Category: Human Nature

Aphra Behn lived between 1640 and 1689. He is most known for his popular novel titled Oroonoko that was written in 1688 based on his trip to Surinam. First, he underscored the fact that he was a famous author by going against the ideas of Aristotle on fiction. Aristotle perceived fiction as an imitation of nature.

He was of the view that there is a difference between fiction and history because the latter is concerned with what should be happening while the former is simply a collection of events implying that it does not have a begging and an end. The author is against slavery because it was dehumanizing and discriminative in nature.

Traders in Ghana were simply concerned with accumulating wealth without necessarily considering the nature of business and its effects on the society. Based on this, he was of the view that human beings are always calculative because they work so hard to satisfy their needs without considering the wishes and the desires of others (Behn 37).

Even though the narrator went against the views of Aristotle on fiction, he appreciated the fact that hierarchy exists among human beings whereby the monarchy does not want its power to be interfered with in society. In his view, legitimate authority should be derived from the people since the powers of the monarchs are always destructive because they are used in a way that is inconsistent with the demands of the majority.

Behn published his works at the time when Britain was undergoing constitutional reforms, with King Charles I trying to bring in a constitutional monarch, but with no success. Hobbes published his works on the Leviathan soon afterwards when the monarch was restored.

The views of Behn on governance and human nature were based on the Aristotelian writings. Aristotle had advised that politics is illogical since society is organized in the same way as the family and each unit is assigned a specific role to play.

Therefore, hierarchy should be respected because family members cannot have similar powers, as the father is often considered the head of the family while the mother is charged with the role of taking care of the family members.

Based on this, it is noted that Behn expected society to be stratified based on gender, age, and social position meaning that the most powerful should be given the role of leading while the less privileged should respect the authority and support it. For Hobbes, the existence of a strong centralized government was preferred, but its leaders had to be elected directly by the citizens (Hobbes 22).

In other words, Hobbes supported a democratic system of government whereby the majority should be allowed to rule, but the minority should have a say. In his novel, Behn suggested that Prince Oroonoko had to be given special treatment, even though he was a slave.

In this case, the prince will never lose his powers, irrespective of whether he is in jail or not. In his view, a leader will always remain a leader even when conditions are extreme, something that goes against democracy, which suggests that power has to be shared equally (Schmitt and Schwab 88).

The novel promotes monarchy and the status quo as demonstrated in one of the scenarios where he separates Oroonoko from the rest of slaves.

The author defended the culture of the Coromanti people who were viewed in other places as uncivilized barbarians. This was mainly because they engaged in trade and accepted multilingualism. The region was not colonized because its people were aware of their rights. Slaves were acquired through war, but its people never sold their sons and daughters to foreigners.

Once captured, slaves would be treated in the same way as animals because they were considered prisoners of war. In this regard, human nature was brutal and inconsiderate because it was indifferent to the sufferings of others, something that Hobbes agreed with because he also noted that life in the state of nature is short-lived and nasty, as there is no Leviathan to unite and lead people.

Human needs drive an individual to act either positively or negatively, and if appetites are not quenched, chances are high that an individual will feel pain (Iwanisziw and Southerne 59). Therefore, human beings are always under pressure to overcome desires.

An individual acts according to his or her beliefs, principles, and values. In this case, human beings are free to do as they desire and any attempt to control them would result to resistance. Unlike Behn, Hobbes disapproved the monarchs and preferred a democratic government because it represents the interests of the majority.

However, Benh shares his view on the selfishness of human beings because they always play a zero sum game whereby another person loses for the other to gain. The comparison has both ethical and cultural implications because it expresses the views of two great writers on the human nature and politics. For instance, they help in explaining what ought to be done in the political arena.

Works Cited

Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko or the Royal Slave. Boston: MobileReference.com, 2010. Print.

Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2011. Print.

Iwanisziw, Susan, and Southerne, Thomas. Oroonoko: Adaptations and Offshoots. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2005. Print.

Schmitt, Carl, and Schwab, George. The Leviathan in the State Theory of Thomas Hobbes: Meaning and Failure of a Political Symbol. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008. Print.

Introduction

The global and long-standing interest in the genre of science fiction can be explained by not only unbelievable and impressing products of authors imagination but also valuable reflections on social aspects of the modern world and psychological analysis of characters. Sci-Fi stories can be seen as stories about our world, not an imaginary one, but told in a manner that sheds new light on society and human nature. Many such stories, such as George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four, became formidable warnings to humanity on what ways not to follow in its development, and science fiction remains a source of inspiration for people who wonder what will happen to humankind in the future. In China today, there are many science fiction writers, and they have been rather prolific, and the diversity of sci-fi in China be quite surprising for a Western reader. I have chosen to explore three sci-fi stories Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang, The Fish of Lijiang by Chen Qiufan, and Tongtongs Summer by Xia Jiafor the themes of society, human nature, and technological development in the nearest future. I will argue that these works demonstrate the differences between science fiction authors attitudes toward the future: while some are pessimistic and describe how technological development will make social problems even worse, others are optimistic and believe that technologies will make the lives of people easier and more enjoyable.

Folding Beijing

Jingfang paints a dreadful picture of the future where social inequality has risen to the point where the society is split into three parts, and the differences among them are emphasized in the most vivid way one can imagine: some get to enjoy being on the surface of the planet for a long time, while others are buried underground and only get to the surface for a short period during the night to work and process large amounts of waste. Traveling across Spaces, i.e. the three categories of people who possess strikingly different privileges and are not supposed to interact on the surface are strictly regulated. However, Qin, a student from the Second Space, falls in love with a girl from the First Space (the most privileged part of the society) and pays a worker from the Third Space (the least privileged part) to pass a message to her.

This is an indication of the beautiful human nature that makes it through the boundaries of society even when they are as grotesque as depicted by Jingfang. Another aspect of the story that I found insightful is that this worker, Lao Dao, the novelettes main characters, ultimately discovers that it is possible to implement new technology and thus reduce the amount of waste and pollution, but even though it would contribute to the common well-being and rid the people of the Third Space of their hard and dangerous labor, it is not done. As it is explained to Lao Dao, if the technology is implemented, there will be major consequences. Your process wont need workers, so what are you going to do with the tens of millions of people who will lose their jobs? (Jingfang 36). Maintaining the inequality, this society has reached a deadlock, and it only multiplies its miseries. Jingfang shows a world where outstanding technological achievements have not helped people create a better society but only deteriorated the existing injustice.

The Fish of Lijiang

Similarly, the future described by Chen Qiufan in The Fish of Lijiang is rather not the one you would want to live in. It is a commercialized, soulless world. But most frighteningly, it is a world with no free choice. Or, on the other hand, it can be said that choices a person faces there are too abundant, but they ultimately turn out deceitful and illusory. The main character of the story, while sitting by a channel and staring at fish, gets to think about life and suddenly feels an intense jealousy of these fish. Their lives are so simple, so pure. Theres only one directionagainst the current. They do not have to hesitate, overwhelmed by an endless array of choices (Qiufan).

However, by the end of the story, the character realizes that the only choice that can be made is to have a soda, a coffee, or a tea. Similarly to Jingfangs idea, this is a reflection of the incompatibility of human nature with any regulated social system that fails to recognize people as living creatures that have desires and aspirations. The main character wonders if living in a different world would be more satisfying, or a man is never content with what he has (Qiufan), but I think it can be said that in some societies a person is yet more content with what they have than in other societies. The society of the future described by Qiufan falls into the latter category, as it is strictly regulated, and technological development has rid it of opportunities for free self-expression, which is a fundamental and necessary condition for a human being to be satisfied with his or her life.

Tongtongs Summer

Against the background of these two stories, the story told by Jia looks more optimistic. Perhaps, because it is told by a child who has very warm feelings for her grandfather. More importantly, however, it is suggested in the story, from the perspective of a little girl who is surely predisposed to seeing good things in everything and expecting the best, that the future, as it will bring improved technologies, will help people by alleviating their suffering. Ah Fu, a caretaker robot, is convenient and effective in terms of providing care to people who are injured, feeble, or unable to take care of themselves for a different reason. The storys main character thinks that having caretaker robots in the future will allow people to live their lives more fully, which is important because, as the little girl thinks, The summer isnt over yet. There are so many fun things to do (Jia), which is an appealing symbol of hope.

