My views have been acknowledged. How? Throughout my beliefs of human nature. I have exposed the realistic understandings of mankind. I know that people are self-centered beings with the motivation to gain power and survive. It is true that self interest isn’t always displayed by individuals; however, just because the representation of one’s true nature is not demonstrated, it is still there. People hide behind an image to try to be something they aren’t. Our motivational drives as human beings are normal. We are influenced by authority and existence. Human nature is a part of our life; it makes us who we are as beings. There is absolutely no possible way to escape the fate one was given; people may hide from it, but in reality we are who we are and who we are is what we are destined to be: selfish.
Sincerely,
Thomas Hobbes
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Understandings
“Philosophies of leadership are determined by beliefs about human nature.”
I believe that people are will become chaotic without any form of leadership because of their selfish nature. My government style is based upon one dictator with a bunch of followers. The dictator’s responsibilities are to be respectful of their people and to make sure everyone stays true to their word in return for respect for themselves from the public. However, one may have to make adjustments on how they lead depending on who they are governing. For example: If there is a group of students who hate school, the form of leadership will need to be different than the leadership of a group of students who enjoy school and want to learn. Primarily, the understanding of “philosophies of leadership are determined by beliefs about human nature,” means, that, depending on the way a leaders followers’ “human nature” is exposed, determines the way one would have to govern. I fully support this statement because I believe that there would be absolutely no order without a dictator due to our motivations that lead us to bring out the selfishness inside of us; we would become disordered.
“The governed have a responsibility for their governance.”
The understanding of “the governed have a responsibility for their governance,” means that a Governor, president, or any type of dictator have duties to maintain people in a controlled environment in return for respect and trust. For example, if two people were stranded on an island with 2 coconuts, then the logical thing to do would be to split them; but since people are selfish, they would have to bring a third party (sovereign) in who would then get all of the goods and have duties of their own to make sure each person doesn’t break their word; they would have to respect the third party. Although this is a scenario just involving three people, the same principles stand for a group, state, or even country. However, even though the third party is most likely going to abuse the amount of power they have, I believe that it is a more controlled way of doing things compared to disorder due to the fact that humans are selfish beings who only care about themselves. I think that without any form of government, our society would become insane and it would be a recipe for disaster. So, to sum up this understanding of “the governed have a responsibility for their governance,” I believe that followers have to respect their leader even if there is the possibility of their idol abusing their power; it’s better than no government at all.
“Human Nature does not determine our actions; it inclines us towards certain actions.”
I know that everyone’s human nature is ultimately to do or think about selfish things; it’s the way of life. I believe that the statement, “human nature does not determine our actions; it inclines us towards certain actions,” is a right statement to abide by. It’s saying that human nature gives us the idea of, or pushes us to do, selfish things; however, it doesn’t mean we’ll follow through with those ideas or actions. For example: if you go to the grocery store, of course there are going to be something’s you just want to take off the shelves, but you don’t do it due to your structured way of living, who raised you, or the leader in your life. Every person has a selfish drive to them; it’s just some people hide behind an invisible mask and some come right out and show it. Hypothetically, if one were to live in an environment where they were surrounded by stealing, fighting, or any kind of violence, then they would have a different perception of how they’re supposed to display their desires compared to someone living in a controlled environment where stealing, fighting or any kind of violence was not displayed. It is a given that everyone has a selfish edge to them; one would be oblivious if they thought differently. There is absolutely nothing we can do to stop ourselves from being self interested; it’s our human nature.
I believe that people are will become chaotic without any form of leadership because of their selfish nature. My government style is based upon one dictator with a bunch of followers. The dictator’s responsibilities are to be respectful of their people and to make sure everyone stays true to their word in return for respect for themselves from the public. However, one may have to make adjustments on how they lead depending on who they are governing. For example: If there is a group of students who hate school, the form of leadership will need to be different than the leadership of a group of students who enjoy school and want to learn. Primarily, the understanding of “philosophies of leadership are determined by beliefs about human nature,” means, that, depending on the way a leaders followers’ “human nature” is exposed, determines the way one would have to govern. I fully support this statement because I believe that there would be absolutely no order without a dictator due to our motivations that lead us to bring out the selfishness inside of us; we would become disordered.
