Lesson 2: Human Nature

Group Members:
• Dave Bautista
• Reena Luisa G. Domino
• Yna Sophia B. Ostonal
CONTENT

Meaning of The Levels of

Rational Nature Human Nature

Meaning of Essence of The Parts of

Human Nature Human Nature Human Nature

2
Meaning of Human Nature

• In exploring the nature of

human beings, we tend to
choose one of the two
approaches.

3
• The 2 Approaches:
•Common Nature
- we look for characteristics that are shared by all
humans
•Proper Nature
- characteristics that are exclusively human
- meaning that they are not shared by other animals or
at least not in the same degree

4
 Approach Action Human Animals

Walk Y Y
Common Nature
Run Y Y

Speak Y N

Proper Nature Read Y N

Write Y N
• Man's common nature helps us
understand humanity in all of us
but its is not sufficient to help us
understand what it is about
human race. Thus, its is of equal
value to also know his proper
nature.
• Nature derived from the
Latin word natus which
means “born” or natura • ESSENCE is the quality or
which means “to be born qualities that make a thing
or being born” what it is

• Nature can only mean Make a thing what it is

essence
•According to Hernandez(as cited in Palmiano, 2010: 24)
essence may either be universal or individual:

• Universal Essence
- can be applied to each and every member of a class
regardless of individual differences existing
among them.
• Individual Essence
- comprises the essential and accidental qualities

•Accidental Features
- are those which differ among entities from the same class
i.e. age, color, intelligence or height
Meaning of Rational Nature

•Means a nature fundamentally

equipped for understanding
and freely choosing
•This does not indicate that a
being of rational nature can
think or will at any instant
• Rational means
• based on facts or reason not
emotion or feelings
• having the ability to reason or think
about things clearly
• Rational Nature is practically
synonymous with the word
“conscious”, “lucid”, or “normal”
• This kind of meaning suggests that one who is not “rational” is something
less than human
• This is especially so to the unborn child, the insane, more benighted sort
of criminal, the senile, the immature - ina word the “unfit”
• Rational Nature is more than knowing nature
•requires the internal and external senses

• Rational Nature requires the intellect

• Man is equipped with intellectual knowledge while animals are

equipped with sense-knowledge
• Sense-knowledge
• knowledge of concrete and individual things

• Intellectual Knowledge
• knowledge of senses
- expressed in the mind as concepts or ideas
• relations of essences
- expressed in the mind as judgement and reasoning
The Essence of Human Nature
1. Human Nature is Essentially Good.
His view asserts that evil is external to human nature, located primarily In the
environment, in the destructive forces through socialization and in the
complexity of living in an ambiguous world, Ausberg(1986).

Human nature is originally good because all men have minds which cannot
bear to see the suffering of others, Mencius(1996).
 Four Elements that Make Man, Man
 He must have a feeling of Commiseration - humanheartedness (jen)
 He must have a feeling of Shame and Dislike - righteousness (yi)
 He must have a feeling of Modesty and Yielding - propriety (li)
 He must have a feeling of Right and Wrong - wisdom (chi)
2. Human Nature is Essentially Evil
•Asserts that evil is within human and must be controlled by social controls,
religious beliefs and self-control.

•“Man by nature is evil”, Hsun Tzu(1996)

• Three Reasons:
• Men are born with love of gain and profit.
• Men are filled from birth with envy and hatred for others.
• Men, at birth, is endowed with the desires of the senses.

•“Humans are made so that they can act out of self-interest”, Moritz Schlick
(2005)
3. Human Nature is essentially neutral.
• This view asserts that man is neither good nor bad, but capable of both.
There is no ‘innate’ tendency either way. The moral capacity of a person is
shaped by education and guidance and in most cases the positive good will
result.

