Many people have many different ideas about what Human Nature means. What does it mean to you? Write as much--or as little--as needed to fully explain your initial ideas about Human Nature.
i believe that human nature is something that we don't always necessarily like, but we obviously have it anyway. Greed, hate, and other qualities are all parts of human nature which I am sure most of us wish that we did not have.
Human nature is the actions people take when they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is what people do when they don't know what else to do, the actions they take without thinking. It's the way people act in tough situations. L.A.Y.
To me, human nature is why people act the way they do. The emotions that go along with an event or idea. The reactions to a person or place. Why there is a choice between flee or fight. Why one person would choose one option over the other. I think that human nature has to do with actions that people have no control over, instinctual actions. And actions that are thought about. Thoughtfully developed and then carried out. It's why there are no two of the same person, why there are opinions and controversies and uniqueness between all people.
Human Nature means the way I am inside. Its the ideas I have and the stuff I want. People can blame conflicts or war on Human Nature, but I think that human nature is peace and prosperity.
I'm not entirely sure what I think about Human Nature. I guess its could be anything that people do, but put in the most simple way possible. Kinda a way to justify everything we do when we feel like we can't help ourselves. Or when you think about it, when we can. I guess, in a more defined term, everyone's thoughts, emotions, and reactions to a situation.
To me, Human Nature is the way we as a species conduct ourselves subconsciously. Without even thinking about how we feel or how we are going to act, our nature guides us. Everyday, our thoughts and feelings are molded by things that we were born with and things we were raised with. Human Nature includes the parts of our conscience that we all have in common. We all are designed with the similar blueprints, and within these are traits, such as greedy, jealous, sympathetic, passionate, etc. We feel these things at times and it is not by choice. We are coded to have these as part of our lives, and that is Human Nature.
Since coming back from Ladakh, I have been thinking a lot of the Buddhist ideas on love. They believe that humans are drawn to attachment, that it is a vital part of love. They think this is why we tend to marry, that we must be legally bound to our partner of choice. Monks think that instead it is better to love everyone and everything equally. It reminds me of the saying that is often on posters with doves and sky backgrounds "if you love something, let it go if it comes back it is yours" Really? it is ours if it comes back???
Human nature is the way people act in their surroundings. They don't think about these actions it comes naturally to most. Different emotions, actions, perspectives in life.
Human Nature is people's behavior. How people interact with each other, their personality, their morals, their ideas, and how they act. It has a lot to do with not just one person, but with many people. Human Nature is the way we are. We're all similar but also very different. And everyone interacts and acts differently and that's what's so interesting about Human Nature. It's an interesting topic to study because it studies the social behavior of us humans.
I think human nature is one of the many phrases that can be defined in a number of different ways. For me, the blatantly obvious thing would be human nature is different tendencies that humans share across the globe, no matter where you are from. But it can be defined as so much more than that, as we saw from the "chalk talk" we partook in yesterday.
Defining words with words can be a tricky thing. The words human nature were created by humans, for humans. I find that the best way to define something is from the opposite perspective. In that sense, defining human nature would mean depending on another race to do so. In the present situation, (i.e. on this planet, in this country, typing in this computer lab), I find it harder and harder to define human nature from just one perspective. So I guess for me it completely depends on perspective in order to define it, or anything for that matter. Can a word not mean to different things depending on the context? That's what it's all about, the context. Where you are, how you were brought up, what opinions you have formed. Trying to boil a definition into a few simple words is a task not even the people who write the dictionary can perform. So I could continue to write, but there will never be just one way to define human nature, and I highly doubt the group of all of us in this classroom will choose one.
I believe that human nature are the characteristics that make up a person. The way a person deals with situations, the way a person learns about things, and the way a person sees the world. Human nature is the interaction between humans to any other species. I do not feel that human nature can be too controlled, because part of it is born within you. Drawing the line between why something happens and whether it is because of human nature or an individual opinion is a hard line to draw. How can you determine whether it is an individual idea or an aspect of human nature? Human nature is a vast understanding of how humans act and behave and it is interesting to see how that differs from individual ideas and thoughts.
human nature is the inherent way in which people respond to difficult situations. It is the instinctual emotions that people have. Often those are negative, hate, greed, distrust; but just as often they can be positive. I think it is human nature to be both kind and cruel.
To me, human nature is the reactions and emotions of everything we perceive in our lives. It also makes me think of the evolution of humans and our behaviors and what had caused us to develop the way we have.
Human Nature is what defines people as people. It is basically our feelings, what causes them, and how we react to them. these include everything from our basic needs to breathe and eat to emotions to our sense of right or wrong, pleasure or pain. it doesn't include tendencies toward things like preferring one food or another. those are our individual personalities, caused by what has influenced us. human nature is the ability to have those kinds of feelings at all.