“The governed have a responsibility for their governance.”
The understanding of “the governed have a responsibility for their governance,” means that a Governor, president, or any type of dictator have duties to maintain people in a controlled environment in return for respect and trust. For example, if two people were stranded on an island with 2 coconuts, then the logical thing to do would be to split them; but since people are selfish, they would have to bring a third party (sovereign) in who would then get all of the goods and have duties of their own to make sure each person doesn’t break their word; they would have to respect the third party. Although this is a scenario just involving three people, the same principles stand for a group, state, or even country. However, even though the third party is most likely going to abuse the amount of power they have, I believe that it is a more controlled way of doing things compared to disorder due to the fact that humans are selfish beings who only care about themselves. I think that without any form of government, our society would become insane and it would be a recipe for disaster. So, to sum up this understanding of “the governed have a responsibility for their governance,” I believe that followers have to respect their leader even if there is the possibility of their idol abusing their power; it’s better than no government at all.
“Human Nature does not determine our actions; it inclines us towards certain actions.”
I know that everyone’s human nature is ultimately to do or think about selfish things; it’s the way of life. I believe that the statement, “human nature does not determine our actions; it inclines us towards certain actions,” is a right statement to abide by. It’s saying that human nature gives us the idea of, or pushes us to do, selfish things; however, it doesn’t mean we’ll follow through with those ideas or actions. For example: if you go to the grocery store, of course there are going to be something’s you just want to take off the shelves, but you don’t do it due to your structured way of living, who raised you, or the leader in your life. Every person has a selfish drive to them; it’s just some people hide behind an invisible mask and some come right out and show it. Hypothetically, if one were to live in an environment where they were surrounded by stealing, fighting, or any kind of violence, then they would have a different perception of how they’re supposed to display their desires compared to someone living in a controlled environment where stealing, fighting or any kind of violence was not displayed. It is a given that everyone has a selfish edge to them; one would be oblivious if they thought differently. There is absolutely nothing we can do to stop ourselves from being self interested; it’s our human nature.
Monday, January 10, 2011
The Lord of the Flies and The Lost Boys of Sudan
Initially, a great example to prove my views of human nature is the famous novel, The Lord of the Flies, by displaying the egotistic role played by individual beings. However, it failed to carry out the true facts about human nature in the end by demonstrating unrealistic actions saying “people will not finish what they started if they are hit with a road block.” In the end when Jack and his group were trying to find Ralph and kill him, I don’t think it was right for William Golding, the author of the novel, to have rescuers for Ralph. I believe that it is an impractical way of displaying human nature because it shows that “if people are going after what they want and something gets in their way, then they won’t do anything about it.” This is not how humans are. They will do anything in their power to get what they want if it is their true desire. I think that the end of the story should have ended with the death of Ralph because that would have displayed the trueness of peoples way of thinking by having Jack do everything he could to kill Ralph, just to gain “royalty” from his fellow followers.
“All for one and one for all,” does this sound familiar? Don’t believe it. No one abides by this statement. A correct statement to describe the acts of human beings is, “Happiness is selfish.” In order to be happy, one must do things for themselves, for their own pleasure. For an example of selfishness, I would like to let you know about The Lost Boys of Sudan. When the boys had to leave Ethiopia, because the government fell apart, they were chased to the edge of a fast river called Gillo. Because the river was moving quickly, crocodiles were in the river, and the government was chasing them, they knew there was a small chance of them actually surviving.“I needed to get across the river. I was thinking all day what I could do about it. I knew there was no one to help me.” This is said by one of the survivors, John Deng Langany. He is pretty much saying that the whole situation was “every man for themselves.” Each person was doing whatever they could do to get across that river alive. “I got only, I had only help one person. You know to the other side of the river. I can’t help any other people. There were many.” This is said by Simon Deng. In order for him to survive, he couldn’t help many of the other people across the river. People in general are guilty for this selfish state of nature. It’s who we are as people and there isn’t any running from it. There is no way to control how we are meant to act; it’s like a creature trapped in a cage and can’t escape.
