Human Nature Essay

A: Human nature. A topic that has risen in high debate for years. Some argue humans are naturally evil, while others think humans are naturally moral and altruistic.
C: In a world moving so fast, always obsessing over the next big thing, it is hard to determine whether we are naturally good or immoral. It is extremely difficult to tell whether our surroundings make us the way we are or if it is our natural wants and desires. There are many ways to examine human morality and behavior that is demonstrated at various stages of the human experience.
T: Man shows more aspects of being naturally moral, rather than being naturally evil. And there are many things that suggest this; age, society, and the way people act in high alert situations.
S: Natural morality. It is everywhere. There is bad in the world, but the bad were brought into this world inbred with goodness. Outside factors can change a human’s good nature, but it is not brought upon by how we were nurtured. To start things off, age is one of the leading factors in determining whether human nature is altruistic or immoral. It is extremely difficult to determine whether it is good or bad: “The only way to know for sure of course, is to ask a baby” (60 minutes video). For example, in the 60 minutes video, a randomly selected group of babies were shown a puppet show displaying good and bad human nature. In this puppet show, a puppet kept trying to open a box, but failed to do so each time. Then came along two dogs, one representing immoral human nature, and the other representing good human nature. The puppet showing bad human nature would slam the box shut every time the first puppet would try to open it, while the other dog would help the puppet open the box. Shortly after this, the babies were asked to choose between the good dog who helped the puppet open the box, or the bad dog that slammed the box shut. More than ¾ of the babies tested chose the dog who helped out. Furthermore, this is a valid representation of good human nature because it truly shows at a very early age that their is a tendency to gravitate to altruistic decision-making. It is clear that in the beginning stages of human development there is underlying good human nature that is reflected in outward disposition. When examining the aftermath of the puppet show, the baby waits a couple of seconds, and although he/she cannot speak, they reach for the good puppet. To pursue this further, an article from the Smithsonian Mag website, Are Babies Born Good?, Paragraph 9, suggests “Babies don’t reliably control their bodies or communicate well, if at all, so their opinions can’t be solicited through ordinary means.” Having said this, this clearly shows that human nature is righteous and good because babies have not yet gone through experiences in their lives that impact their natural being. Therefore, they are not impacted by their societal surroundings meaning that they have inherently good nature. Although I concede that from the start of a human’s lifespan that naturally good signs are shown, a different point of view can be brought into perspective. In the 60 minutes video, children were given a series of choices between tokens. There was a choice between keeping more tokens for themselves, or giving more tokens to a child they were told was coming later. For each token they had collected they would be rewarded with a prize. In younger children around the ages 5-7, they would often choose the greater amount of tokens. But when the children between the ages of 9-10 were asked to choose between the greater or the lesser amount of tokens, most chose to give more to the unknown child over themselves. With all of this, a certain quality is being shown as a naturally inbred sense of kindness and generosity. Although the smaller children mostly chose the selfish amount of tokens, the older children chose the selfless amount of tokens. This shows that after experiencing different stages of life, that true goodness will dominate immorality. At some points in life, selfishness can be shown, but in the end, selflessness always takes control. Overall, concluding that good human nature is inbred into us throughout life.
CAUSE AND EFFECT On the other hand, the effects of society are what make people consider human nature to be naturally evil, rather than naturally altruistic. In the article How Society Affects the Behavior of Children, Paragraph 11, Dutta states “Social development of a child is influenced by many factors in his family. Early concepts of the child are formed in the family. These early concepts influence his future social behavior. If the family respects the social norms and accepts them, then the child also becomes a social being acquiring all positive social qualities.” With this in mind, human nature is clearly affected by society and the people you are surrounded with as you begin to develop. Humans are all born good, and whether the social norm or societal expectations of a certain region are good or bad is dependent on what “everyone else likes” or “what’s new and popular.” In the same light of the previous information, society has changed drastically over time. According to the article, What changes in American society have created new issues for the government to address?, technological changes are “the most volatile aspect of American society these days is the rate of technological growth...” Over the years, technology has been taken to a whole new level. Everywhere a person looks they are more than likely to see a person actively using a cellphone. Technology has become a major part of society, and it seems that some have even become attached to these devices. This aspect of society has affected people socially and is a key part of why human nature is often transformed from being naturally good to evil. Many consider humans to be naturally evil without even analyzing the reasons (which often are effects from society versus’ being naturally immoral). To continue this idea, music is one of the most negative effects on society (especially on young adults). In the article, Negative Aspects of Music, Vivian Razetto states, “Sexuality is a part of being human; but in music videos, it is human nature carried to the extremes. The documentary video Dream Worlds shows how women are dehumanized in music videos. Women are denied subjectivity and simply being thought of only body parts.” Considering the fact that music has become some of the biggest parts in peoples lives, the lyrics and videos are extremely impactful. Razetto argues that “human nature is carried to the extremes.” This shows a major cause effect relationship between society and human nature. All humans are born naturally good, but the negative impacts from society are what can break the natural altruism that humans are born with. So to sum things up, the effects of society is what creates destructive and immoral human nature, but humans are born naturally good. Last of all, in times of need, the way people will naturally react is a true reflection of whether human nature is moral or immoral. For example, on April 15th, 2013, tragedy struck many of the thousands of runners in the Boston Marathon. Two home-made bombs exploded at the finish line, killing 3 and injuring more than 150 people. Ward says “countless people ran not away from the blasts but towards them...they simply saw others in need and immediately rushed to help.” (What Boston Showed us about Human Nature, Paragraph 2). This evidence shows that people knew their own lives could be put at stake, but instead of saving themselves went to save others. This is a true example of natural altruism because without the thought even crossing their minds that they could die, they put strangers, people they did not know, before them. In the same way, Vicki Soto, a 27-year old first grade teacher did “one of the most selfless things imaginable.” In the Sandy Hook School Shooting, Soto jumped in front of the corner she had her students huddled in when the gunman opened fire, dodging bullets from hitting the students (Sandy Hook Teacher Vicki Soto Dies While Protecting Students, Fox News). This goes to show how human nature is naturally moral because when other other people’s lives are clearly at risk, people will step up and take the fall for many, even if it means they will face death. Adding to that, another outstanding example supporting inbred goodness is when on September 11, 2001 when the 2 planes crashed into the world trade centers, 341 firefighters perished fighting to save the lives of many. (Emergency Workers killed in the September 11 attacks, Wikipedia). 9/11 was a serious tragedy that will never be forgotten, and the hundreds of people who fought to help save the people affected by the damage, are the ones who show what natural altruism truly is. To wrap things up, in high alert situations, the good human nature inbred into each and every human will shine through.
S: To reemphasize, goodness is inbred into humans from the day they are born.
T: All humans are naturally altruistic in perspective of age, society, and the way people act in times of need.
A: Human nature is a topic that has been debate in years. It is our nature that is good, but our nurture that can make us evil.
C: So it is up to people to decide whether to be selfish or selfless.