I don't think your human nature is in ANY way related to other people, it's a solitary thing. It's what you do to survive, how you make decisions. I don't think you can compare any one persons human nature with another's. Everyone is different, leave it at that.
I don't really know how to explain human nature...i guess i would have to say that its the way people act. Like the way they go about things. How people react to different ideas and respond to things. Its definitely something thats hard to explain....
There is a lot we probably dnt know about human nature and reasons why we trust or love. But we are all similar in these ways. In other ways we are different. It this because of the environment or because of our genes? Perhaps we may never understand that part. But I do think that if we looked inside ourselves and understood our behaviors we could understand others'.
Human nature can mean something different to each of us. For some it may be religion, instinct, or even the way they react to a situation. Some may use this as an excuse for something they have done. For nearly all of us, survival is key. How each individual does this, on the other hand, shows their character. What kind of person they are, what strengths they have, as well as their weakness'.
I liked how Lui focused on a particular aspect of a particular group of people in her response. I liked that she asked us questions in response to the question. I don't think that it's necessarily yours based only on the fact that something, or someone possibly with the wedding?, returns to where it came from. I think that a lot of times there in an internal tug on people, and obviously also seen in animals through migration, to return from whence they came. I'm not sure if that's exactly an example of human nature, but does happen and my thoughts were provoked by the comment.
I thought that when Erika said "Kinda a way to justify everything we do when we feel like we can't help ourselves" it was very interesting. It's like a completely subconscious action or thought. Similar to the way a mother bear will attack anything that endangers a cub. Pure instinct.
My last comment was about a part of human nature but not what I think human nature is. My bad. I agree quite a bit with sixflagseeker. About the created by humans, for humans. Why should we be exhausting and picking apart this subject? When human nature is that in itself. Just nature. Not something to be questioned but rather lived.
I guess human nature is behavior and the way we act. And if thats so why go further into talking about it.
response to laura: I agree strongly with your point, and I think the actions people take at these points in their lives are also prominent in normal situations as well. I just think they are harder to spot, to pick out.
i agree with molly's statement "We're all similar but also very different" and some of us make judgments on other people differences. i believe that and lui's comment about the buddhists are part of human nature.
Human nature are actions that we take unconsciously. For example if someone that you know gets good grades, you might get jealous, even if you are not trying to. You are doing it unconsciously! Kara talks about people who have a conscience, but i believe that some people don't have a conscience. For example a person such as such as former financier, Bernie Madoff has no conscience. Stealing approximately 65 billion dollars from innocent clients could not happen if this man had a conscience.
Andrea's entry really interested me. Survival of the fittest is a huge part of Human Nature. We all have the capacity to protect our dignity and pride, but it's the way we fight that battle that determines what kind of person we are individually.
response to junybug93....def. agree this is a topic that is really hard to explain. There is so many varies way to describe human nature. In the way a religion act. In ways a country is run. How one acts in certain situations. The way people act day to day and what this world has come too. This topic has such a large number amount of idea that fall under this topic. I don't think it hard to explain because its a difficult topic to understand i think it is hard to explain because there are so many perspectives on this specific topic. F.S
In response to kia, I agree with your ideas that we are all born similarly with these common traits. But then there's always the question of why that is in the first place?
I think that Reece's post is really interesting. I also think that there is some truth to it. I'm sure that people around the world who have different backgrounds, come from different cultures and have different experiences have a huge spectrum of beliefs regarding what human nature is. In my opinion it is an idea that can never be fully understood. We may each have our own ideas about what human nature is but none of us can fully explain it or really even have the same idea.
Jimmy, I like your ideas, but I think that preferring one thing to another is human nature. And that when we were born there is a map in the DNA (part of human nature) that makes you more likely to enjoy sushi, for instance, and hating peas.
After reading everyone's opinion on what Human Nature means to them, I see similarities and many differences. One similarity is that mostly all comments mention "how human behave". Another I saw was that human nature is not necessarily something we can all control. As O Pedone said; "because part of it is born within you", which is something I, personally, completely agree with. And as you grow and learn more, your traits that directly reflect your "human nature" are added to and also lost. And also as six flag seeker said; "I highly doubt the group of all of us in this classroom with choose one", which I agree with as well.
From reading all of these entries, I find it very interesting that a lot of people tied in together that human nature is the way that people react to situations and how you become unique. I found benjamin7753's response very interesting. It was simple, but I agree with what he was saying. He mentioned that there are characteristics of human nature that we have but may not like, which I found very interesting. I agree strongly with this. But taking it one step farther, are there characteristics of human nature that we can break away from? Is there a way to change the human nature that is within us? Michael wrote: "People can blame conflicts or war on Human Nature, but I think that human nature is peace and prosperity." I believe that it is good to look at the positive things of human nature, but we cannot break away from the negative things as well. Like all things, you take the bad with the good and we cannot forget about the bad. Blocking away part of human nature isn't fair. We must accept all aspects of it.
