The document discusses the nature of man and whether man is inherently good, evil, or neutral. It explores perspectives from literature, philosophers, and personal experiences. The conclusion is that while people tend to have some evil within them, there is also always good; and that society plays a large role in shaping a person rather than people being inherently one way.
2. Introduction The Nature of Man is a topic that has been argued over for many generations. There is not right answer of what the actual Nature of Man is, for many people have their own opinion on whether Man is good or bad. To find the most rational reason, we must explore the possibilities of the intrinsicNature of Man – Is Man good, evil, or neither?
3. Good vs. Evil There are many people in this world – a lot of them good, but at the same time, a lot of them bad. Yes of course, there are many men out there who try and do great things in the world, such as Gandhi, but the planetis also full of evil people, such as Adolf Hitler. According to Freud (psychologist), every single man has an id, and ego, and a superego within him. The id part of a human contains the drive to do something that benefits you, and that might lead to the harm of others. Superego is the exact opposite – the unconscious part of your brain that tells you to do the right thing. Ego tells you sort of the compromise of the two, which can sometimes lead to harm and/or help. Depending on the person, some people have different levels of each part (some people might have higher id than superego, and visa versa). Here are some facts to help us solve the mystery of man.
5. Lord of the Flies “Here! Take this - … Ralph felt a chunk of meat pushed against him and grabbed it (Golding 171).” This quote represents good because it shows that even though Samneric have been forced to join the savages, they still support Ralph and help him even though they might be punished “Immediately after this, there came a gasp, and a squeal of pain … “You’re sure he meant in there?” … The twin moaned faintly and then squealed again (Golding 173).” This quote represents good because even though Samneric were getting tortured, they still tried their best to not tell Jack and Roger where Ralph was hiding so Ralph wouldn’t get hurt It was an act of sacrifice Book Citation Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print.
6. Enlightenment Thinkers Rousseau believed that man was born naturally good The only reason why man become evil is because society changes them “We are born capable of sensation and from birth are affected in diverse ways by the objects around us (Émile:13).” This quote essentially clarifies that man is born with the capability of empathy and “good,” but when they grow older they are changed by things around us Cite Jean-jacquesRousseau on Nature, Wholeness and Education." Contents @ the Informal Education Homepage. Web. 31 Aug. 2010. <http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-rous.htm>.
7. Media Martin Luther King is a great example of the good side of man because of two main reasons First reason – Martin Luther King Jr. fought for not only his, but other people’s rights as well. No matter how much trouble he had gotten himself in, he would never give up on trying to gain his rights. Second reason – Whenever Martin Luther King Jr. had a petition, movement, or speech, he always made sure that they were non-violent. Martin Luther King Jr. had a strong believe that everybody should treat each other with respect and prosperity. He got in trouble not because he was causing bad to society, but because he was of different skin color. Article Citation James, Jennifer. "He Had a Dream." Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles, CA] 18 Jan. 2009. Print. Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA) Jan 18, 2009, p. H2 He Had a Dream By Jennifer James • Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered with a national holiday. On Jan. 15, 1929, a baby boy was born in Atlanta to a Baptist minister and his wife. He was named Michael. Later on, the father would change the boy's name to Martin, in honor of Martin Luther, a minister and reformer who had lived in Germany in the 1500s. The boy admired his father and grandfather, who both were ministers. So when he was old enough, he attended the same college as his father and his grandfather: Morehouse College. Afterward, he graduated from Crozer Theological Seminary and became a Baptist minister himself. He was African American. Back then, in many states, African Americans were kept away from the white community. This was called segregation. Martin knew all about this because, as a child, he had attended segregated public schools in Georgia. Segregation was especially bad in the Southern states like Alabama where they had "whites only" water fountains and "whites only" sections of public buses. Many other states had segregated schools, restaurants and neighborhoods. Martin knew segregation was wrong and decided that when he grew up, he would do something about it. And he did. He led many nonviolent protests and gave speeches. In 1955, he and his followers refused to ride the buses in Montgomery, Ala., to protest the "whites only" rule. This is called a boycott. They boycotted the buses for 382 days. In 1956, the Supreme Court took away segregation laws separating the races in public places, calling them unconstitutional. Blacks and whites rode the buses as equals. His most famous protest happened in 1963. He led a peaceful march on Washington, D.C., involving 250,000 people. From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. The following is part of that speech: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.' "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.... "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.... "I have a dream today.... "This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, 'My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.' "And if America is to be a great nation this must become true...." His name was Martin Luther King Jr. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and was one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. He is honored with a national holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January. This year, it is celebrated Monday, Jan. 19. Recommended reading: "Martin's Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr." by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier.
9. Lord of the Flies “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy (Golding 182).” This quote portrays evil in man because it shows that man is truly savage inside and that even if it seems like nobody is mean, without guidance or guardians their savageness will be unleashed. The quote can symbolize a metaphor of two different physcological worlds people have; the good and perfect world, and the world of reality. “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood (Golding 136)!” This quote represents evil because whenever the chant is called, the boys sort of let out their inner savage, resulting in somebody getting hurt if not killed. The chant sort of represents the transformation of life that the boys have and how different the children become compared to who they were.
10. Media 9/11 is a strong representative of why man is evil The act of 19 hijackers killing thousands of people portray the large capacity of evil man has within themselves Shows how careless and un-empathetic man can be Article Citation Lusted, Marcia Amidon. "9/11." Cobblestone May-June 2010: 45. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com/discoweb/disco/do/article?urn=urn:sirs:US;ARTICLE;ART;0000303433>.
11. Personal Experiences One experience that portrays the evil in Man, usually occurs when almost everybody has when they are young. I remember that when I was smaller, some other kid would bring candy to school at least once a week. I always asked him for some, but he never gave me any. This shows the selfishness that any man or even child has within him. Another example is here in China. Everybody pushes just to be first for small things such as a line for a ride or even for a taxi. These actions portray the selfishness in man and how un-empathetic people can become.
13. Enlightenment Thinkers John Locke believed “the mind is like a blank slate ready to be used for writing.” Mans’ personality and ideas form from personal experiences throughout life Thinker Facts Encyclopedia Britannica. "Locke, John." SIRS Discoverer. ProQuest, 2006. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. <http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com/discoweb/disco/do/article?urn=urn:sirs:US;ARTICLE;ART;0000223341>. *The blank white board represents when the child is first born (born with no state of mind) while the pen represents the life that will be written to form ideas as they will grow up.
14. Personal Experiences I know a kid named Brandon that I had known for pretty much my whole life. I remember in pre-school we used to always play together and we always got along well together. When he moved to Korea, it wasn’t until we were about 11 until we saw each other again. Once we finally met, we slowly started separating because mainly of the culture difference that had settled into us; I was used to the American culture while he was used to the Korean culture. This shows how society can change the way you act no matter how you were before
15. Personal Insight/Conclusion Personally, I believe that Man is generally neutral. According to John Locke, Man is born with no senses and experiences, for society is the essential building block for one’s personality. I believe that every man is not necessarily born without sense and feelings, but Man is born with natural traits such as selfishness and shame, but even though they are born with some good and some evil traits, society is the main source of what brings out who a person becomes. The society teaches the Man whether they should emphasize certain natural traits more than others, thus making them evil or good.
16. Conclusion The nature of Man is an ongoing debate on whether Man is good, evil, or neutral. Even though people all tend to have evil within them, there is always good within Man. People see the evil in people first because the evil tends to show when Man is stuck under situations that put people under pressure. You really have to know a person to actually see the good in Man, and that is when people realize that Man is not necessarily all bad.