Optimism and Pessimism on Technological Development

The issue of the direction of technological development has been one of the main themes in science fiction. Mesmerized by the potential of technologies we can see today, sci-fi authors wonder if this development is a good or a bad thing. On the one hand, technologies are capable of promoting economies, as more goods and services will be produced and consumed, but on the other hand, it is recognized that economic development does not guarantee a better life for people. Even when people learn to fold cities and build gigantic structures to enable this, as in the story by Jingfang, it will not indicate any humanistic progress because some people will still be living in terrible conditions, and inequality will be aggravated. This process will be driven by greed, as described by Qiufan. However, if there is a different driving force, such as helping people who are ill or underprivileged, then the technological development will be associated with the creation of tools for alleviating peoples sufferings and making them happierthis is the hope for beneficial development addressed by Jia.

Conclusion

While some sci-fi authors are concerned about the future, as they predict the worsening of existing social problems, others are excited about it because they believe that technological advancements will make the lives of people easier and more enjoyable. Both perspectives are valuable because they help us gain an insight into what humanity should strive for in its development. I think what many sci-fi authors all over the world are trying to tell us is that the evaluation of technological development should be based not on the measuring of the complexity of tasks that can be accomplished with new technologies (such as folding large cities) but on the consideration of how new technologies address social problems and contribute to the well-being of certain individuals and whole societies.

Reflection on Revising the Essay

This revision was a valuable experience because I got to turn exploration into an argument. I was initially required to reflect on a few sci-fi stories, and then to revise my writing to introduce a position in it, i.e. something I needed to claim and support by the evidence from the stories I read. It was easy to pick a position, as certain thesis statements kept occurring to me when I was exploring the stories, but what was hard is applying the position to all three stories because they are rather different. To find similarities and common themes, I needed to see a bigger picture instead of only regarding the details of the stories. The choice I had during the revision was whether to tell more about the stories or to provide more ideas of my own that supported my argument, and I chose the latter option because I would like the reader, even if he or she did not read the stories, to join the conversation by sharing his or her thoughts on the connections between technological development and the improvement of society.

Works Cited

Jia, Xia. Tongtongs Summer.Clarkesworld, Web.

Jingfang, Hao. Folding Beijing. Uncanny Magazine, vol. 1, no. 2, 2015, pp. 7-45.

Qiufan, Chen. The Fish of Lijiang.Clarkesworld, Web.

Introduction

Written by William Cronon, Changes of Lives regards the topic of the ecological history of the New England landscape during the colonist period. The author concentrates on the ecological history of this region and presents the opinion that the New England landscape was predominantly formed in the 17-18^th centuries (Cronon 2003). He highlights that while exploring the changes of the ground, it is possible to reveal some details about the human activity (Cronon 2003). Despite a widely-spread point of view that people and their activity has a significant influence on the land formation and surrounding environment, William Cronon promotes a new position (Cronon 2003). The author claims that comparing to the consequences of peoples lifestyle, non-human nature has no less considerable impact on general human activity.

The Impact of Natural Conditions on Routine

First of all, it is essential to mark that during the colonist period, when Europeans arrived in New England, they understood that the land in this region is full of different profits. In hopes of becoming richer and more prosperous, more Europeans were motivated to move to this area. The land of New England was full of various commodities, and it was diverse in the context of its biological content. In addition, it should be mentioned that it was abundant and fertile (Cronon 2003). A wide range of animal species resided there, as well as rich forests, which were a part of its environment (Cronon 2003). Therefore, people had excellent conditions for successful hunting and agriculture. In addition, all the commodities given by nature contributed to the development of trade and economics during the colonial period.

However, the general climate was different from the European one. Previously, many thousand years before the arrival of Europeans, this area was referred to as the glacial tundra. By the time when the colonists appeared, the climate had become significantly milder, though winters were still colder than in Europe. The contrast between summer and winter was more considerable, and the guests were not prepared for this fact (Cronon 2003). For this reason, a great number of colonists starved due to their unawareness of the climate differences (Cronon 2003). They had to change their habitual routine in order to get used to these specialties, which were uncommon in Europe.

As for native residents, they had to adjust to the weather conditions too. All their activity was influenced by the cycle of seasons and the specialties of the climate zone. They had to be active and mobile due to the necessity to change the locations of their villages regularly (Cronon 2003). The choice of location was reasoned by the time of the year. Furthermore, they stuck to different activities in accordance with a particular season. For instance, northern native communities adhered to fishing in springs and summers. They also gathered berries in summers, while in winter, they preferred to stuck to hunting on mammals, such as bears, beaver, and others (Cronon 2003). The activity of the Southern residents was different to some extent, as they lived in a warmer climate. They practiced agriculture, though they had to change the locations of their plantations on a regular basis in order to prevent soil exhaustion (Cronon 2003). Thus, the climate and its specialties are used to shape the activity of people considerably in the context of their routine. They have to adjust to the contrast of winters and summers and make use of natural resources.

The Local Environment and Social, Political, and Economic Contexts

Moreover, William Cronon pays attention to the influence of the local environment on the socio-political systems of Native and European communities. The author clarifies: In one sense, economy [&] becomes a subset of ecology (Cronon 2003, 87). Therefore, the ecological condition had a comprehensive impact on three major spheres of life, which are politics, economy, and social development. An illustrative example of this thesis could be the fact due to severe and cold winter, residents were in need of warm clothing. In case there was a great number of beavers this year, people stuck to wearing the skin of this animal during cold periods. Furthermore, when Europeans entered the continent, they needed warm clothing too. Consequently, Native communities adhered to fur trade with them.

Although it appeared to be a revolution in Indian economics, it also led to negative consequences. Beavers became extinct in considerable parts of Northern America, which prompted the residents to find another way of creating warm clothing. Thus, the author concludes that beaver and other animal extinction were among the negative and destructive consequences of colonization: the real losers were the Indians, whose earlier way of life was encountering increasing ecological constraints (Cronon 2003, 96). This example demonstrated the mutual influence of humans and ecology. The results of residents activity altered the variety of wildlife to some extent, while animals shaped the economic and social development during this period.

Diseases

Another illustration of the non-human nature affecting people regards the story of European diseases brought to America. In general, the reason for virus or inflection outbreak is natural phenomena, which changes the social life of communities to a large extent. Europeans, who arrived in New England, had immunity for the diseases, which were widely spread in their area. However, the organisms of native residents did not get used to them (Cronon 2003). As a result, a significant number of people were killed by virus and inflection pandemics brought from Europe (Cronon 2003). In this context, it should be noted that although this type of death refers to the natural one, the pandemic was impossible without the interaction between Europeans and Native people (Cronon 2003). In addition, the impact of diseases on Native communities should not be underestimated, as it shaped social life considerably. In this case, the effect of nature on human activity is evident, though it was impossible without the participation of people. This fact also depicts the mutual impact of non-human factors and human activity.

Conclusion

Therefore, William Cronon highlights that environmental history is closely connected to the history of social development, and they complement each other. In addition, he proves that essential figures on the general history may be revealed by paying attention to the ecology of the region. The author is willing to demonstrate that during the entire history of humanity, people have been shaping the environment they reside, as well as the natural condition have had a significant impact on their lifestyle, social, economic, and political development. Consequently, it is impossible to explore them separately, as they contribute to understanding each other. Moreover, William Cronon attempts to advance the thesis that human and ecological history are so closely linked that it is appropriate to study them in the complex. Apart from the aforementioned thesis, the author marks that it is essential not to forget that they present different fields. Thus, showing the importance of applying both environmental and habitual human histories in complex, he also takes into consideration that they provide a limited piece of information.

As it has been described earlier, these fields complement each other and contribute to creating a comprehensive picture of the past events. William Cronon is willing to draw attention to the fact that historians cover all the human side of the colonization process, and he is determined to provide an in-depth insight into the ecological history of this period. He states:

My thesis is simple: the shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changeswell known to historiansin the ways these peoples organized their lives, but it also involved fundamental reorganizationsless well known to historiansin the regions plant and animal communities (Cronon 2003, 101).

Therefore, it can be concluded that the impact of non-human nature on human activity is evident, and it shaped the lifestyle of residents to a large extent. People had to calculate their activities in accordance with the time of the year and make use of natural resources in case it was possible. The environmental conditions had a significant influence on the political, social, and economic development of the society, and the amenities given by nature may determine the trade. In addition, people have to encounter pandemic outbreaks and cope with their negative consequences. Thus, it is essential to mention that the influence of the environment and human activity is mutual.

Reference

Cronon, William. 2003. Changes in the land: Indians, colonists, and the ecology of New England (revised edition). New York: Hill & Wang.

Making a choice is not an easy task. It takes a lot of effort, the whole being of emotions and time to find what we want or prefer from an array of different products that may serve the same purpose. What perplexes most is the question of why we prefer one and not the other? Our behavior remains to be unique towards our environment; hence we find ourselves making choices according to the uniqueness of the different environs. The environment greatly affects our emotions. There are several reasons that make men and women like or dislike a particular model of car. (Martineau, 1958).