In response to Michael, i disagree and agree with you in two ways. First of i do agree with you in the way that you said that human nature is the way that you feel inside, but i also feel like human nature can be the way we react to the situations and surroundings we are in. One last thing that I agree with is how you said that human nature is peace and prosperity. But i don't think that is the ONLY thing that human nature is. I think that a big part of human nature is to feel sad or mad. EM
In response to Ben's....I agree that hate, greed, and all the negative emotions we have are a part of human nature but I also think it's important to understand that we need to feel these emotions in order to appreciate the good aspects. To understand that balance is a huge part of human nature and without the negative there can't be positive.
in response to max i don't think DNA is part of human nature. I think that human nature is what makes us al similar whereas DNA is what makes us unique.
In response to Lui: Thats a good question...if you set something free...but then it comes back how are you suppose to know that it really is meant to be...like that you are meant to be with it...?
I strongly disagree with Molly's statement ("We're all similar but also very different"). Maybe not disagree, but I don't think you can compare one persons nature to another's. I also disagree with Jimmy, I don't think human nature has much to do with eating. It's simply actions any person takes, it's instinct. You cannot compare instincts. Like Kara said how we feel these things and cannot explain them. It's simply instinct and cannot be compared.
kara i understand what you say about the survival of the fittest, but what do you mean when you say this. These days people everywhere especially in the US survive regardless of disability and how "Fit" they are
Between the posts of Sam and Reece they talk a lot about how people with different backgrounds, cultures and experiences respond differently to whatever is placed in front of them. I think that the people of Omelas would think very poorly of the lives we lead, even here in Thetford, because they are so accustomed to their lives of freedom from evil thoughts and actions, living lives of pleasure and contentment. I think that many of us would respond differently to the "creature in the closet" than most of the inhabitants in Omelas because we have a different set of eyes so to speak from what we've grown up knowing.
i agree with what this "sixflagseeker" fellow. he or she seems to have an excellent grasp of the subject...i suppose. harrumph.
it is indeed true that human nature is what applies to all human beings across the world, excluding characteristics based on our cultures and other differences in our backgrounds. you also said "it's dificult to define words with words". On the contrary, i don't think those words of wisdom apply in this situation. human nature means what basically makes us human. i say.
The ones who walked away from Omelas shows the human nature of people. It shows it on how one reacts to seeing this child in captivity. The way they reacted is how they either stayed in this village or if they walked away. Their initial reaction to the situation at hand.
I agree with Laura almost completely in that human nature is instinctual and has nothing to do with eating, but is all about what people do, from the first quote, "between a rock and hard place". Go Laura.
I think Erika's response to me fits into the Omelas Story, because the people who walked away reacted to their surroundings. They thought, 'is all this wonder and happiness really worth it?' Some people obviously didn't and walked away because that is the least they could do for the poor child. And at least they can say, 'we didn't stay, even though we didn't help.'
i guess how you connect the two is that, we as humans learn to go with the crowd even though it may sometimes go against our better judgment, and that that is really because of human nature. We may convince our self that the reason we went against our morals is because we found logic in the contrary, when really, i think it's more that, because of our human nature, we subconsciencly figured it is easier to convince yourself of something you don't believe in rather than go against the grain.
I think that this comment made by Ben-"i believe that human nature is something that we don't always necessarily like, but we obviously have it anyway." connects to "Walking away from Omelas" because as soon as you see the child in the broom closet you are part of that secret and no matter if you walk or stay you have accepted that childs fate. No one feels good after see that child, and yet people keep on keeping on...
The Omelas reading showed a real conflict between greed and strong morals. The options are laid out as such: you either remain in a utopia and live a happy life at the expense of another, or knowingly leave that place and take a perilous journey to place with far more troubles all to rid yourself of the guilt acquired by wronging someone. It raises the question live for yourself or live for others with yourself in mind. Survival. Life is a competition, and the answer to the question "would you walk away?" shows how important it is to you to win
In response to laura, I agree. It is HUMAN nature not INSERT NAME HERE nature.
the connection that i made was the negative feelings that the child had that was locked up such as the fear that she had for the people that kicked her to make her get up, and the little amount of food and water they provided.
SW said in response to max that he doesn't think DNA is part of Human Nature. I would agree with that, but put in that "Human Nature" is a human construct. it's how we see ourselves as being defined. it exists only as an idea in our minds, whereas DNA is an actual physical object. DNA in a way leads to human nature because it produces people who can understand the idea of their human nature.
I think that the uniqueness has to go with how people respond to various situations that they're placed in. Not necessarily that human nature makes one person taller or smaller or happier or sadder but makes someone respond in a negative or positive manner. Possibly feel a specific emotion and I don't think that can be duplicated from person to person and in that way it makes human nature show how each person is unique.
