The Theories of Human Nature - Essay Example

The idea that human beings have an inherent sense of right and wrong has been debated since the dawn of our species. It is hotly debated in academic circles, talked about in nearly every religion known to man, and discussed at length within the family unit. There are several things to consider when debating this topic. Some say this is right and that is wrong but only one thing is for sure, we act not according to one truth or what was there rather we act according to what we think is the truth. We humans act according to what we thought of ourselves. If we change how we think and perceive things, we change how we act and behave. This, also have something to do with human needs and human wants.

"There are signals from inside, there are voices that yell out, 'By gosh this is good, don't ever doubt it!' This is a path, one of the ways that we try to teach self-actualization and the discovery of self. The discovery of identity comes via the impulse voices, via the ability to listen to your own guts, and to their reactions and to what is going on inside of you." (Maslow, 171).

"An important part of self-knowledge is being able to hear clearly these signals from inside." (Maslow, 176).

However, unknowingly but consciously, acting things that may seem part of humanity. These actions are part of a person by being a human. These actions and interactions are thus tagged into human nature or namely, human instincts. In such a case, consider a person in a community, one single person living in his typical community could not be called good or bad. A person’s attitude and character do not have something to do with a guide or something for him to follow his footsteps through, rather, a person’s character varies on his actions and interactions not minding society around him but with guidance to nature, with the guidance of himself being human, with guidance to human nature.

Regarding human nature, the debate between religion and nature takes place. The most recognizable debate is the one between evolution and creation. Charles Darwin created a theory that is widely accepted but also created a rift between the secular and spiritual lives of humans. On the one hand, many humans feel a certain sense of spirituality when faced with such large quandaries like space, the notion of time, and certain unexplainable physical phenomena. On the other hand, many questions have been answered using real natural experiments, and it leads our intellectual side to believe that more discovery and scientific study can eventually answer all major questions. This is another act of being human or having the influence of human nature, the realization of human instincts.