To know much about these surroundings, we mostly depend on our initial body senses, which tell us information about the environment. I am therefore made to suggest that one of the reasons why we like a car is through our sight. From the overwhelming number of cars, we look at one that has the right characteristics and features so as to determine our preferred color, which is attractive to our sight hence raising the emotions of decency. The emotions of decency make one make a choice of he has to drive. Men are therefore compelled to dislike cars that are dreadful in their appearance. The choice of engine size, boot space as well as body shape can only figure out through our eyes. Sight, therefore, plays a very vital role in making the decision of the physical appearance of the car. (Martineau, 1958).

When searching for a car, our emotions of the kind of our present lifestyle and also the kind of future lifestyle that we would like to adopt are triggered. Carefully thinking of our lifestyles makes us like or dislike a car. Most people who are of high profile lifestyle prefer buying a car that is the most recent model with high classic features. That person who is employed in white color jobs demands to have a saloon car rather than the business-oriented model. High classic lifestyle love to have their car being fitted with music systems so that they may enjoy entertainment while they are on their journey. Therefore, our emotions about our class of lifestyle are very paramount to the fulfillment of our car choice. (Westfall, 1962).

Cars are not easy to own. This is because they require a lot of money to purchase one. Considering the fact that not all people are well up and that people have varied earnings, the cost of a car becomes a factor of consideration at times of purchase. Many people would be enthusiastic about possessing the most decent car, which is in present fashion. However, many people emotionally find themselves being frustrated by the hike of prices placed on those products they love to own.

Their options are then left the cheap and maybe less expensive cars in terms of initial purchasing cost as well as operation cost. Their emotional thinking full utilization of their assets as long as they can meet its minimum operational cost always makes them like cars. (Westfall, 1962).

When a man owns a car, he feels to be more secure than before. They can go anywhere at any time without fear. They forget that cars are not accident-free objects. In fact, they are involved in greater risks than any other usual machines. This is because they run at high speed and carry dangerous chemical substances. When the time comes for an accident to occur, they are seized with great apprehension even if they are free from injury marks. Safety for both men and women, therefore, stands out as the paramount reason for liking a car.

When the car is in good condition, the owner is assured of his life safety. Apart from this, his commodities still are secure and guaranteed to reach their right destination in good condition. In addition, a well-conditioned car enables drivers to drive at the right speed at maximum reliability of the car. Men enjoy the excellent test of driving at high speed to save time as many philosophers, and other experts have said that time is money. (Westfall, 1962).

Another reason why men and women like the car are because they feel to be great in the communities they hail from. When a person owns a car that pleases him/her, he thinks that he will receive honor and respect from the village dwellers. The image of the product creates this impression in the mind of the person, which makes him like the car. I believe once this emotional thinking is embraced, and then most people love to own a car. Then, it can be concluded that this individual was influenced by the impression that was created by cars as prestigious ones.

When we go to the market places, we find many people selling their own products; we do not instantly get into the business of buying the product. At the time the products attract us and then we proceed to enquire more about the price. After we express our first interest in it, we do not really mean we very much needed to have it. But in the process of bargaining, we find more attraction to it after the seller gives a further detailed explanation of either the advantages of it or the disadvantage of another product. Then our like grows deeper in our hearts than before. Thus we get persuaded by the seller our feeling our liking the car gets developed. (Engel, 1961).

Learning is always not easy. Its sometimes not enjoyable, but in most cases, it is tiresome and discouraging. They feel that they do not like to go back to classwork. Hence, many people like to buy cars which they are familiar with. Researchers have proved this through the data collection and analysis, which was more concerned with the possibility of customers repeating to purchase the same type of car. A huge number of people show that they would prefer the current or a past model they owned. (Engel, 1961).

Reference:

Martineau, P. D. (1958): A case Study: What Automobile Mean to Americans: Illinois.

Engel, J.T. (1961): motivation research: Michigan business review, vol. 13, pp. 28-32.

Westfall, R. (1962): Psychological Factors in Predicting Product Choice.

Background

Numerous concepts have been developed and held towards or against human beings. All the ideas either support a specific behavior among human beings or question a particular behavior among human beings. One of the main contested human concepts is human nature, which has widely been discussed and explored and showed how it affects human life. Contrasting views have been developed toward the concept of human nature by different authors over the years. Human nature generally refers to the psychological characteristics and behavioral patterns denoted naturally by human beings. Human beings share common behavioral patterns, although they might slightly vary from one group of people to nature due to cultural and ethnic differences. Behavioral patterns are still prevalent in modern society as human beings continue to adopt new and more sophisticated ways of living. This paper supports the concept of human nature and explores what various philosophers have explored concerning the idea of human nature.

Opponents of human nature argue that the term human nature does not have any conclusive meaning. For instance, anthropologists say that the behavioral patterns adopted by human beings are determined by the interaction between the natural and cultural aspects of life. Biologists also differ with the concept of human nature by claiming that each human being possesses a unique way of behaving and living that cannot be likened to the behavioral patterns of other people. However, the proponents of human nature claim that the concept is firmly grounded on the thinking patterns, behavioral patterns, and ways of doing things that resemble across the human race. The proponents of human nature argue that it originated from the evolution theory, where human beings adopted specific behavioral patterns depending on the stage of evolution.

The Concept of Human Nature

The concept of human nature defines human beings by the way they behave, think, and act towards specific issues in life, and their general approach to life. Human nature is strongly harbored in the psychological characteristics of human life. People have varying views towards life, with some believing that human beings are evil while others argue that human beings are good (Baumeister & Bushman, 2020). Human nature has several characteristics that define it. The first characteristic of human nature is laziness. Laziness is defined as shortening the time needed to accomplish a specific task. All human beings possess some form of laziness that triggers them to devise shortcuts toward performing tasks. The second characteristic of human nature is greed, defined as the desire to have more (Zoeller et al., 2021). Every human being strives to have more by maximizing all the opportunities available to acquire more material possessions.

The third characteristic is ambition, defined as the desire to improve ones life. All humans desire and strive to live better lives and compete among themselves. The passion for a better life is mainly based on material possessions, which forces human beings to heighten their working capabilities. The fourth characteristic of human nature is self-interest. Every human acts toward life issues from their point of view (Zoeller et al., 2021). The fifth characteristic of human nature is ignorance, which can be defined as the tendency of human beings to act upon incomplete information. The sixth characteristic of human nature is vanity, which can be defined as the ego that triggers human beings to hold high expectations in their lives. However, most of the expectations are never achieved.

What Authors Say about Human Nature

Plato explored the concept of human nature and developed the theory of human nature. According to the idea of human nature, a human being is characterized by the soul and the body. Plato argues that the soul exists before a person is born and continues to exist even after death. He also urged that the soul is responsible for knowing the issues that affect human life and directs people towards tackling the issues that affect them (OConnell, 2021). The soul is further divided into three sections; reason, appetite, and will. These three sections constitute the behavioral and thinking patterns humans adapt throughout their lives. The soul of a human being enables them to make decisions in society. For instance, human beings make decisions about their political well-being and participate in the politics of their culture. According to Plato, human beings can rely on their reasoning power to overcome appetite and any other vice that can ruin their peaceful living in the community. Therefore, human beings define their communities by thinking patterns and perceiving the issues affecting public lives.

Rousseau Jean Jacques believed that human beings are naturally good, but their goodness is corrupted by the society they live in and the interactions they have with nature. According to Rousseau, humans have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other creatures. Human freedom and perfection are the two main characteristics that distinguish human beings from other animals (Reisert, 2018). Due to the characteristic of human freedom, human beings can participate in political issues and be perfect in their choice of leaders. However, society renders them unreliable by corrupting their way of thinking and forcing them to join in morally-unacceptable behaviors.

Additionally, Jacques developed the social contract theory, which argues that the freedom and independence of human beings enable them to participate in matters that determine the status of society. The social contract theory also argues that human beings are oppressed and depend on each other for survival. The social contract theory also suggests that a human beings freedom depends on the government and can be denied at any time depending on the laws set to govern a particular society.

In Solinger Rickies case, he explained about the sensitive issue of womens perception in modern society and the challenges they face. In particular, the book by Solinger dwells heavily on the subject of adoption (Solinger, 2019). In the mid-20^th Century, pregnant women of the low economic class were forced to allow their newly born children to be adopted by the wealthy class. This act disadvantaged the less privileged class of women and denied them the right to become parents or exercise motherhood. The politics of motherhood were used to deny some people in society their right to become mothers. The book advocated for the community to have equal motherhood rights and privileges, allowing even the less privileged to enjoy them.