In response to Laura, what I'm trying to say is that human nature leads to the way you handle situations. The way you handle situations is an aspect of being unique. I am not saying being unique is a direct aspect of human nature, but it is involved.
The short story "Omelas" has a lot to do with human nature in the sense that all the citizens living there sacrifice another human's life of happiness for their own. It's a perfect example of the greed and desperation people have in order to keep themselves happy or to keep what they want. However, you also see an example of human nature when you see the different ways people react once they have seen the child living in the basement. Most all of them had the basic instinct of guilt, yet some could manage to cope with it in order to keep living in abundance but some could not and had to walk away. It shows how everyone reacts differently and even though we all feel the same emotions and have to same instincts, the way we a nurtured is what makes our beliefs and values vary.
Omelas was an interesting story to me, especially when the young child was introduced. People were horrified to what was different to them, to the unknown, which in this case was the "defective" child. It's human to want to nurture, reach out and help one another, but this was not seen by all. The ones who wanted to help the child were persuaded otherwise, it would destroy the "perfect" city they lived among. Some ran away, ignored the child, others lived within, knowing what they were doing to the child. It's natural to want everything, in what they thought, to be "perfect." There was no confusion, that's just how the city was. Until you opened the basement door into the deserted tool room.
I think the idea of omelas is that it is a city filled with people who don't possess human nature I think the only time they showed any sign of human nature was when they were shown the child in custody, and there reaction was human nature. Then again I might have a completely different opinion in a few minutes.
Omalas showed a lot about human nature. Like how some people can see someone being treated in that way and think nothing of it. But then there are people who care and think about it for years...its just like amazing to me how different people can be
Like Sam said there's a lot of negativity to human nature, such as greed. And in Omelas it's pretty much greedy or self absorbed or SOMETHING like that that the people see this boy and choose their total happiness over his misery. But like Sam said there's also a lot of good, and I guess that is what all of the other citizens of Omelas get to experience. They are on two different ends of the spectrum.
I think that the ones who walk away from omelas shows both sides of human nature. On the one hand, there is the good of people who show disgust at the forced imprisonment and suffering of another human but it also shows how people use others for their own gain
After reading "Those Who Walk Away from Omelas", the story had an incredible amount to do with Human Nature. How certain people reacted to the child hidden under the city was mostly about, if not all about, their human nature. Some of the people that went to visit this child, that was miserable, alone, and neglected in this "three-pace" dark room, were able to walk out, knowing this injustice was happening, and go along with the everyday, "joyous" lives the Omelas lived that really was all fake and wrong. Their happiness was entirely based on this child. The city was overall, messed-up. They used this child as the basis of their happiness and made this child suffer for their own happiness. It has, like a lot of people have commented, to do with their conscience. Some of those people that did walk into that room and see the child, just walked away. Their human nature is how they act or respond to a situation and in this situation, they chose to walk away from the city. They could not and did not want to go along with the, again messed-up, unreal happiness. And to me, I would've walked away as well. And that is what human nature is, how I react is my human nature and in this situation, I would've walked away then and I would've walked away in the beginning. The perfection would seem off to me. And there is no way I would've been able to walk out of that room and live in that disturbed city and go along with the injustice of the child under the city. But there are others, like in the story, that would stay. And that is their human nature.
In response to Laura, the point I was trying to get across is that peoples human nature has to do with their actions and reactions to situations. And I believe that human natures can be compared because we ARE all different. And that directly influences someones human nature.
In the Omelas reading, there were all aspects of human nature to be tested. The people that walked, could not deal with the guilt of living in such a happy and "perfect" world knowing that underneath it was not that. The people that stayed, got over this and kept living their lives putting their own personal happiness before this. Reading all of these different entries, I can connect directly with the story. Everyone has a different opinion on where to draw the line and what is a personal decision and what is considered human nature. In Omelas, people had to make the decision whether to walk or not. Just like all these entries, people think very differently and it is just the question of where you draw the line. One person was not enough to make some people walk, just like people have different views on human nature. Maybe it is that human nature is the art of disagreement and we cannot break away from that. Maybe, we are supposed to disagree and that is why comparing definitions of human nature and views on the Omelas story is so interesting. Disagreement is what makes all of these things interesting.
i believe that human nature is something that we don't always necessarily like, but we obviously have it anyway. Greed, hate, and other qualities are all parts of human nature which I am sure most of us wish that we did not have.
ReplyDeleteHuman nature is the actions people take when they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is what people do when they don't know what else to do, the actions they take without thinking. It's the way people act in tough situations.
ReplyDeleteL.A.Y.
To me, human nature is why people act the way they do. The emotions that go along with an event or idea. The reactions to a person or place. Why there is a choice between flee or fight. Why one person would choose one option over the other. I think that human nature has to do with actions that people have no control over, instinctual actions. And actions that are thought about. Thoughtfully developed and then carried out. It's why there are no two of the same person, why there are opinions and controversies and uniqueness between all people.
