

s,anotherfollowerofConfuciusas

Mencius,simplyrejectedMencius'dheasrtedthat

"HumanDispositionsareDetestable".

Therestviewsthatformthelastgroupstandaneutralpointinthe

nerallybelievethathumanbehaviorisdeterminedby

biologicalandsocialfactors,sothereisnoclearboundarybetween

“good”and“evil”andnothingistobeblamedbutthegeneaswellasthe

hetwofactorswhichonedecidesmore?Also

knownas“natureversusnurture”,thisquestioncompelnormous

studies.

Beingaconstantstrangertophilosophy,I’vegotnothingtodobut

justskimoverallofthetheoriesmentionedabove,keepthinkingabout

humannatureinmyownwayassociatedwithfamiliarexamplesinmy

ownsurroundings,andundoubtedlyendupallthewithoutexplicit

ewheneverItrytofigureinmymindwhathuman

natureislike,Icouldnothelprecallingsomanystoriesaboutit,eachof

ssmeupandkeepmefroma

oreIhavetoholdamoderateopinionuntilI

findnewkeyevidencetoprovewhetherhumannatureisgoodorevil.

Beforethat,Ichootobelievethathumannatureisindeedlikeacoin

andneithersidecaneasilydominate.