While Rickie focused on peoples liberty, Mill John Stuart concentrated on the freedom needed in society to enable the people to live in harmony and without fear of intimidation. Human nature prevails in a society where the people have freedom of expression and the ability to make conclusive decisions about issues that affect their well-being. Mill John Stuart argued that a society that denies its people freedom is not free. Humans delight in freedom and independence and achieve greatness when the two virtues are exercised (Niesen, 2019). According to the arguments by Mill, everyone in society should pursue their good but should not interfere with the rights set for others. Our pursuit for better lives in the community should be based on protecting others and ensuring they thoroughly enjoy the rights established for them by nature and the society around them.

Nevertheless, Calllenbach Ernest exhaustively described the fact and fiction concepts that determine the ability of human beings to adopt alternative ways of coping with issues that affect their lives. Human nature equips people with the ability to overcome challenges that affect their lives by devising alternative and reliable methods of doing things (Lohmann, 2018). People live in the ecosystem because of the ability to regenerate and develop alternative techniques for coping with undesirable living conditions. Ecotopia is written about the future, depending on the issues currently affecting the people. The sentiments made by the writing on Ecotopia are reliable for human nature because they emphasize the need for tolerance and hope for a better future.

My position in this discussion is that modern society is controlled and run by decisions made by the people. To maintain peace and harmony among the people, there must be leaders who direct the other people and decide on what should be done to achieve the common goal of living. As a result, politics play a crucial role in determining the well-being of the people and the societies they live in and interact with nature. Political leadership reigns in every community and is controlled by human nature because all the decisions and actions taken must comply with the practices acceptable to human nature. Human nature lays the foundation of all courses that humans engage in and sets the limits of techniques to avoid harming some groups of people in modern society. The various scholars and philosophers who researched and wrote about human nature identified some methods that do not conform to the concept of human nature. They also shed light on the expected interactions and norms that humans must adapt to promote sanity among themselves.

Human nature is an important and relevant aspect of modern society. Human nature determines the well-being of the people because it defines human beings practices and the skills needed for a better life. Human nature plays various roles in defining the status of society and how people relate and interact with nature. First, human nature plays a crucial role in defining the stability of society. Community is strengthened by the politics adopted by the people, which is determined by the ability of the people to make informed decisions (Kurek, 2019). Making informed decisions has been sentimental in establishing peaceful societies that observe human rights for various groups of people.

Secondly, human nature determines the desires that human beings need. People live in harmony because of the ability to understand what other people desire and wish to achieve in life. The ability to know what each other person wants enables all the people to live peacefully and harmoniously. Thirdly, human nature explores how humans should react to issues that affect their everyday lives, whether positive or negative (Kurek, 2019). In times of chaos and hard times, human nature triggers the people to make decisions channeled towards establishing peace and ensuring the well-being of the people is protected. Peace in society is established when reliable choices are made by the people affected by chaos or conflicts.

During hard times, human beings are also expected to make decisions to enable them to come out of the complex and trying moments. All human beings can make decisions through abilities that might vary from one person to another. However, the decision-making process by human beings confirms the existence of human nature and its importance. Fourthly, human nature distinguishes human beings from other creatures. Other creatures do not have the freedom to make decisions and do not have freedom and independence (Kurek, 2019). However, human beings require freedom and independence to live well in society. Without liberty and independence, it would be impossible for humanity to accommodate all the people because it would be characterized by chaos and struggles. Human beings thrive in communities where freedom and independence are guaranteed and exercised. As a result, the fight for freedom and independence has become a norm among many human beings. Generally, human nature, such as decision-making and liberty, remains relevant and essential for their existence.

Inconclusively, numerous human concepts determine the nature and lives of human beings. One of the leading human concepts is human nature. Human nature explores the psychological nature of the people and how they interact with the natural system. Human nature defines life and equips people with reliable skills and knowledge on relating to character and others to live peacefully in modern society. Numerous scholars and psychologists have written about human nature in the light of how it affects life. The various authors condemn the vices practiced in contemporary society and advocate for alternative and more reliable ways of keeping the organizations in harmony and peace.

References

Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2020). Social psychology and human nature. Cengage Learning.

Kurek, J. (Ed.). (2019). Alkaloids: Their importance in Nature and Human life. BoDBooks on Demand.

Lohmann, R. I. (2018). Fiction in Fact: Ernest Callenbachs Ecotopia and the Creation of a Green Culture with Anthropological Ingredients. Anthropology and Humanism, 43(2), 178-195.

Niesen, P. (2019). Speech, truth, and liberty: Bentham to John Stuart Mill. Journal of Bentham Studies, 18(1), 1-19.

OConnell, R. J. (2021). Plato on the human paradox. In Plato on the Human Paradox. Fordham University Press.

Reisert, J. (2018). Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Cornell University Press.

Solinger, R. (2019). Pregnancy and power. In Pregnancy and Power, Revised Edition. New York University Press.

Zoeller, K. C., Gurney, G. G., Marshall, N., & Cumming, G. S. (2021). The role of socio-demographic characteristics in mediating relationships between people and nature. Ecology and Society, 26, 20-43.

Introduction

Utopists see man as a product of his social surroundings rather than an independent being. The term utopia was coined by Thomas Moore in 1516, and it refers to an imaginable society where everything is perfect (Bertolami 1). Utopian philosophy provides a guiding concept for humanity, a worldwide element striving to live the best life possible in a complicated yet damaged world. Additionally, it is a global component striving to attain the most extraordinary life feasible in a complicated and nevertheless fragmented environment.

Everyone has fantasized about or at least yearned for a better world free of crime, sickness, and poverty, in other words, the most pleasing possible existence. Humanity shares this goal, but the way it is perceived or what utopia means to each individual differs and is dependent on their unique idea of what life should be. However, since the dawn of time, humankind has been in pursuit of more. In every circumstance, man searches for something more than what he has. Regrettably, the majority of humanity has become unethical in the pursuit of significant money, pleasure, and power, creating an imperfect dystopic environment.

The undying nature of man in quest for power in the society has made the notion of a perfect utopia unachievable, for example. Stock accentuates that governments and political institutions in dystopian civilizations occur in a variety of shapes and sizes (698). In particular, anarchism, bureaucracy and excessive capitalism, and other types of political, social, and economic control are examples of these systems. They do, nonetheless, have one political element in common, the political system strives to execute one dominant philosophy at the expense of all others. These regimes wield enormous power over civilians to impose the dominant paradigm. The governments utilization restriction to advance its political ideology is a corollary to the enforcement of social authority. The government prevents individuals from engaging in critical thinking that would cause them to question authority.

Moreover, the urge to place significant social limitations on the characters life is a defining trait of most human desires. Thus, it might manifest as social stratification, in which social class is clearly outlined and imposed, and social migration is non-existent. The less fortunate, in particular, are secluded in slums, whereas the affluent reside in mansions. Additionally, the desire to comply, often phrased as a duty not to excel, is another aspect of social control. The society depicted in these texts is relentlessly impartial, with ability and success and professionalism, prohibited or vilified as manifestations of injustice. Since most individuals are eager to embrace the dystopia, and the rebellion against it is primarily among intellectuals, the dystopia restrains people with great vigor.

In addition, mans nature of developing anti-social behavior has massively created an imperfect culture that has, in turn, influenced diverse undesirable surroundings. Nevertheless, anti-social behavior has ramifications for entire communities, as it frequently leads to the deterioration and abandonment of places. The condition of existence in an area declines, destroying community spirit and pride and making people feel abandoned and helpless. People begin to leave the region, and companies begin to close. More anti-social behavior is likely to occur, and an ecosystem is created in which more heinous crimes can thrive; as a result, rendering the utopic culture unachievable.

Moreover, the human nature of being excessively scientific has created a utopic environment; unfortunately, it has turned into a dystopic one. For example, the drive for technological advancement for the first time in history, major technological advances, medical development, and a higher sense of social duty has given rise to the notion that war, disease, and hunger are solvable problems. However, technology has not yet progressed to the point where it can cure disease and alleviate world famine, as depicted in science fiction. Instead, it has been used to monitor and control people. Technical advancements have introduced new security issues throughout history, which all societies have adapted to.

Advances in information and networking technology have been transformative, and they have transpired rapidly in the past 30 years that a swarm of critical inventions has emerged as a result of this fast evolution. For instance, to develop more lethal weapons and new systems of discrimination and victimization and deepen the divide between governments and their citizens. Instead of enabling the effective use of peace, technology would hasten for brutal and more gruesome violence, undesirably leading to an imperfect world created by man.

