Is Human Nature Inherently Good

244 Words1 Page

Human nature gives individuals the ability to be unique and is, therefore, an entirely good thing. Human nature consists of the general inclinations and behavioral patterns of God’s most important creation, man. Part of God’s perfect creation, human nature is innately good. Although human nature is a general term, God uses human nature to specifically create each person in his image and likeness. God meticulously sculpts each man, giving every person a distinct set of qualities and traits unlike any other individual. With our human nature, we can revel in our individuality as perfect aspects of God’s plan for humanity. A prominent element of human nature is the tendency to sin. Although sin plagues our world and is obviously not good,

Show More
Related

  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    nature of man is any and all of the instincts and desires of a person or animal.

    Read More

  • Are Humans Good Or Evil Analysis

    528 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through the progression of William Golding's Lord of the Flies and the article, “Are Humans Good or Evil” by Clancy Martin and Alan Strudler, a multitude of undeniable evidence is provided to prove that humans are in fact inherently wicked. In Lord of the Flies, a human being’s savage nature and primal instincts are effectively portrayed through the development of Jack, the lead hunter in a group that gets meat for the boys. Little Jack Merridew, who seems to be nothing but a naive and obnoxious chorister, becomes one of the most malicious and violent boys on the island. Jack's wilder side shows itself the most when he goes hunting. Making one his first kills brought such exhilaration, satisfaction, and pure bloodlust, that it drove him to insane limits,

    Read More

  • God's Forgiveness in Taylor's Meditation 42

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thus, while man shows his human nature, desiring and coveting physical riches and treasures, God demonstrates his truly divine nature as he possesses true spiritual riches, in the form of love, mercy, and forgiveness.

    Read More

  • Analysis of 12 Angry Men

    1246 Words  | 3 Pages

    In viewing 12 Angry Men, we see face to face exactly what man really is capable of being. We see different views, different opinions of men such as altruism, egoism, good and evil. It is no doubt that human beings possess either one or any of these characteristics, which make them unique. It is safe to say that our actions, beliefs, and choices separate us from animals and non-livings. The 20th century English philosopher, Martin Hollis, once said, “Free will – the ability to make decisions about how to act – is what distinguishes people from non-human animals and machines 1”. He went to describe human beings as “self conscious, rational, creative. We can fall in love, write sonnets or plan for tomorrow. We are capable of faith, hope and charity, and for that matter, of envy, hated and malice. We know truth from error, right from wrong 2.” Human nature by definition is “Characteristics or qualities that make human beings different from anything else”. With this said, the topic of human nature has been around for a very long time, it is a complex subject with no right or wrong answer. An American rabbi, Samuel Umen, gave examples of contradictions of human nature in his book, Images of Man. “He is compassionate, generous, loving and forgiving, but also cruel, vengeful, selfish and vindictive 3”. Existentialism by definition is, “The belief that existence comes before essence, that is, that who you are is only determined by you yourself, and not merely an accident of birth”. A French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, is the most famous and influential 20th - century existentialist. He summed up human nature as “existence precedes essence”. In his book, Existentialism and Human Emotions, he explained what he meant by this. “It means that, first of all, man exists, turns up, appears on the scene, and, only afterwards, defines himself. If man, as the existentialist conceives him, is indefinable, it is because at first he is nothing. Only afterward will be something, and he himself will have made what he will be 4”. After watching 12 Angry Men, the prominent view on human nature that is best portrayed in the movie is that people are free to be whatever they want because as Sartre said, “people create themselves every moment of everyday according to the choices they make 5”.

    Read More

  • Are Humans Inherently Evil Essay

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    How exactly does the human brain work? Are humans evil by nature or are they good samaritans most, if not all, the time? As studies throughout history have shown, this is not the case. Humans are inherently evil because they are always seeking as much power as they can, revert to challenging authority and selfishness in times of peril, and become intimidated easily by “authority” figures egging them on, which is reflected in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, as well as The Zimbardo Experiment conducted by Psychologist Phillip Zimbardo.

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    Human nature is the most debated topic to date. Many people think that mankind is programmed to be evil; on the other hand people argue that it is naturally good. Nathaniel Hawthorne gave his argument with the novel, The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter showed that mankind is innately good by Chillingworth’s measures, Hester’s capitulates and Dimmesdale’s noble qualities.