ReplyDeleteHuman Nature means the way I am inside. Its the ideas I have and the stuff I want. People can blame conflicts or war on Human Nature, but I think that human nature is peace and prosperity.
ReplyDeleteML
i believe human nature means that the human element is involved. things can change. everything can vary.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure what I think about Human Nature. I guess its could be anything that people do, but put in the most simple way possible. Kinda a way to justify everything we do when we feel like we can't help ourselves. Or when you think about it, when we can. I guess, in a more defined term, everyone's thoughts, emotions, and reactions to a situation.
ReplyDeleteTo me, Human Nature is the way we as a species conduct ourselves subconsciously. Without even thinking about how we feel or how we are going to act, our nature guides us. Everyday, our thoughts and feelings are molded by things that we were born with and things we were raised with. Human Nature includes the parts of our conscience that we all have in common. We all are designed with the similar blueprints, and within these are traits, such as greedy, jealous, sympathetic, passionate, etc. We feel these things at times and it is not by choice. We are coded to have these as part of our lives, and that is Human Nature.
ReplyDeleteSince coming back from Ladakh, I have been thinking a lot of the Buddhist ideas on love. They believe that humans are drawn to attachment, that it is a vital part of love. They think this is why we tend to marry, that we must be legally bound to our partner of choice. Monks think that instead it is better to love everyone and everything equally. It reminds me of the saying that is often on posters with doves and sky backgrounds "if you love something, let it go if it comes back it is yours" Really? it is ours if it comes back???
ReplyDeleteHuman nature is the way people act in their surroundings. They don't think about these actions it comes naturally to most. Different emotions, actions, perspectives in life.
ReplyDeleteHuman Nature is people's behavior. How people interact with each other, their personality, their morals, their ideas, and how they act. It has a lot to do with not just one person, but with many people. Human Nature is the way we are. We're all similar but also very different. And everyone interacts and acts differently and that's what's so interesting about Human Nature. It's an interesting topic to study because it studies the social behavior of us humans.
ReplyDeleteResponse to: What is Human Nature?
ReplyDeleteI think human nature is one of the many phrases that can be defined in a number of different ways. For me, the blatantly obvious thing would be human nature is different tendencies that humans share across the globe, no matter where you are from. But it can be defined as so much more than that, as we saw from the "chalk talk" we partook in yesterday.
Defining words with words can be a tricky thing. The words human nature were created by humans, for humans. I find that the best way to define something is from the opposite perspective. In that sense, defining human nature would mean depending on another race to do so. In the present situation, (i.e. on this planet, in this country, typing in this computer lab), I find it harder and harder to define human nature from just one perspective. So I guess for me it completely depends on perspective in order to define it, or anything for that matter. Can a word not mean to different things depending on the context? That's what it's all about, the context. Where you are, how you were brought up, what opinions you have formed. Trying to boil a definition into a few simple words is a task not even the people who write the dictionary can perform. So I could continue to write, but there will never be just one way to define human nature, and I highly doubt the group of all of us in this classroom will choose one.
I believe that human nature are the characteristics that make up a person. The way a person deals with situations, the way a person learns about things, and the way a person sees the world. Human nature is the interaction between humans to any other species. I do not feel that human nature can be too controlled, because part of it is born within you. Drawing the line between why something happens and whether it is because of human nature or an individual opinion is a hard line to draw. How can you determine whether it is an individual idea or an aspect of human nature? Human nature is a vast understanding of how humans act and behave and it is interesting to see how that differs from individual ideas and thoughts.
ReplyDeletehuman nature is the inherent way in which people respond to difficult situations. It is the instinctual emotions that people have. Often those are negative, hate, greed, distrust; but just as often they can be positive. I think it is human nature to be both kind and cruel.
ReplyDeleteTo me, human nature is the reactions and emotions of everything we perceive in our lives. It also makes me think of the evolution of humans and our behaviors and what had caused us to develop the way we have.
ReplyDeleteHuman Nature is what defines people as people. It is basically our feelings, what causes them, and how we react to them. these include everything from our basic needs to breathe and eat to emotions to our sense of right or wrong, pleasure or pain. it doesn't include tendencies toward things like preferring one food or another. those are our individual personalities, caused by what has influenced us. human nature is the ability to have those kinds of feelings at all.
ReplyDeleteI don't think your human nature is in ANY way related to other people, it's a solitary thing. It's what you do to survive, how you make decisions. I don't think you can compare any one persons human nature with another's. Everyone is different, leave it at that.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know how to explain human nature...i guess i would have to say that its the way people act. Like the way they go about things. How people react to different ideas and respond to things. Its definitely something thats hard to explain....