Recently, the deadly Covid-19 virus appeared and wreaked havoc around the globe. It has been hypothesized that the testing of new technology brought about the now-famous fatal illness. Furthermore, others speculated that it was formed as a consequence of conflicting philosophies coming together. As a result, it induced dread and terror among people, resulting in the formation of an imperfect society driven by mans capacity to develop in the technological area.

Many of the most significant technical developments in the past were the product of military initiatives that produced goods later discovered to have civilian uses. Aeronautics technology such as jet engines, microwave ovens, and GPS systems, now included in almost every vehicle and smartphone, were all designed with military technology in mind. In the United States, military expenditure, has been a significant driving factor for technical innovation for many years. As a result, the military power has created war environment with nations such Russia.

The Capacity of Human to Change

What keeps life moving is the capacity to modify and adapt to it. Human experience shifts on a daily basis, in a variety of ways, and frequently numerous times each day. Human nature is difficult to change; in this perspective, it can be deduced that the process can take millenniums (Stock and Adam 697). In this change notion, climate breakdown, mass extinctions, and high inequality are just a few issues that threaten the earths diverse fabric of life and make humanitys future increasingly uncertain. As a result, people have been dreaming of change that will ultimately lead to a utopian future.

During great social, political, and ecological upheaval times, these problems do not exist for ages. In reality, people have been fantasizing about such a change in the world for centuries. Such dreams are frequently regarded as nothing more than meaningless imaginations; however, the yearnings can be impossibly ideal for communities. In this sense, the majority of these assertions are erroneous. Utopianism is the lifeblood of social change, and it has already motivated a limitless population and organizations to make positive changes in their communities and around the world (Midgley 10). For centuries people have fancied the perfect world; at the same, it can be deemed unachievable; hence it can be concluded that utopia is a fantasy since a human cannot entirely change their ways.

In this perspective, dystopias and utopias are reflections of human nature and the potential that exists within is it at their most fundamental level. According to Steele, same capability has enabled people to build cities, kill animals, and substantially enhance human life expectancies and enhance them to develop the nuclear bomb (28). Inevitably, humans have altered and molded the planet to their liking, for better or worse, in a way that might either lead to extinction or new levels of good fortune. For several individuals, great wealth will be preceded by severe devastation in the near future, as they envision the world to be. The good and the evil in utopia and dystopias, respectively, as in human nature, are closely entwined with each other (Steele 60). In this regard, it is impossible to know good without also knowing evil. The assertion is that by confronting evil one succumbs to temptation, despite that, true goodness can manifest; therefore, changing human nature can simultaneously lead to good or bad.

Factually, unpredicted change in human nature is the reasons why utopias and dystopias inevitably endure and continue to captivate society. Further, it can be insinuated that they reflect the severe polarization of human nature of excessive brutality, annihilation, powerful healing and unity that mirror the polarity of human nature. A trip through Utopias and dystopias, in other words, is a study of those extremes, a journey by which civilization comes to comprehend its boundaries and possible drawback better (Claeys 58). People are captivated by utopian visions of themselves that act and behave like them while being distinct from them. Thence, people are intrigued by this picture of themselves that acts like them while remaining distinct from them. Similar to this, dystopias have the ability to show society precisely what it is that it fears the most about itself, and this is the power that the abject has over society.

In the imagination of many people, utopias have long thrived as a fantasy of what community would be like if mans nature were flawless, and many religions have sought to depict this vision. For instance, The Garden of Eden and Heaven are both supposed to be devoid of wickedness, as though God had thoroughly cleansed the inhabitants of both environments. Hence, religion has also imagined the worst features of human nature, culminating in the most severe form of the post-apocalyptic world depicted by hell, which is the most extreme version of the post-apocalyptic world.

Similarly, the portrayal of humanitys good and evil, and the investigation of what that might look like, have also taken on newer forms in more modern contexts. Among the themes explored are the propensity for human nature to oppress and the ability to withstand hardship. Notably, the novel explored in The Hunger Games emphasizes the natural character of humans, which elicits the question of what human beings are capable of in search for power, adversities and fame (Hasbullah and Muhammad 9). The good of human nature is also depicted as a spark that cannot be extinguished no matter how vast the darkness is (Hasbullah and Muhammad 9). Furthermore, the notion that humanitys nature is a spectrum of emotions, both good and bad, distinguishes us as humans. These realities of existence, such as light and darkness, must work in concert in order to establish the three-dimensionality of human experience and the meaning that may be derived from it.

Notably, dystopias and utopias are intriguing since they represent humanitys potential magnified globally; hence, change is impossible. It is possible to achieve paradise by multiplying the possibilities of a single human being who is proactively decent by a million actively good persons. The delicate balance that is tipped depends on society and its beliefs about whether human nature is good or wicked and the best ways to convey good and evil effectively. For a fact, this confusing combination of human nature demotes both utopia and dystopia to the domain of fantasy (Bertolami 2). In this way, it forbids them from becoming a fact in the actual world. Thus, this is one of the reasons why perfection and apocalypse have become such critical philosophical topics of debate; it is hard to harmonize the absolute perfection of utopia with the dualism of human nature.

To reach a flawless paradise, there is need to transform human nature for a superior form of being to be realized. When it comes down to it, human are all a mash-up of good and evil, right and wrong, and unpleasant events resulting from the best intentions. Humans were responsible for both the terror act of September 11th at the same time, provided the first rescuers. Due to this combination, perfect world and pure dystopia will never arise in their best forms. Conversely, humanity will always be a mash-up, and individuals must not only come to grips with but also enjoy the repercussions of this reality in mans everyday lives.

The Formation of a Perfect Utopia

A perfect society can only be as excellent as its citizens. Participants of this ideal culture must think about their well-being and the growth of their community. There is a detailed analysis of the key elements of a thriving community in Thomas Mores utopia, works of a perfect society. Further, his notion underscores that the citizens of utopia feel it is wrong to deprive someone else of a pleasure so that you can enjoy one yourself (Bertolami 3); hence, people must not pursue interests at the expense of other people. In this way, peoples interests, joys, or wants be valued more than others. Regardless of ones abilities, strengths, or advantages, there is no significant variation in one persons worth over another. As a result, it is proper to treat everyone fairly and not obstruct someone elses endeavor to achieve ones own goals. More claims that assisting others is an inherent aspect of a persons essence and that nature desires that people should assist one another because no human being has exclusive control over their passions.

Furthermore, it is preferable for everyone to be content rather than for some to be happy while others are unhappy; this is particularly relevant when there is a significant gap between these two feelings in a community. Moreover, equitable contentment would diminish citizen jealousy and hostile rivalry, whether in terms of investment or politics. Citizens will recognize that their fellow communitys collaborative activity will protect them in times of adversity and boost their businesses for expected growth. Citizens like this contribute to the creation of an ideal society since every one of its members seeks improvement and development for themselves and each other in every element of life, from economic security to peace and stability politically.

However, to achieve this magnificent citizen brotherhood, a significant shift in how individuals deal with each others discrepancies is required. If someone steals, uses obscene language, or is abusive, it is natural if they do not like them. On the other side, it is undesirable if someone ignores someone because they have a different skin color, are from a different nation, or are of a different gender. The distinction between these two cases is that the first illustrates assessment based on an individuals decisions, while the second exhibits opinion based on uncontrolled fate results. An individuals actions, values, and mindset should be used to determine who they are. Color and physical characteristics should not limit an individuals quality. Similarly, an ideal society will be a great nation if individuals emphasize character and activity over inherent characteristics such as race. This shift in thinking would make it easier for people to seek out the growth of others, contributing to the establishment of a perfect society.

Despite this, a good ship requires a competent commander or captain. To ensure the success of their residents and the support of each others businesses, the leader or leaders of an ideal society must be strict and open with their rules. Leaders must maintain rigorous supervision over residents because individuals might rapidly return to seeking self-interest despite the previously indicated shift in thinking. For example, it can be seen in some of the renowned philosophical thought of Niccolo Machiavelli, as his notion accentuates that rulers must be unbiased. By being severe, a leader can avoid major transgressions that might otherwise go undetected because persons who have perpetrated a crime but received little punishment diminish the fear of others doing the same crime. Still, some may object to a leaders forcefulness, but once the benefits of this feature are seen, they will comprehend. To preserve law and peacefully govern the state for the benefit of the people, a leader must be rigorous with the legislation.

