Human Nature And Nature - 1375 Words

Nature Nature is the world around us, except for human-made phenomena. As humans are the only animal species that consciously, powerfully manipulates the environment, we think of ourselves as exalted, as special. We acknowledge that in an objective view we are merely one of many organisms, and that we are not able to survive outside of our natural world of air, earth, water and life. But we tend to be poor leaders in the hierarchy of animal life. Despite our greatness, too often we waste, we fight, we breed heedlessly, and are too self-centered and short-sighted. I take note of the increasing awareness of ecology, at least in Western culture, and am heartened. We may still change our weapons of war into tools of peace, and our habits†¦show more content†¦We all know that a short, rainy winter day is less pleasant than a warm sunny June day. Most of us are cheered at the return of spring, and we mostly have certain pleasant or striking memories we associate with each seaso n. My awareness of nature was at this relatively normal level until high school. I recall as an 8th grade student, that nature was wholly unappealing to me. I liked sports, music, comic books, stamp collecting, and whatnot. Trees were trees, grass was grass, flowers were flowers and weeds were weeds. But by the time I was in 10th grade, and especially 11th grade, I had been affected profoundly by nature awareness. I went from a normal worldview to one wherein the value of being aware of and appreciative of nature was a centerpiece. In retrospect, this was the pivotal transformation of my life. In high school I went from just another one of the guys into a person whose passion and livelihood became nature. The process was begun, I think, by my having read Thoreaus Walden. I did this because I was exhorted to do so by an influential 8th grade teacher, George Hofbauer. Walden affected me, as I was at that ripe, receptive, impressionable age. In turn I read other authors: Emerson, Goethe, Voltaire, Carlyle, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Schopenhauer, Pascal, Montaigne,Show MoreRelatedUnchangeable Change: The Embodiment of Nature and Human Nature1107 Words   |  4 PagesTHEME; Unchangeable Change. The development of my theme, unchangeable change, through embodiment of nature and human nature. Change defines everything that we know or understand about our world. Change is an inevitable aspect of our lives that remains unchangeable. Physical natures, human natures and instincts are all embodied within us. Our nature drives us to change, to try change things that can neither be persuaded nor be changed. All of us can personalize change in our lives, we can all attachRead MoreHuman Nature Essay1099 Words   |  5 Pages Is there or is there not human nature? For Charles Darwin the answer is no. Darwin was the first to introduce the concept of evolution. He believed that humans evolved from the ape and not in the image of God. 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More specifically, his theory on the state of nature becoming a state of war, and the steps he takes to arrive to this conclusion, will be outlined to ultimately demonstrate that Hobbes does notRead MoreHobbes Human Nature Essay1424 Words   |  6 Pagesviewpoints about human nature, the origin of the state, the nature of government, and the grounds for revolution. Although Hobbes and Locke agreed on some general facets of political theory, Thomas Hobbes’ generally presented a pessimistic, provocative view of politics, while John Locke tended towards a more optimist and mainstream approach to explaining constitutional theory. In regards to human nature, both Hobbes and Locke agree that the purpose of government relies on the nature of humanity itselfRead MoreEssay on Principles of Human Nature909 Words   |  4 Pages Fundamental Principles of Human Nature The heated controversy over how human beings develop their behavior, ideas, reasoning and other abstract traits has been in ongoing debate for centuries. John Locke’s â€Å"blank slate† theory of experience and sensation, and Edward Wilson’s theory of evolutionary biology and innate genes are both valid and apply to the development of human nature. It is has been proven through scientific research of the human genome over time, that both sides of this controversialRead MoreHuman Nature, By John Locke Essay2201 Words   |  9 PagesHuman nature is a cruel mistress that depending on a person’s view on the world can be really on either ok or really bad. In only isolated situations does human nature lead people to do true good while in general human nature leads to bad decisions and equally bad results. Philosophers have all written about human nature in their commonwealths as well as in their imagined states of nature. Thomas Hobbes in his book, Levithan, a nd John Locke in his second treatise in his book, Two Treatises on GovernmentRead MoreHuman Nature, By John Locke2060 Words   |  9 PagesHuman nature is an enigma that many people have debated for centuries with some being more idealistic while others are very cynical. Many political philosophers have discussed these in their books as human nature is central to the development of a ideal republic that can properly rule. Thomas Hobbes in his book, Levithan, and John Locke in his second treatise in his book, Two Treatises on Government, both talk extensively about human nature.The pair take two different approaches to explaining human