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot we probably dnt know about human nature and reasons why we trust or love. But we are all similar in these ways. In other ways we are different. It this because of the environment or because of our genes? Perhaps we may never understand that part. But I do think that if we looked inside ourselves and understood our behaviors we could understand others'.
ReplyDeleteHuman nature can mean something different to each of us. For some it may be religion, instinct, or even the way they react to a situation. Some may use this as an excuse for something they have done. For nearly all of us, survival is key. How each individual does this, on the other hand, shows their character. What kind of person they are, what strengths they have, as well as their weakness'.
ReplyDeleteI liked how Lui focused on a particular aspect of a particular group of people in her response. I liked that she asked us questions in response to the question. I don't think that it's necessarily yours based only on the fact that something, or someone possibly with the wedding?, returns to where it came from. I think that a lot of times there in an internal tug on people, and obviously also seen in animals through migration, to return from whence they came. I'm not sure if that's exactly an example of human nature, but does happen and my thoughts were provoked by the comment.
ReplyDeleteI thought that when Erika said "Kinda a way to justify everything we do when we feel like we can't help ourselves" it was very interesting. It's like a completely subconscious action or thought. Similar to the way a mother bear will attack anything that endangers a cub. Pure instinct.
ReplyDeleteMy last comment was about a part of human nature but not what I think human nature is. My bad.
ReplyDeleteI agree quite a bit with sixflagseeker. About the created by humans, for humans.
Why should we be exhausting and picking apart this subject? When human nature is that in itself. Just nature. Not something to be questioned but rather lived.
I guess human nature is behavior and the way we act. And if thats so why go further into talking about it.
response to laura:
ReplyDeleteI agree strongly with your point, and I think the actions people take at these points in their lives are also prominent in normal situations as well. I just think they are harder to spot, to pick out.
i agree with molly's statement "We're all similar but also very different" and some of us make judgments on other people differences. i believe that and lui's comment about the buddhists are part of human nature.
ReplyDeleteHuman nature are actions that we take unconsciously. For example if someone that you know gets good grades, you might get jealous, even if you are not trying to. You are doing it unconsciously! Kara talks about people who have a conscience, but i believe that some people don't have a conscience. For example a person such as such as former financier, Bernie Madoff has no conscience. Stealing approximately 65 billion dollars from innocent clients could not happen if this man had a conscience.
ReplyDeleteAndrea's entry really interested me. Survival of the fittest is a huge part of Human Nature. We all have the capacity to protect our dignity and pride, but it's the way we fight that battle that determines what kind of person we are individually.
ReplyDeleteresponse to junybug93....def. agree this is a topic that is really hard to explain. There is so many varies way to describe human nature. In the way a religion act. In ways a country is run. How one acts in certain situations. The way people act day to day and what this world has come too. This topic has such a large number amount of idea that fall under this topic. I don't think it hard to explain because its a difficult topic to understand i think it is hard to explain because there are so many perspectives on this specific topic.
ReplyDeleteF.S
In response to kia, I agree with your ideas that we are all born similarly with these common traits. But then there's always the question of why that is in the first place?
ReplyDeleteI think that Reece's post is really interesting. I also think that there is some truth to it. I'm sure that people around the world who have different backgrounds, come from different cultures and have different experiences have a huge spectrum of beliefs regarding what human nature is. In my opinion it is an idea that can never be fully understood. We may each have our own ideas about what human nature is but none of us can fully explain it or really even have the same idea.
ReplyDeleteJimmy, I like your ideas, but I think that preferring one thing to another is human nature. And that when we were born there is a map in the DNA (part of human nature) that makes you more likely to enjoy sushi, for instance, and hating peas.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading everyone's opinion on what Human Nature means to them, I see similarities and many differences. One similarity is that mostly all comments mention "how human behave". Another I saw was that human nature is not necessarily something we can all control. As O Pedone said; "because part of it is born within you", which is something I, personally, completely agree with. And as you grow and learn more, your traits that directly reflect your "human nature" are added to and also lost. And also as six flag seeker said; "I highly doubt the group of all of us in this classroom with choose one", which I agree with as well.
ReplyDeleteresponse to benjamin, some people choose to ignore their (for those familiar with Disney films) Jiminy Cricket
ReplyDeleteFrom reading all of these entries, I find it very interesting that a lot of people tied in together that human nature is the way that people react to situations and how you become unique. I found benjamin7753's response very interesting. It was simple, but I agree with what he was saying. He mentioned that there are characteristics of human nature that we have but may not like, which I found very interesting. I agree strongly with this. But taking it one step farther, are there characteristics of human nature that we can break away from? Is there a way to change the human nature that is within us?
ReplyDeleteMichael wrote: "People can blame conflicts or war on Human Nature, but I think that human nature is peace and prosperity." I believe that it is good to look at the positive things of human nature, but we cannot break away from the negative things as well. Like all things, you take the bad with the good and we cannot forget about the bad. Blocking away part of human nature isn't fair. We must accept all aspects of it.