A considerable majority of individuals on the planet must also want a wealthy and fair future for everyone to achieve a perfect world in a technological corporation. Thus, people desire their children to grow up in a safe, healthy, and educational environment, which they consider a utopian one. To solve this problem, the international community has developed the 2030 Agenda, which contains specific Sustainable Development Objectives; these goals will harness revolutionary technological breakthroughs that will benefit everyone in society, including the poor. However, to attain these lofty and revolutionary objectives, individuals must be able to pioneer daring and strong ideas and open-minded partnerships, therefore establishing an atmosphere that is favorable to life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, an ideal society would be one with little or no conflict. The vigorous enforcement of justice results from the presence of firm and fair leaders who vigorously maintain the law and citizens who welcome intrinsic variety while also supporting the expected growth of their people within it. As previously said, only a concerted, joint effort on the part of leaders and individuals would be able to bring about this ideal society. At the same time, a perfect society does not exist, and as a result, society should strive to achieve a balance between the two schools of thought to succeed. Since there is nothing intrinsic in mans psychological makeup, thence, no inherent fault in his nature or original sin precludes him from being perfection, or at the very least much improved if the social framework that molds character is correctly reordered.

Works Cited

Bertolami, Orfeu. Utopia: Utopian and Scientific. Available at SSRN 3874980 (2018). P. 1-5).

Claeys, Gregory. Dystopia. The Palgrave Handbook of Utopian and Dystopian Literatures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2022, p. 53-64.

Hasbullah Sofian, and Muhammad Fadjri. An Analysis Of The Social Value In Novel From Suzzane Collins Entitled The Hunger Games. Indonesian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, vol. 1, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-10.

Midgley, Mary. Beast and man: The roots of human nature. Routledge, 2021, pp. 1-279, 29.

Steele, Wendy. Planning Wild Cities: HumanNature Relationships in the Urban Age. (2^nd edition). Routledge, 2020, p. 1-158.

Stock, Adam. Human Nature and Politics in Utopian and Anti-Utopian Fiction. 2021, p. 696-699.

It is important to note that human nature is a highly complex and intricate subject because it is rather challenging to define and pinpoint. Such an elusive characteristic of the concept makes it challenging to prove or disprove its existence. However, an argument can be made that human nature is not real and has profound implications since it is a mix of culture, traditions, social norms, and personal specificities.

In order to properly discuss the matter of human nature, it is critical to define it first. It is stated that human nature is the set of human features or processes that remain after subtraction of those picked out by concepts of the non-natural, concepts such as culture, nurture, or socialization (Roughley par. 9). In other words, it is the most basic layer of human behavior and inner experience. However, others object by stating that to think that humans (or other animals) have some stable nature is contrary to one of the central tenets of modern evolutionary biology (Danaher par. 3). The literary works, such as Sophies World, contemplate that man has no such eternal nature to fall back on (Gaarder 269). Therefore, human nature is a broad term that cannot find its basis either in evolution or philosophical thought without using it as a convenient term to refer to a mix of a multitude of influences.

In conclusion, human nature most likely does not exist since it is rather challenging to define, describe, and identify. A closer look at the concept reveals that it is either mere biology or social factors, such as culture, traditions, and social norms. The book Sophies World provides an insight into its non-existence as well by showing that it has only use for the purposes of convenience.

Works Cited

Danaher, John. Does Human Nature Exist? On the Philosophy of Human Nature. Philosophical Disquisitions, Web.

Gaarder, Sophia. Sophies World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

Roughley, Neil. Human Nature. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Web.

Introduction

The theory of evolution according to which humans descend from animals and inherit their key traits was first introduced by the English naturalist Charles Darwin and was met with a mixed response from the public. Since then, numerous debates have been rising around the problem of people and animals and the boundary that separates them. In fact, the principle question that has always concerned the society is whether a human being has any distinguishing qualities that make him different from animals. In other words, people keep searching for some evidence of their superiority, of something that might prove their specialty and uniqueness.

The Island of Dr. Moreau provides an unconventional answer to this eternal question. Wellss anti-utopia offers the world where animals are unwillingly turned into humans and vice versa. The author shows how fine the line between the former and the latter is, although it does not essentially mean that it should be stepped over. The writer focuses on the nature of a human being, revealing it from an unexpected, even appalling side.

It is particularly curious how the island of Dr. Moreau turns into the most horrible place on the planet not because it is inhabited by the dangerous wild creatures but due to the evil will and uncontrolled imagination of the people that live there.

Thus, Wells tries to show that the only difference that exists between a human and an animal resides in the fact that people have a right to choose between being a person and a best. As it might be seen in the story, this choice is not always made in the favor of the former  the transformation of Dr. Moreau, in the course of his experiments, is much more shocking than the metamorphosis that his subjects underwent.

The Threat of the Half-Transformed Creatures

From the very first lines of the novel, Wells welcomes the readers to plunge into the atmosphere of surrealism, where animals and people exist together under artificial conditions in the environment that promises numerous threats though it is not clear where they come from. Thus, when the main character first meets his rescuer, Montgomery, their conversation is set against the low angry growling of some large animal (Wells 7). The reader immediately receives a feeling of anxiety and disturbance even though it is impossible to define its source yet. Unlike other stories that describe a well-known conflict between a man and nature where the former is expected to fight with some physical enemy whether it is a storm or a monster, here, the problem is much more complex.

From the very beginning, the author does not draw a distinct line between humans and animals; on the contrary, he puts a particular emphasis on their equivalence. It is particularly curious, that when the main character, along with the readers, finds out the ship is full of wild and dangerous animals he does not treat them as the source of the threat. The drunk and aggressive captain represents a greater concern than a dozen of grisly staghounds. Therefore, Wells, evidently, contributes a certain irony in the captains remark This ship aint for beasts and cannibals, and worse than beasts, any more (Wells 19).

Whatever paradoxical it might seem, the appalling impression is produced not by the animals but by those who seem to have stuck in the transformation process. Thus, the captain of the schooner behaves in such a manner that one can hardly apply a term human to him. Another character, Montgomerys attendant, also makes the main character feel ill at ease. In this case, contrary to the captains one, the nervousness seems to be irrational, as the attendant does not express any aggressiveness at all.

As the reader later learns, the attendant is one of the experimental products of Dr. Moreau; thus, to a certain extent, the creature, as well as the captain, cannot be fully referred to a human or an animal. As a result, it is logical to assume that the author intends to show that the transition from one condition into another, whether it is from a man into an animal, or vice versa, is artificial, and the products of this transition produce an appalling effect.

The Prevalence of Instincts

Another critical aspect that Wells elucidates in the book is the problem of humans and the animals instincts taking over them. Thus, the author speculates upon the border that separates people from animals and the conditions under which this border can be possibly crossed. Unlike the followers of romanticism that appeal to high ideals and consistent moral principles, Wells relies on an utterly scientific approach admitting the fact that the reality imposes certain limits beyond which these ideals cease to exist.

Thus, the main character of the novel first faces an inhuman reaction when watching a fight between two sailors. Hence, Prendick recalls: They sank like stones. I remember laughing at that, and wondering why I laughed. The laugh caught me suddenly like a thing from without (Wells 5). Here, the man first realizes he is overwhelmed by an inexplicable feeling that due to the lack of reasonable grounding can be referred to an animal instinct rather than a human emotion.

It is necessary to note that the process of a mans forfeiting the human nature is described in details which makes one think that the author is particularly interested in the relevant aspect. Thus, Wells puts an emphasis on the fact that the more challenges and physical discomfort one faces, the more distinctly animal instincts are experienced. Wellss main character, Prendick, once states that hunger and a lack of blood-corpuscles take all the manhood from a man (Wells 20). Therefore, the authors position in these terms becomes, to a certain extent, evident, and the readers have grounds to assume that it bases on the laws of physics rather than on ethical ideals.

Human Superiority

The central question of the novel resides in defining the principles, whether moral or ethical, that might serve to be a distinguishing trait of a human being, and it should be noted that the relevant problem is addressed in the novel in quite a specific manner. First and foremost, it is essential to analyze the so-called moral code of a Beast Folk  the product of the doctors experiments. As the reader might guess, the code is aimed at providing the key framework for a creatures behavior so that it can resemble a man as much as possible.

However, a closer consideration of the rules included on the lists shows that the code, despite its name, the code has little to do with morality. Thus, the principle guidelines of this code imply the restrictions on the physical activities only  not to go on all-fours , not to claw the bark on trees, etc. (Wells 50). This code might provide some hint on the nature of Dr. Moreaus failure  the professor did not take into account the ethical side of a human nature focusing, instead, on its physical aspects. As a result, his creatures would resemble human beings perfectly, although they would never be able to become humans in the full sense of the world.