• “Man is partly good and partly bad. This is the reason why the history of man
is full of fiendish crimes, and, at the same time, is abounds with godly
deeds.”, Yang Hiuang

• For Watson (1930) all human behaviors could be reduced to two kinds of
reflex: the unconditioned and conditioned reflex.

• Human behavior is primarily shaped by what Skinner (2011) called operant

conditioning
•Galton (1869) argued that intelligence was a strict function of inheritance. The
better the genes, the stronger one’s mental function.

4. Human Nature is essentially both good and evil.

• Man is by nature “morally divided, ambiguous and contradictory.” All his
motivations are mixed and his values tainted with self-interest.
• According to Su Shih (as cited in The
Nature of Man, n.d.), man is not moral
nor immoral by nature, but unmoral.
Levels of Human Nature
According to Babor(2003), human nature has three-fold levels: Somantic level, Behavioral level, and
Attitudinal level

1. SOMANTIC LEVEL
• refers to the body, substance, constitution, or stuff of man and
secondarily to bodily structure, color, height, weight, etc., which are
conditioned by culture and environment.

2. BEHAVIORAL LEVEL
• refers to the mode of acting of every man.

3. ATTITUDINAL LEVEL
• refers to the mental reaction of every man to a given stimulus or the
position of every individual concering his opinion, feeling, or mood.
The Parts of Human Nature
According to Covey(2004), human nature has four magnificent parts: body, mind, heart, and spirit.

1. FOUR NEEDS
• These four parts of human nature also represent the four basic needs
and motivation of all people.

to live - survival
to love - relationships
to learn - growth and development
to leave a legacy - meaning and contribution
2. FOUR INTELLIGENCES

• Physical Intelligence (PQ)

• refers to the capacity of the body to run the vital system without
any conscious effort.

• Mental Intelligence (IQ)

• the ability to analyze, reason, think abstractly, use language,
visualize, and comprehend.

• Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

• one's self-knowledge, self-awareness, social sensitivity,
empathy and ability to communicate sucessfully with others.
 • Spiritual Intelligence (SQ)
• the glue that holds the other three intelligence together and it
“represents one's drive for meaning and connection with the
infinite.”

3. FOUR ATTRIBUTES
(The attributes that great leaders possess.)

• Vision
• seeing with the mind's eye what is possiblein people, in projects,
in causes and in enterprises.
• Discipline
• paying the price to bring that vision into reality.

• Passion
• the fire, the desire, the strength of convictionand the
drive that sustains the discipline to achive the vision.

• Conscience
• the inward moral sense of what is right and what is
wrong, the drive toward meaning and contribution.
Consider a few notable leaders from modern history who ruled the world and wh possess three
common attributes: vision, discipline, and passion

Margaret Thatcher
was the first female leader of a
major inductrial nation. She served three
terms as prime minister of Great Britain.
She was passionate about urging people to
assume the discipline of personal
responsibility, building self-reliance, and
bolstering free enterprise in her country.
George Washington
had the vision of building a new
nation, united, and free from foreign
interference. He displined himself to learn
how to recruit, supply, and keep people
from diserting the Revolutionary Army. He
was passionate about the cause of liberty.
Mother Teresa
dedicated herself wholeheartedly,
freely, and uncoditionally to the service of
the poor. She bequeathed her highly
disciplined upholding of the vows of
poverty, purity, and obedience upon her
organization, which has both grown and
strengthened even since her passing.
Nelson Mandela
the former president of South Africa,
spent almost 27 years in prison for fighting
against the apartheid regime. He could
envision a world far beyond the confines of
his experience and memory, which
included imprisonment , injustice, tribal
warfare, and disunity.
Mohandas K. Gandhi
was intrumental in establishing India
as an independent state though the never
held an elected or appointed office. He had
no formal position form which to lead the
people. Ghandi's moral authority created
such a strong social and cultural norms
that it ultimately shaped political will. He
governed his life by an awareness of a
universal conscience that resided within
the people, the international community,
and the British themselves.
THANK YOU