“All for one and one for all,” does this sound familiar? Don’t believe it. No one abides by this statement. A correct statement to describe the acts of human beings is, “Happiness is selfish.” In order to be happy, one must do things for themselves, for their own pleasure. For an example of selfishness, I would like to let you know about The Lost Boys of Sudan. When the boys had to leave Ethiopia, because the government fell apart, they were chased to the edge of a fast river called Gillo. Because the river was moving quickly, crocodiles were in the river, and the government was chasing them, they knew there was a small chance of them actually surviving.“I needed to get across the river. I was thinking all day what I could do about it. I knew there was no one to help me.” This is said by one of the survivors, John Deng Langany. He is pretty much saying that the whole situation was “every man for themselves.” Each person was doing whatever they could do to get across that river alive. “I got only, I had only help one person. You know to the other side of the river. I can’t help any other people. There were many.” This is said by Simon Deng. In order for him to survive, he couldn’t help many of the other people across the river. People in general are guilty for this selfish state of nature. It’s who we are as people and there isn’t any running from it. There is no way to control how we are meant to act; it’s like a creature trapped in a cage and can’t escape.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Opening and Evidence
I am Thomas Hobbes. I am an English Philosopher with one correct view of Human Nature: All humans are self-centered creatures who are motivated by power and survival. In a State of Nature--no laws, no morality, no property--there is only one "natural right:" the right to protect one's self using any means at one's disposal, including violence and slaughter. It's terrible, it's wrong, but it's who we are as people. For example, if there are two people stranded in the middle of the desert for two months with only two apples for food, their solution is to split the food in half so each person gets their fair share; but of course they are selfish. Although they made a verbal agreement to split the apples, they each want to survive so they will do anything to get both; this is where my famous "social contract" comes into existence. I believe that the answer to a problem like this is to bring in a third party, a sovereign. The sovereign’s duty is to make sure each party stays true to their word. This is how I perceive a government should be like: have a sovereign. I do not doubt that they will abuse the power they have now encountered, but I trust that this is better than having anarchy due to our selfish natures. There are so many examples demonstrating our selfish natures
Francisco Pizarro and the Incas, a piece of history; this is one example demonstrating how self interested us as beings are. Francisco Pizarro was a leader. He led his men around the south side of South America right up to the Incan Empire; he wanted power and gold. Pizarro escorted his followers to get what he wanted; to obtain what he desired, he put the lives of his group in danger. Pizarro is like a sovereign of his people; he’s the leader. He should be well respected by his followers and give the same in return. However, just as I predicted, he is abusing his power by getting his people to do the “dirty work” for him. What do you think about that? Selfish? Yes; of course it is. He is only caring about himself and looking out for himself because he’s human. Pizarro proves my view of human nature by inserting slaughter and violence into his actions to receive what he wanted. It’s fact: people will do what they have to do in order to get what they truly desire; in this case, Francisco Pizarro uses violence to achieve the task of conquering the Incan Empire, letting him become in power by receiving the gold with his sly tricks of tricking the Incan leader and killing everyone of the Incans. It’s hard to grasp the fact that all humans have a selfish edge to them. One may say that they do everything in their power to not become selfish because it makes them feel like a better person, but is not becoming selfish just for ones pleasure a form a selfishness? Yes it is. It’s hard to go through life without doing things for yourself. “I want to act in a nice manner to make people perceive me as a nice person,” even in a situation like this, one would be doing what they need to do in order to get what they want: for people to perceive them as a nice person; it’s just the way of life.
Another way I can prove my precise views of human nature is by acknowledging the movie “The Lion King.” Watch the clip above. It is definition of selfishness. Scar initially is mad that he isn't heir to the throne so he figures out a way to kill both Simba and Mufasa by having the hyenas chase the antelope and create a stampede. At the end, Scar throws Mufasa off of the cliff and has the hyenas chase Simba away from Pride Rock (where they live) so he will now be named king. I know this is just a disney movie, but it is related to actual reality. An actual person made the script for this movie. They made up the characters and they made up what they were going to say. It's proof that humans have this selfish nature inside of them or else they wouldn't write about this kind of stuff. Each movie would be filled with sweetness, honesty, and no violence; but since the writer is a person, having a selfish nature is part of him. As a result of how we truly only care about ourselves, we will do anything to make us happy which is why there is a lot in the news about crime.