In response to Michael, i disagree and agree with you in two ways. First of i do agree with you in the way that you said that human nature is the way that you feel inside, but i also feel like human nature can be the way we react to the situations and surroundings we are in. One last thing that I agree with is how you said that human nature is peace and prosperity. But i don't think that is the ONLY thing that human nature is. I think that a big part of human nature is to feel sad or mad.
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In response to Ben's....I agree that hate, greed, and all the negative emotions we have are a part of human nature but I also think it's important to understand that we need to feel these emotions in order to appreciate the good aspects. To understand that balance is a huge part of human nature and without the negative there can't be positive.
ReplyDeletein response to max i don't think DNA is part of human nature. I think that human nature is what makes us al similar whereas DNA is what makes us unique.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Lui:
ReplyDeleteThats a good question...if you set something free...but then it comes back how are you suppose to know that it really is meant to be...like that you are meant to be with it...?
I strongly disagree with Molly's statement ("We're all similar but also very different"). Maybe not disagree, but I don't think you can compare one persons nature to another's. I also disagree with Jimmy, I don't think human nature has much to do with eating. It's simply actions any person takes, it's instinct. You cannot compare instincts. Like Kara said how we feel these things and cannot explain them.
ReplyDeleteIt's simply instinct and cannot be compared.
kara i understand what you say about the survival of the fittest, but what do you mean when you say this. These days people everywhere especially in the US survive regardless of disability and how "Fit" they are
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with Oriana, how would uniqueness be in any way involved in this???
ReplyDeleteBetween the posts of Sam and Reece they talk a lot about how people with different backgrounds, cultures and experiences respond differently to whatever is placed in front of them. I think that the people of Omelas would think very poorly of the lives we lead, even here in Thetford, because they are so accustomed to their lives of freedom from evil thoughts and actions, living lives of pleasure and contentment. I think that many of us would respond differently to the "creature in the closet" than most of the inhabitants in Omelas because we have a different set of eyes so to speak from what we've grown up knowing.
ReplyDeletei agree with what this "sixflagseeker" fellow. he or she seems to have an excellent grasp of the subject...i suppose. harrumph.
ReplyDeleteit is indeed true that human nature is what applies to all human beings across the world, excluding characteristics based on our cultures and other differences in our backgrounds. you also said "it's dificult to define words with words". On the contrary, i don't think those words of wisdom apply in this situation. human nature means what basically makes us human.
i say.
The ones who walked away from Omelas shows the human nature of people. It shows it on how one reacts to seeing this child in captivity. The way they reacted is how they either stayed in this village or if they walked away. Their initial reaction to the situation at hand.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Laura almost completely in that human nature is instinctual and has nothing to do with eating, but is all about what people do, from the first quote, "between a rock and hard place". Go Laura.
ReplyDeleteI think Erika's response to me fits into the Omelas Story, because the people who walked away reacted to their surroundings. They thought, 'is all this wonder and happiness really worth it?' Some people obviously didn't and walked away because that is the least they could do for the poor child. And at least they can say, 'we didn't stay, even though we didn't help.'
ReplyDeletei guess how you connect the two is that, we as humans learn to go with the crowd even though it may sometimes go against our better judgment, and that that is really because of human nature. We may convince our self that the reason we went against our morals is because we found logic in the contrary, when really, i think it's more that, because of our human nature, we subconsciencly figured it is easier to convince yourself of something you don't believe in rather than go against the grain.
ReplyDeleteI think that this comment made by Ben-"i believe that human nature is something that we don't always necessarily like, but we obviously have it anyway." connects to "Walking away from Omelas" because as soon as you see the child in the broom closet you are part of that secret and no matter if you walk or stay you have accepted that childs fate. No one feels good after see that child, and yet people keep on keeping on...
ReplyDeleteThe Omelas reading showed a real conflict between greed and strong morals. The options are laid out as such: you either remain in a utopia and live a happy life at the expense of another, or knowingly leave that place and take a perilous journey to place with far more troubles all to rid yourself of the guilt acquired by wronging someone. It raises the question live for yourself or live for others with yourself in mind. Survival. Life is a competition, and the answer to the question "would you walk away?" shows how important it is to you to win
ReplyDeleteIn response to laura, I agree. It is HUMAN nature not INSERT NAME HERE nature.
the connection that i made was the negative feelings that the child had that was locked up such as the fear that she had for the people that kicked her to make her get up, and the little amount of food and water they provided.
ReplyDeleteSW said in response to max that he doesn't think DNA is part of Human Nature. I would agree with that, but put in that "Human Nature" is a human construct. it's how we see ourselves as being defined. it exists only as an idea in our minds, whereas DNA is an actual physical object. DNA in a way leads to human nature because it produces people who can understand the idea of their human nature.