    Read More

  • The Morality Of Christianity: The Nature Of God And Christianity

    1811 Words  | 4 Pages

    One might ask, What exactly are sins and where did they come from? According to Oxford Dictionary, a sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. Sin is what started the fall of humanity that is still manifested in today’s time. Adam was the first of God’s human creation. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:16–17). Sin entered the world when Adam disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. “God gave to man the power of contrary choice. Man of his own will, by no external compulsion or determination, used that power in the commission of sin… ” (Reddit 10). The effects of Adam’s sin are profound and and they affect everyone. A few things that stand out in Reddit’s explanation of it is that “sin is lawless, universal and results in satanic bond”. Sin is lawless because its is breaking God’s divine law. “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (1John 3:4). Sin is universal because, “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one” and the evil one who is Satan. An objection could be that

    Read More

  • My Personal Theory Of Counseling

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Sinful Nature In The Bible

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    The sinful nature refers to the inherited and innate drive of human beings toward sin because of the “original corruption” committed by Adam and Eve. Prior to Adam and Eve’s fall, they walked blameless and innocent in the Garden with God, without shame and without sin.

    Read More

  • Witchcraft in Contemporary African Society

    2504 Words  | 6 Pages

    Magesa suggests not to use the abstract Christian concept of sin but to speak of ‘wrong-doing’ or ‘destruction of life’. Evil is always attached ...

    Read More

  • Psychological Traits In King Lear

    1334 Words  | 3 Pages

    The dictionary defines human nature as the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans. Throughout this course, we have talked about which traits we find to be most common in our lives. Our conversations furthered with the difficult task of pinpointing these traits as positive, negative, or neutral. From there, came the discussion of whether these traits came to us through nature or nurture. Depending on which text we were reading at the time, all of these answers changed. This proves that a trait does not have boundaries on its development or impact. Three traits that I find myself noticing most often in my own life are compassion, distrust, and belief in a higher

    Read More

  • Philosophy: Are Humans Born to be Good or Evil?

    1679 Words  | 4 Pages

    Are human beings born to be good? Or are we naturally born to be evil? A person’s nature or essence is a trait that is inherent and lasting in an individual. To be a good person is someone who thinks of others before themselves, shows kindness to one another, and makes good choices in life that can lead to a path of becoming a good moral person. To be a bad person rebels against something or someone thinking only of them and not caring about the consequences of their actions. Rousseau assumed, “that man is good by nature (as it is bequeathed to him), but good in a negative way: that is, he is not evil of his own accord and on purpose, but only in danger of being contaminated and corrupted by evil or inept guides and examples (Immanuel Kant 123).” In other words, the human is exposed to the depraved society by incompetent guardians or influences that is not of one’s free will in the view of the fact that it is passed on. My position is humans are not by nature evil. Instead, they are good but influenced by the environment and societies to act in evil ways to either harm others or themself.

    Read More

  • How Does Human Change Human Nature?

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    The concept of human nature is used to describe what life may have been like before societies were formed. Human nature has been described as a state of “perfect freedom” and “equality” by John Locke or in a state of “war” as described by Thomas Hobbes. For Hobbes, human nature arises from the equality of body and mind and other causes in human nature where “every man is [an] enemy to every man” and the life of man is “nasty brutish and short.” Humans may be fixed at a certain point but there is an ability for malleability. Human nature is flexible, and is constantly changing to adapt to its surroundings and experiences. Additionally, human nature changes because as socialization shifts the circumstances of the environment also cause human nature to change by learning how to adapt to changing circumstances and surroundings.

    Read More

  • Essay On Human Nature And Free Will

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    Human nature is about free will, and using one’s free will for good acts. We know free will exists because living things are being changed day after day. Any act, from walking across a room to deciding to eat a meal, is because of free will. We are given free will and with that, the ability to create our own, unique path in life. Free will provides human beings with freedom, judgement, and responsibility. Every human being is born with the capability to live a good, just life. However it is just as possible to live an immoral life led by bad choices. This notion of endless options in life is made possible by God’s gift of free will. No two human lives will ever be the same, because no two people will ever have the exact same experiences their entire lives. Every human being is shaped by experience, which comes from our actions, which are results of free will.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Fall Of Man

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    The creation of man is told to be one of God’s greatest creation. A creation so great and precious that he made it in His own image- one without sin (Genesis 1:26-27). The occurrence of evil and suffering is greatly due to the Fall of Man. The idea of temptation is closely associated with evil because “sin is conceived in the internal stages of temptation and manifests itself in the external aspects” (Towns, 2012, p. 2). In other words, temptation is the root cause of man acting upon sin. A constructive approach on the theological definition, biblical foundation, and a practical application will be discussed throughout the paper to further elaborate and examine the Fall of Man and temptation.

    Read More

More about Is Human Nature Inherently Good

Open Document