What is human nature? Is there such a thing?

Question

Does our nature lean more toward evil or good?

Answer 1

Nature is a word etymologically related to natal, as in being born.

Human nature refers to the intrinsic qualities any human is born with.

There's no good or evil in a new born child.

There's only innocence.

The rest is learned.

Answer 2

The nature of man WITHOUT God is this:

Now the works of the flesh [human nature] are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
(Galatians 5:19-21)

The nature of man WITH God is this:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23)

God bless you.

Answer 3

Every thing has its own nature. People are more complex than chairs or cars.

Evil is a concept created by humans, to determine whether certain behaviors or acts are "good" or "bad." We extend that concept to things, even though things are not intrinsically good or evil. A hurricane does what its nature requires it to do. A knife can be used to cure someone or to kill someone.

Answer 4

I think of human nature more as curiosity about life. People's natures vary, some based on up-bringing, and other's on what they've picked up from their peers. I do believe that there is good and bad in everyone.

Answer 5

The term Human nature refers to two things:
First are our animal instincts, which are controlled by our emotions. Behaviors like sexual promiscuity, gluttony, revenge killing, the drive to acquire material goods and money, even the decision to wage war are driven by these instincts. Sexual attraction leads to lust, which drives us to procreate, a natural animal instinct, that all animals have in order to perpetuate their species. Gluttony drives us to over consume because as animals, we have an intrinsic fear of when food will become available again. In much the same way, as animals we feel a need to hoard things that we believe are important for fear of some other animal getting them first or taking them from us. This leads to greed. And the drive to kill or wage war comes strictly from the instinctive fear of being killed by others who we compete with for resources.
The second part of human nature is our drive for civility, which is the opposing force of animal instincts. As intellectual beings, we realize that sexual promiscuity can have diverse effects on relationships, and can also be a health risk due to s.t.d.'s So our intellectual nature controls our animal emotions. We also intellectually realize that with a cooperative society, food can be available to everyone, and therefore we need not gorge ourselves every time we get the opportunity. And in the same vain, property can also be shared so that everyone can enjoy a good quality of life. As for killing, this seems to be the hardest to overcome. While most civil people have learned to suppress the urge to kill others through use of laws and systems of justice, old religions and belief systems still support old instincts that other people are a threat to us, and therefore we must wage war in order to keep them from trying to kill us.
Humans have struggled since the dawn of mankind to overcome our animal instincts through civility and intellect. This is the Human condition, this is human nature.

Answer 6

Humans have nature or essence. However, we are what we make ourselves. We make our existence and that's more important than our essence.

"Existence precedes essence." -Sartre

"Evil is injustice and imbalance." It's easier and more tempting to lean towards imbalance because it takes little or no effort. Being balanced, on the other hand, takes more effort and sacrifice. That's what Buddha preaches, having balance and moderation in everything.

Answer 7

Survival, is the simplest answer to this question. and yes human nature does exist.
Some do evil out of ignorance.
others out of aggression.
Our nature goes both ways depending on how we were raised and what our morals and values are.

Answer 8

human nature is a tendency of humans. like instinct.

I believe it to be bad natured. if you leave a group of people abandoned on an island, most likely, they'll kill eachother, rape eachother, whatever.

the only reason we haven't gone extinct is because somewhere along our social evolution we began to understand that if we allowed all that to go on, we'd all die.
we're also very orderly beings. I don't know how that started, but we seem to like written rules a lot. apparently we don't have those rules written into us. another reason I think that we're inherently bad.

Answer 9

Human nature, I believe, is self preservation and can lean either way to achieve this.

Answer 10

H/N is our behavioral patterns throughout history.

There is ABSOLUTELY such a thing.

Good- we'd be extinct by now if it wasn't.