ReplyDeleteI think that the uniqueness has to go with how people respond to various situations that they're placed in. Not necessarily that human nature makes one person taller or smaller or happier or sadder but makes someone respond in a negative or positive manner. Possibly feel a specific emotion and I don't think that can be duplicated from person to person and in that way it makes human nature show how each person is unique.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Laura, what I'm trying to say is that human nature leads to the way you handle situations. The way you handle situations is an aspect of being unique. I am not saying being unique is a direct aspect of human nature, but it is involved.
ReplyDeleteThe short story "Omelas" has a lot to do with human nature in the sense that all the citizens living there sacrifice another human's life of happiness for their own. It's a perfect example of the greed and desperation people have in order to keep themselves happy or to keep what they want. However, you also see an example of human nature when you see the different ways people react once they have seen the child living in the basement. Most all of them had the basic instinct of guilt, yet some could manage to cope with it in order to keep living in abundance but some could not and had to walk away. It shows how everyone reacts differently and even though we all feel the same emotions and have to same instincts, the way we a nurtured is what makes our beliefs and values vary.
ReplyDeleteOmelas was an interesting story to me, especially when the young child was introduced. People were horrified to what was different to them, to the unknown, which in this case was the "defective" child. It's human to want to nurture, reach out and help one another, but this was not seen by all. The ones who wanted to help the child were persuaded otherwise, it would destroy the "perfect" city they lived among. Some ran away, ignored the child, others lived within, knowing what they were doing to the child. It's natural to want everything, in what they thought, to be "perfect." There was no confusion, that's just how the city was. Until you opened the basement door into the deserted tool room.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of omelas is that it is a city filled with people who don't possess human nature I think the only time they showed any sign of human nature was when they were shown the child in custody, and there reaction was human nature.
ReplyDeleteThen again I might have a completely different opinion in a few minutes.
Omalas showed a lot about human nature. Like how some people can see someone being treated in that way and think nothing of it. But then there are people who care and think about it for years...its just like amazing to me how different people can be
ReplyDeleteLike Sam said there's a lot of negativity to human nature, such as greed. And in Omelas it's pretty much greedy or self absorbed or SOMETHING like that that the people see this boy and choose their total happiness over his misery. But like Sam said there's also a lot of good, and I guess that is what all of the other citizens of Omelas get to experience. They are on two different ends of the spectrum.
ReplyDeleteI think that the ones who walk away from omelas shows both sides of human nature. On the one hand, there is the good of people who show disgust at the forced imprisonment and suffering of another human but it also shows how people use others for their own gain
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "Those Who Walk Away from Omelas", the story had an incredible amount to do with Human Nature. How certain people reacted to the child hidden under the city was mostly about, if not all about, their human nature. Some of the people that went to visit this child, that was miserable, alone, and neglected in this "three-pace" dark room, were able to walk out, knowing this injustice was happening, and go along with the everyday, "joyous" lives the Omelas lived that really was all fake and wrong. Their happiness was entirely based on this child. The city was overall, messed-up. They used this child as the basis of their happiness and made this child suffer for their own happiness. It has, like a lot of people have commented, to do with their conscience. Some of those people that did walk into that room and see the child, just walked away. Their human nature is how they act or respond to a situation and in this situation, they chose to walk away from the city. They could not and did not want to go along with the, again messed-up, unreal happiness. And to me, I would've walked away as well. And that is what human nature is, how I react is my human nature and in this situation, I would've walked away then and I would've walked away in the beginning. The perfection would seem off to me. And there is no way I would've been able to walk out of that room and live in that disturbed city and go along with the injustice of the child under the city. But there are others, like in the story, that would stay. And that is their human nature.
ReplyDeletewhat i meant by the reference to eating was that to be human means you need to eat and you feel emotions and urges like hunger.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Laura, the point I was trying to get across is that peoples human nature has to do with their actions and reactions to situations. And I believe that human natures can be compared because we ARE all different. And that directly influences someones human nature.
ReplyDeleteIn the Omelas reading, there were all aspects of human nature to be tested. The people that walked, could not deal with the guilt of living in such a happy and "perfect" world knowing that underneath it was not that. The people that stayed, got over this and kept living their lives putting their own personal happiness before this. Reading all of these different entries, I can connect directly with the story. Everyone has a different opinion on where to draw the line and what is a personal decision and what is considered human nature. In Omelas, people had to make the decision whether to walk or not. Just like all these entries, people think very differently and it is just the question of where you draw the line. One person was not enough to make some people walk, just like people have different views on human nature. Maybe it is that human nature is the art of disagreement and we cannot break away from that. Maybe, we are supposed to disagree and that is why comparing definitions of human nature and views on the Omelas story is so interesting. Disagreement is what makes all of these things interesting.
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