Will the Real Human Nature Please Stand Up?

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   GA Andersonposted 4 years ago

   Human nature is one of my favorite topics. If you have a few minutes to spare I think is an interesting short read.
   
   Will the Real Human Nature Please Stand Up?
   
   "“Is man no more than this,” King Lear famously asks as he stands exposed in the tempest, watching the wretched figure of “Poor Tom” writhing in the mud at his feet. Lear’s question is ironic because he asks it in ignorance of the fact that “Poor Tom” only appears as a beggar but is actually the noble Edgar, son of the Earl of Gloucester. Extreme circumstances have forced Edgar to put on the disguise of a madman struggling to survive in nature. Extreme circumstances, and especially life and death ones, have a way of uncovering who a person really is.
   . . .
   "So what is the picture of human nature we find emerging in this revealing moment of history? What does philosophy have to teach us here? For starters, we must own up to certain unflattering images. There are the hoarders: those who have greedily amassed basements full of toilet paper and antibacterial soap which leave the rest of us scrambling. Or worse, there are those who had the foresight to buy gallons of hand sanitizer and now profiteer on Amazon by selling it for $50 a bottle. There are the groups of people playing basketball or picnicking on a beautiful spring afternoon when the rest of us are at home trying to ignore spring fever in order to fend off the more dreaded one. Then there are stories of people stockpiling guns and ammunition, preparing for an even uglier side of self-centeredness. As resources grow scarcer and the economy declines, patience and the semblance of civic manners might give way to chaos.
   
   These selfish, fearful, and aggressive impulses sketch a picture of human nature Thomas Hobbes would recognize and affirm. The fear of the war of all against all—every man for himself—is precisely the reason, Hobbes thought, one would sacrifice freedom for personal security. The prospect of a Leviathan-like state may seem monstrous at first, but at least life and limb are intact."
   
   GA

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      PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      That was an interesting read. I have always felt sympatico with Aristotle's view that it is human nature to pursue happiness, happiness being  the pursuit of excellence which naturally results in the development of both moral and intellectual virtues. I also think one's basic human comforts must be met before that becomes truly possible. And I consider "comforts" to be more than just physical ones like shelter, warmth, and food but also love and a sense of belonging to family and community.

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         GA Andersonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         I agree with the point about it being human nature to pursue personal happiness, but I think it is a stretch to say that same human nature gives weight to that pursuit being through moral and intellectual excellence.
         
         I think Aristotle nailed it, except that he may have been too utopian relative to ordinary man's motives.
         
         I also think the proof of his difference from ordinary men was his acceptance of his death sentence when many of his acolytes were begging him to renounce his principles to live.
         
         I think you also nailed it when you spoke to our human comforts needing to be met before we could be true enough to pursue Aristotle's observations.
         
         GA

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      Eastwardposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      That is an interesting and short read, GA. One has to wince looking around at the levels of extreme selfishness and corruption, especially during a crisis. It doesn't seem to take a lot to lift the thin veil of civilized society and show true human nature. American society is loosely bound to begin with and "every man for himself" is lauded with religious fervor (as long as the well-off are a protected exception).
      
      Perhaps there is some small glimmer of hope in people that at least have the desire to improve. That's the lesson the bishop in this story, which evokes King Lear in some ways, tried to put forth:
      
      https://www.deseret.com/2013/11/27/2053 … -on-nov-24

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         GA Andersonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         That was an excellent link Eastward. I enjoyed reading it. And I also felt a bit chastised because I may be as guilty as some of his congregation members were.
         
         I am sure that my day to day attitude will change now because of that guilt. Thanks.
         
         Back to the OP. You speak of a "thin veil" and I agree. I frequently describe our, (human society), humility and civility to be like the layers of an onion. With each layer being a layer of security that allows us to be better humans. But, as you peel away those layers of security, (like this virus is doing), you get closer and closer to the caveman in all of us.
         
         PrettyPanther also put it nicely; Humans become more moral and more civil as their own personal needs and comforts are met. Until then, we all have differing degrees of that dog-eat-dog perspective.
         
         GA

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            Eastwardposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks for checking out that link. That one certainly stuck with me (since 2013). It's a brilliant strategy that I think would work well with just about any religion or moral-based organization. I also appreciate you being on the side of willing to strive to be better. I need to be more conscious of that myself.
            
            I hope as those layers of the onion peel away, we can see how those with less security may not always behave exactly as we'd prefer. Well stated points on your part and PrettyPanther's as well.

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      Randy Godwinposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Happiness is a closet full of toilet paper.  That's the moral of this story, Gus. A clean butt is a happy butt, in other words, simple things for simple people.

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      gmwilliamsposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Humans are part spiritual & part animal.  However, throughout history, the animal, even bestial nature of humankind reared its head..  Humans are capable of the most elevated but also the most cruel acts imaginable.  The gulags & concentration camps come to mind.   Humankind demonstrates its true nature during crises.   There are some people who are godlike during crises, helping  & looking out for others while there are some who will kill others for their own survival.   One author, a Polish concentration camp survivor stated that life is like a concentration camp-with the strongest ruling & the weakest being at the continual mercy of the strongest.   Humankind so far have demonstrated its animalistic, even bestial nature.  There are very few humans who demonstrate their spiritual nature.

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