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By William R. Jones
"The beginning of wisdom is a definition of terms" a quote attributed to Socrates. By defining things agreeably we are able to discuss and communicate about things. "Human nature" is an expression whose meaning is in continual contestation and in somewhat of uproar debate to this day.
Doing without the jargon and made-up expressions of those whose pursuit is in a specialty field, especially philosophers and sociologists, whether or not they be "human nature" enthusiasts or skeptics; I prefer the accepted dictionary meaning as opposed to others' inventive opinions and dozens of ad hoc theories across disciplines. Nevertheless, you may wish to peruse the 2018 book titled, "Why We Disagree About Human Nature," edited by Elizabeth Hannon and Tim Lewens with chapter contributions by world-distinguished academicians. Lewens poses in his overview introduction, "Is human nature something that the natural and social sciences aim to describe, or is it pernicious fiction?" You decide.
With that said, I give you this meaning: the common qualities, fundamental dispositions and traits (both good and bad) of all human beings. In other words what humans are usually like and why they behave in the way they do.
My present thinking and comments were initially induced by a conversation with my older sibling when I had asked him why do many people exhibit and submit to unconstrained behavior, especially those violent actions that harm and take other people's lives. Aside from any medical disorder causing abominable lunacy, his response was "human nature." His leaning was toward a flaw in our species with genetic and environmental dominance. My rebuttal was that we could indeed change the behavior of "human nature," in spite of the genes versus environment impact of socio-cultural aspects. The patterns of human nature are cerebral and voluntary exercises; alternative (perhaps opposite) patterns of human nature are visceral volitional actions.
So, exactly, what are some of the characteristics of human nature? I begin with some of the age-old vices and virtues which you are familiar with. I list them in an antonymic manner, although not absolute: envy-kindness, gluttony-temperance, greed-charity, lust-chastity, pride-humility, sloth-diligence, wrath-patience. Surely, you can come up with others.
I often say that it is much easier to do the wrong thing rather than the right thing. No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good. People have the power to make themselves what they please, and we must beware of those who attempt to make others as they please. Yes, "Know thyself," but "Know others" also.
Thus, if you have a vice, I believe you can rid yourself of it. If you have a virtue, then you must guard it, lest you lose it. We must subordinate our appetites; as Charles Dickens did have one of his characters speak: "Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human nature." The quarrel within us is our infective disease. How to recover from the divide within of the two antonymic traits not being "at home" together? We must be sure when feeding the wolves within us, that we feed the good wolf the more!
The author (wrjones@vsu.edu) published the novella "Beyond Harvard" and presently teaches English as a second language.
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