There can be two possible explanations of this experimental flaw. On the one hand, it might be a casual mistake. In other words, Dr. Moreau could get so obsessed with the idea of turning animals into people that he focused on their appearance and accidentally overlooked the emotional aspect. However, such a theory would hardly stand any critics as the scientist is described as smart and cool minded man. Therefore, the reader might suggest that Dr. Moreau was so confident in humans superiority that he considered it impossible to make the animals adopt the humane morality and neglected this aspect intentionally.

Meanwhile, it would be unjust to accuse Dr. Moreau of emphasizing humans superiority, and overlook the prejudiced attitude towards animals in other characters. For example, the way Montgomery treats his attendant cannot be regarded as an attitude to an equal, although, the reader further learns that the man sympathizes and pities the experimental subjects (Wells 95). Nevertheless, despite all his warm feelings towards the creatures he is not ready to admit their equal positions.

From this perspective, the main character, Prensick, is also unwilling to agree on the fact that animals have similar rights for life as humans. Thus, for instance, during his discussion with Dr. Moreau, the man notes: The only thing that could excuse vivisection to me would be some application (Wells 63). With this statement, the author eliminates all the illusions the reader might have previously had concerning Prensicks nature  despite the fact that he had already observed all the horrors of the experiments he is still ready to tolerate vivisection under particular conditions.

Morality and Ethics

At this point, the reader comes to the key problem of the book  the Wellss interpretation of human nature. Some specialists believe that the authors attitude towards this question might be analyzed through the moral and ethical principles the writer assigns to his character (Christensen 580). Therefore, the central dialogue between Dr. Moreau and the main character, Prensick provides some explanations of the authors position.

This conversation is devoted to the debates around science and its moral framework and reveals a series of critical aspects. First and foremost, the reader learns that the doctors choice of a human being as a model was accidental (Wells 62). At this point, some delusions that one might have had about the authors intention to describe a sole evaluation process disappear. It becomes evident that the novel is devoted to the problems of science and its borders rather than to the examination of the limits of evaluation.

In addition, the author reveals some insights on the moral principles of a scientist which seem to be critical for understanding the general vision of human nature in the framework of the novel. Thus, according to Dr. Moreau science and scientific experiments is free of either moral or ethical boundaries (Wells 62). From this perspective, his activity finds consistent reasoning. It is critical to note that the author received a large scope of critics for advancing such radical ideas in literature. Some scholars would blame him for imposing devolution ideas and discrediting the image of science (Pascale 49).

In the meantime, from a different standpoint, it might be assumed that the authors initial intention was to illustrate the threats one is expected to meet unless the relevant limits are set. In other words, the characters described in the book, Dr. Moreau in particular, did not have any ethical boundaries to guide them through their activity. It should be noted that even the main character, Prensick would suffer from the horrible activities only because he could actually feel them physically  the terrible sounds of the pumas screaming would seem to be particularly unbearable. In the meantime, he admits that he could put up with the idea of such experiments happened distantly (Wells 60).

Moreover, the author shows how a man, due to the lack of strict moral boundaries, tends to adjust his ethical code to the circumstances  Dr. Moreau justifies his cruelty by scientific aims, Prensick finds an excuse for killing Hyena-Swine assigning a sin to the creature (Wells 106). It is, then, particularly curious that the laws, which the main characters reject, help the creatures survive. Thus, one of the main concerns of Dr. Moreau was to make his subjects respect and obey the imposed rules.

Even though it was initially done to maintain the discipline and exercise power, the reader might notice that these laws, to a certain extent, were one of the few ways to survive for the transformed creates. Therefore, after the doctors death, they keep on existing relatively peacefully until the power of law weakens. In such a manner, Wells illustrates the critical similarity that might link humans and animals  they all need some framework for their existence; as long as this framework is ruined their lives take unexpected turns.

Conclusion

The novel under discussion is a fine example of an anti-utopia exposing the negative sides of human nature. Taking into account the fact that the book dates back to the nineteenth century its author might be justly called a skillful predictor as the problems he elucidated have become particularly acute in the modern century.

In his novel, Wells does not provide any ready-made answers to the eternal questions. Instead, he creates a surrealistic environment placing people and animals together and making them reveal their hidden sides in the course of the plots development. This unprejudiced position is one of the main benefits of the authors style. Wells does not blame Dr. Moreau for his inhuman cruelty or Prensick for his mendacity but tries to find the reasoning for their actions and explain it in details to the readers enabling the latter to arrive at the verdict on their own.

The author shows that the fact that the line between animals and humans is very delicate does not mean that it should be crossed. His novel serves to be a warning and an appeal for reviving moral and ethical standards capable of an assuring essential guarantee that a man would never turn into a beast, and neither would it strike him to turn the latter into a human.

Works Cited

Christensen, Timothy. The Bestial Mark of Race in The Island of Dr. Moreau. Criticism 46.4 (2004): 575-595. Print.

Pascale, Krumm. The Island of Dr Moreau, or the Case of Devolution. Foundation 28.1 (1999): 1-51. Print.

Wells, Herbert George. The Island of Dr. Moreau, New York, New York: Garden City Publishing Company, 1896. Print.

This novella, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is about a man that completely transformed into a gigantic bug at the beginning of the story. The most remarkable thing is that Gregor, as a human being and insect, accepts the difficulties he faces without complaining. When his father’s business collapsed, he accepted his new role as the money-maker in the family without asking questions. Even if that meant he had to work as a traveling salesman which he disliked. When he realizes for the first time that he is an insect, he does not regret his condition, wonders about its cause, and does not try to correct it in any way. But he quickly acknowledges that he has become a beetle and tries to live his life as best as possible in his new state. For Gregor, this means above all getting used to his new body.

In fact, the reunion of human thoughts and feelings with his new insect body is the main conflict Gregor faces in this story. Although he has become an insect, Gregor still wants to work to support his family. He knows that “he must on no account let the manager go away in this mood if his position in the firm were not to be jeopardized in the extreme” Chapter 1 pg. 14. He needs time to realize that he can no longer play this role in his family and that he can’t go in its current state once more on the road. As the story continues, the body of the insect Gregor has an ever-greater influence on his psychology. He finds out that it is easy for him to hide in the dark under the couch in his room, like a beetle. He also finds out that he likes to crawl through walls and roofs. But Gregor’s humanity never disappears completely. He still experiences human feelings and has strong memories of his human life. As a result, although he could be more comfortable when his room is free of furniture, leaving him crawling everywhere. Gregor panics when Greta and his mother arrive at the furniture, like a desk, and reminds them of all their chores when he was a child. In a desperate attempt to contain the few memories of his humanity, he clings to a picture of a fur-wrapped woman so that no one takes her with them. In the end, he cannot fully adapt to his new body or find a new role in his family, which feels outraged and ashamed of his presence at home. Near the end of the story, he is obsessed with the idea that he can once again take control of family affairs and play his role as a money collector in the family. Despite these hopes, he decides that it is better for the family if he would completely disappear, and so dies as he lived; he accepted his fate without complaint, and to consider the best interests of his family.

Besides Gregor, Greta the sister is the only other character of relative importance. Greta is also the only character who, through the novella, shows compassion for Gregor, because she and his brother were so close and lead to the take care of Gregor after his transformation. As a result, she becomes Gregor’s primary guardian. She brings him food, cleans his room, puts his chair by the window so he can lookout, and she comes up with the idea of removing the furniture, so he has more space to crawl up and up. “Into a room in which Gregor ruled the bare walls all alone, no human being beside Grete was ever likely to set foot” Chapter 2 pg. 34. In this role as a caregiver, this is the only human contact Gregor had during his life as an insect. Gregor is just as strong as his emotional connection with his family and with the rest of humanity.

However, Greta changes more than any other character in the story, mostly experiencing her own transformation from girl to woman, and this changes by how her pity and affection slowly fade away over time. While Greta takes care of her brother for the first time out of kindness, later, she sees it more like work, as a duty. She wasn’t always like that, but it serves to determine her place in the family and to be Gregor’s caretaker she didn’t want others to do her job and their mother to come by. As she matures and takes on more responsibility as an adult, she especially found a job to help her family financially, her commitment to Gregor diminishes. In the end, she hates her job, and Greta brought up the idea of getting rid of Gregor. “Growing quieter and communicating almost unconsciously through glances, they thought that it would soon be time, too, to find her a good husband…” Chapter 3 pg. 58. The story ends with her parents, who realize that Greta has become a beautiful young woman and think that maybe it’s time to stop taking care of Gregor and to find herself a husband.