Robberies. How many times have they been in the news? Why do they happen? I'll tell you why, they are motivated by the things they want the way they want it. Robberies happen because someone wants something but doesn't want to pay for it. There is a recent story of a store being robbed in the north end of Burlington; the robber demanded money. Why did he demand money? Because he wanted it. Who doesn't want money? Money is the thing that buys people the necessities; the luxuries in life. Money is a motivator. The man robbing the store is robbing it for himself. He wants money so he does anything to get it. This is an example of how self-centered human beings really are. Something that is closely related to robberies is steeling. Everyone is guilty of steeling. How many people have ever taken something that isn't theirs whether it's a pencil, money laying on the street, or even a big thing like a piece of property? Everyone is guilty of doing things for the benefits of themselves. It's fact, it's true, it's reality. As far as I'm concerned my belief of human nature is correct; humans are ones who are motivated by power and survival. It's just the fact of life.
Francisco Pizarro and the Incas, a piece of history; this is one example demonstrating how self interested us as beings are. Francisco Pizarro was a leader. He led his men around the south side of South America right up to the Incan Empire; he wanted power and gold. Pizarro escorted his followers to get what he wanted; to obtain what he desired, he put the lives of his group in danger. Pizarro is like a sovereign of his people; he’s the leader. He should be well respected by his followers and give the same in return. However, just as I predicted, he is abusing his power by getting his people to do the “dirty work” for him. What do you think about that? Selfish? Yes; of course it is. He is only caring about himself and looking out for himself because he’s human. Pizarro proves my view of human nature by inserting slaughter and violence into his actions to receive what he wanted. It’s fact: people will do what they have to do in order to get what they truly desire; in this case, Francisco Pizarro uses violence to achieve the task of conquering the Incan Empire, letting him become in power by receiving the gold with his sly tricks of tricking the Incan leader and killing everyone of the Incans. It’s hard to grasp the fact that all humans have a selfish edge to them. One may say that they do everything in their power to not become selfish because it makes them feel like a better person, but is not becoming selfish just for ones pleasure a form a selfishness? Yes it is. It’s hard to go through life without doing things for yourself. “I want to act in a nice manner to make people perceive me as a nice person,” even in a situation like this, one would be doing what they need to do in order to get what they want: for people to perceive them as a nice person; it’s just the way of life.
Another way I can prove my precise views of human nature is by acknowledging the movie “The Lion King.” Watch the clip above. It is definition of selfishness. Scar initially is mad that he isn't heir to the throne so he figures out a way to kill both Simba and Mufasa by having the hyenas chase the antelope and create a stampede. At the end, Scar throws Mufasa off of the cliff and has the hyenas chase Simba away from Pride Rock (where they live) so he will now be named king. I know this is just a disney movie, but it is related to actual reality. An actual person made the script for this movie. They made up the characters and they made up what they were going to say. It's proof that humans have this selfish nature inside of them or else they wouldn't write about this kind of stuff. Each movie would be filled with sweetness, honesty, and no violence; but since the writer is a person, having a selfish nature is part of him. As a result of how we truly only care about ourselves, we will do anything to make us happy which is why there is a lot in the news about crime.
Robberies. How many times have they been in the news? Why do they happen? I'll tell you why, they are motivated by the things they want the way they want it. Robberies happen because someone wants something but doesn't want to pay for it. There is a recent story of a store being robbed in the north end of Burlington; the robber demanded money. Why did he demand money? Because he wanted it. Who doesn't want money? Money is the thing that buys people the necessities; the luxuries in life. Money is a motivator. The man robbing the store is robbing it for himself. He wants money so he does anything to get it. This is an example of how self-centered human beings really are. Something that is closely related to robberies is steeling. Everyone is guilty of steeling. How many people have ever taken something that isn't theirs whether it's a pencil, money laying on the street, or even a big thing like a piece of property? Everyone is guilty of doing things for the benefits of themselves. It's fact, it's true, it's reality. As far as I'm concerned my belief of human nature is correct; humans are ones who are motivated by power and survival. It's just the fact of life.
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