So begins Franz Kafka’s masterpiece, ‘The Metamorphosis,’ written in 1912 and is a magnificent masterpiece of three things. Physiology, sociology, and existential anxiety that has attracted the reader’s attention. This work can be viewed as an exploration of the outcast in European society. Kafka’s fiction is set in an alternate reality that is threatening, one always has the sense of an individual unfairly trapped in an absurd world, as he was. The existence of human beings is unexplainable and emphasizes the responsibility for the freedom of choice and the outcome of an action that a human being truly desires. In, the awkward, weirdness of this transformation or ‘change’ makes us judge Gregor’s role as the symbolic type of a theoretic hero because the story was written from an existentialist viewpoint, proven by its emphasis on loneliness, isolation, and the autonomy of one’s existence in life itself.

The first impression of Gregor, the main character in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, is that he is a pretty pathetic person with little hope of accomplishing anything in life since he is devoting himself to his family rather, thinking on selfish impulse and doing what he wants. Gregor’s transformation is so random that you might find yourself digging around in the story to find out how such an ordinary guy ended up with such a despicable fate. This lonely depressed, dissatisfied with his job, fed up with supporting his family, sexually frustrated – not exactly your happiest guy in the world, but none of these things seem particularly horrible. Since technically life is supposed to be ”easy”. These were just the ordinary troubles of any ordinary man, right? Even Gregor’s attitude toward his transformation seems hopelessly helpless. Instead of freaking out over the fact that he’s a bug, he’s busy fretting about missing his train to work. This man is so broken that he is stuck in what I would like to call a time loop. Such as, getting up every day, going to work, and helping out the family who doesn’t have any recent affections or compassion towards his great deed. However, after more careful consideration, it can be seen that Gregor has some very redeeming qualities. He is the most unselfish character in the story and deserves the most respect. Gregor is the sole provider for his parents and sister and is sacrificing so much for his family. After Gregor’s metamorphosis into a roach, he still continues to show greater affections and concerns towards his family than for himself, while his family does not reciprocate concern or love for him because he is so used to caring for his family other than thinking about what he really wanted in life. But still, Gregor’s none fazing attitude toward his extraordinary transformation enables him to remain open to some of the cooler features of his new body.

In the book ‘Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka, the existential principle of Kafka’s ‘Transformation’, is based on existentialism. One of the main perspectives is alienation or alienation, which can be demonstrated by the relationship between Gregor and his family, his social life, and his way of life after the metamorphosis. Gregor did not understand this, but his relationship with his family was bad. Gregor took over his father’s responsibility, and as a father, he should have taken better care of a family instead of putting all the pressure on bills and taxes on his own son. One of the main perspectives is alienation or alienation, which can be demonstrated by the relationship between Gregor and his family, his social life, and his way of life after the metamorphosis. In other words, it shows that the modern world and his family have transformed humans into insects; humanity is completely self-absorbing. Under the belief that he was to be the sole provider for the family, Gregor took a job with his father’s creditor, before even consulting with his family. Which to me shows how much of a grown-up this man is taking care of his family first instead of his own responsibilities.

‘The Metamorphosis’ is an appropriate title for Franz Kafka’s novella. At first, the story seems to be confusing and ridiculous honestly, but toward the end of the story, the true meaning of the tale becomes clearer. It is a metaphorical device Kafka uses when Gregor is transformed into an insect. This way serves as a symbol. Generally, insects are industrious creatures who lead simple lives wherein they have one basic task that they must carry out. Gregor has been working as a traveling agent, and he has not missed a single day of work in five years. He knows that his family is in severe debt, and he has set his mind to pay it off. As Gregor works more and more, he becomes less attached to his parents. Gregor has sacrificed going out, having friends, and having time for himself to give his family a better life. Meanwhile, the Samsa family just sits around at their home and wait for Gregor to provide.

Once Gregor is no longer human and thus unable to provide, the second ‘metamorphosis’ begins to take place. Throughout the story, transformation is a very important topic not only for Gregor but also for his sister Grete. Even if Gregor got a bug, even if he had a huge bug body, Grete seems to have only one person who cares about her brothers. And all three other members of his family must now get jobs. His father comes out of retirement to work as a bank messenger. He can no longer be the ‘couch potato’ he had been for the past five years. To earn additional money, his mother does all she can, sewing clothes to later sell. Lastly, possibly the character who changed the most is Grete takes a job as a salesgirl.

Each character goes through a certain transformation. Before Gregor’s transformation, Grete was described as being lazy, sleeping late, and not doing much. Now she matures and takes on responsibility for the family. For Gregor, that transformation is into an insect, while his family transforms into harder working folk. All the trouble Gregor had gone through to provide for his family was unappreciated, and perhaps his transformation was a necessary sacrifice for the family to survive.

Gregor lived in an awful world full of suffering and sadness. After Gregor woke up one morning as a ‘monstrous vermin,’ he remarked that he ‘saw no way of bringing peace and order into this mindless motion’ and that all his efforts to go about his daily routine were for nothing” (The Metamorphosis, 7). If Gregor’s thinking is taken to be symbolic of mankind’s, then this effort indicates the fundamental struggle of this individual against the alien and hostile world in which he doesn’t exactly fit in. This realization of feeling entirely helpless in the world that came after the fact that he knew he was going to be a bug forever went to thinking of ”adopting another profession, but he was too old for that, but also too devoted to fasting” this new hunger of his and led him into a deep depression, which led to his death. And consequently, Kafka never wrote a long novel; he never seemed to have the time. I often wonder if that is for the best — I sense a longer work would not have the same effect upon readers as does a short piece in Kafka’s style. Emotionally, readers reach a limit, and I think Kafka knew intuitively where that limit was.

Gregor’s family is impressed with his ability to provide for them. He is making enough money to have hired a cook and a servant. He is even thinking about sending his sister to the conservatorium to enhance what he believes to be musical talents. And sure, he’s a little disgusted in the beginning, but as he warms up to some of his new skills, he experiences pleasure, happiness, even a Zen-like state of empty contemplation. Even when he’s tormented by anxiety, the natural impulses of his insect body afford him some relief. Right before his death, he feels all kinds of warm and fuzzy feelings about his family. He’s traveled – or scuttled – far from the disgruntled salesman we get at the start of the story. Despite his pathetic condition, he seems more human and humane than the other characters in the story. Family variations in the deformation of Kafka In the’ deformation’ of Franz Kafka, despite the dramatic physical change, the real nature of Gregor Samsa is negligible. Gregor’s life before pervertation was limited to working and taking care of the family. As a traveling salesman, Gregor has had a long and difficult job and did not have much time to experience ‘life’.Gregor is always ready to go out on his rounds as early as possible, never taking breaks. When he returns from his rounds, the other employees are still eating breakfast. In all of the five years, he has worked for his father’s creditor, he has never once been absent. Except when he becomes a cockroach, which would normally be a good excuse for missing work.

Gregor has sacrificed a social life for his work. Gregor Samsa is alienated from his job because he had never missed work before in many years. He turned into an insect and therefore could not attend work. The head chief then came to check on him and he wasn’t ready for what he saw. Jim Stark has alienated from his job also in that his job being school. He is the new guy in town and doesn’t have many friends. You can tell he is new because he steps on the school emblem on the first day. He is, in a way an outcast at his school. His only friend is a guy named Plato and I wouldn’t consider him normal. I think that Jim and Buzz are the same kinds of people and that is why they can not be friends.

Gregor is also alienated from his humanity and his body. He wakes up and is an insect. Somehow he got transformed into a bug. He can no longer do anything that a human can do. He struggles to open the door and Gregor is alienated from his family too. They used to rely on him to bring home the money in the family but now that he can’t go to work his family just thinks he isn’t worth anything now. His sister started taking care of him at the beginning but when she quit and he then had to cover himself with a sheet he didn’t feel wanted and he died. Jim is alienated from his family too. His dad is a wimp and his mom is the one taking care of the family. His dad wears a girly housewife apron to clean the house. Therefore Jim doesn’t have a male role model. In the movie, Jim asks his dad what he should do if he needs to prove his manhood and his dad doesn’t know what to say so he gives him a little wimp answer.

This view is direct so let’s not sugarcoat his fate here. Gregor dies a vermin, with an apple rotting in his back, covered in trash, having wasted away to a shriveled little shell of a thing. He doesn’t even get the dignity of a proper burial (what did happen to his body?). Gregor’s dismal fate illustrates both the rewards and the sacrifices of defying social convention and living an extraordinary life. the novel presumes to make sense, fully aware that life doesn’t make sense. This “bad faith” is its “secret power.” The human condition, for Kafka, is well beyond tragic or depressed. It is “absurd.” Only two responses are feasible in the face of man’s Sisyphean fate: suicide or rebellion. and on excavating the philological, literary, and philosophical foundations of each of his metaphors, also points out that “some huge spires towering over Kafka territory–his sense of shame and guilt, are perceived.