...The Evil of Human Nature and Mother Nature When someone has what they call a great day, there is always an aspect of it that they would say was not too great. If a person were to think back to the best day of their lives, they would also be able to remember something that troubled them that same day. The size of the ‘troubling’ or ‘bad’ aspect doesn’t dismiss the fact that there was indeed a point of evil in their day. If a man was planning to propose to his girlfriend that night after dinner, and he had a whole plan and was ready to pop the question, and she doesn’t quite go with his plan like he thought she would, forcing him to improvise. We all know that improvising for something as big as a proposal is a very hard and stressful thing; all you want is for it to be perfect. In the end, he still proposes to her as best he could think and she happily says yes. This is a great day for the both of them; they are now a happily engaged couple. As much as he may think of how happy that night was, he will always remember the struggle he went through to make it as special as he could. Unintentional, yes, but it doesn’t change the fact that he was troubled, and had to go an extra mile for a bad reaction to his plan from his girlfriend, now fiancée. His day was still great and he is still very happy with his outcome, although it may not have been all perfect. However good your day may be, there is always going to be some aspect of evil. A very common way that ‘evil’ is brought about...
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...In this paper, I will be arguing that human nature is inherently selfish and that all human action is guided by a selfish force at the core of human nature. Yet, due to the duality of the human condition, people are capable of performing both altruistic and evil actions for selfish reasons. Inherently humans take action that will either directly or indirectly benefit themselves. Whether or not the action is deemed as “good” or “evil” by society, the action is guided by the desire to benefit the person committing the action. The selfish desire for personal gain can cause a significant amount of harm in the world, thus creating guilt and a selfish need for humans to feel like good people and to hide their evil action. This produces the seemingly altruistic actions that humans take to fight their dark side. Unfortunately the root of these apparently good deeds is a selfish motive to feel good about one’s self. Humans are capable of both...
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...and Evil Torben Grodal talked of art film as possessing two basic elements, transient and permanent, but they are also seen in the novel East of Eden. Steinbeck creates scenes that at first have a transient quality, and then purposefully connects to a permanent nature. These permanent qualities, grappled with by the Trask’s and Lee, examine the never ending battle between good and evil. In the novel East of Eden, John Steinbeck constructs scenes that have an initial transient quality, but then persistently associates these with a permanent nature that examines the conflict between good and evil. Steinbeck portrays Cathy as a very evil character, someone who is just inexplicably evil and makes several allusions to her being a monster and devil. When first introducing the reader to Cathy, Steinbeck writes about the creation of monsters, an obvious parallel. He goes on to say that, “monsters are variations from the accepted normal to a greater or a less degree. As a child may be born without an arm, so one may be born without kindness or the potential of conscience” (72). He wastes no time in comparing a monster to Cathy. He believes that Cathy is not an ordinary evil either, but that she is a very abstract form of evil, the exact idea of evil and that she has no good in her body. Steinbeck does not only believe that Cathy is a monster, but also uses Cathy to show that evil can and will exist in the world without having a reason to exist. Cathy has no reason to be evil, she...
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...Separate Peace, the topic of human nature is a recurring theme, and is used to justify actions through the course of the novel. The publication proves that human nature is inadvertently evil due to humanity’s natural will to survive and to prosper in society and among fellow peers. Over the course of the novel, the main characters find themselves battling internal and external conflicts due to their characters and the environment in which they find themselves. More often than not, Gene succumbs to his desire of reaching a higher social standing among his peers, and his actions reflect on man's natural desire to flourish in social climates. However, even though the novel focuses on the evil tendencies of human nature, it also displays...
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...Hinduism-No founder and no starting point. Jainism- Founder Mahavira 500 B.C | Nature of God/Creator | Hinduism-Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, Many Gods Jainism-No Gods worship Siddha, Mukta | View of Human Nature | Hinduism-Birth, death, re-births Jainism-All things have souls but to achieve liberation you have to have human form. | View of Good & Evil | Hinduism-Balancing act between order & chaos. Jainism-Remove all Karma to end the cycle and to become Mukti. | View of Salvation | Hinduism-Dharma the way of life but the goal is liberation. Jainism-Removing Karma from the soul | View of After Life | Hinduism-Not permanent. It’s a cycle of birth, death and rebirth that allows the soul to recuperate. Jainism-Believes in cycling through birth and rebirth. | Practices and Rituals | Hinduism-Ritual to engage the senses of both devotee & the Gods. Jainism-Through their rituals their beliefs and values are expressed. | Celebrations & Festivals | Hinduism-Maha, Shivararti, Holi, Ram Navami Jainism-Do not allow pageantry in their festivals, due to emphasis on self discipline. | Week 2 - Sources | | | | | | | | | | BUDDHISMWEEK 3 | | Cosmogony - Origin of the Universe | Was taught as an alternative to the ritual oriented Brahamanism of India. | Nature of God/Creator | Teaches us that there is no personal God. Liberation from suffering depends on our own efforts. | View of Human Nature | The Four Noble Truths: 1)Life inevitably involves suffering, and distress...
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...WORLD RELIGIONS – REL 212 World Religions HINDUISM & JAINISM WEEK 2 Cosmogony Origin of the Universe Hinduism and Jainism cosmogony origin of the universe is that there isn’t no specific origin or founder. Nature of God/Creator The Gods are in male and female form and represent many different things. View of Human Nature Hinduism and Jainism: Karma is what comes around goes around. View of Good & Evil Hinduism and Jainism: Good actions have a good effect and bad actions have a bad effect. “Karma”. View of Salvation Hinduism and Jainism salvation is called Moksha. It’s when an enlightened human being is freed from the cycle of lifeanddeath and comes into a state of completeness. And the Jainism salvation is achieved through three cycles right belief, right knowledge, and right conduct. Hinduism and Jainism: Samsara reincarnation is taught that the soul leaves the dead body and enters a new body. They believe in the rebirth and reincarnation of the souls. Jainism following liberation one’s jiva ascends to the apex of the universe to join the other siddhas. One can ascend to a heavenly realm due too good karmas accrued but must return to a human incarnation in order to achieve final liberation. Hinduism and Jainism: Practices (both): Praising the Cow called “The Cow is our Mother, for she gives us her milk.” Worship with fire, yoga, sacred chants, verbal formulas, and sacred actions. Worship deity images, pictures and sculptures...
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...Imagine what the world would be like if evil always triumphed the good in everything, would humanity cease to exist? Evil within humanity and situations evoked by the character’s actions is reiterated in King Lear through nature. Within each character in the play there is both good and evil, how much of it depends on the character. Shakespeare uses this aspect to foreshadow the tragic events forthcoming. In King Lear by William Shakespeare one of the predominant themes used throughout the play is evil over throwing good in extreme situations. Nature is used throughout the play to describe whether characters are good or malevolent. When it comes to the characters, if they are good hearted, they are described as gullible or clueless (“The Theme...
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...Being an Atheist”, H.J. McCloskey discusses the reasons of why he believes being an atheist is a more acceptable than Christianity. McCloskey believes that atheism is a more rational belief versus having a God who allows people to suffer so he can have the glory. He believes to live in this world, you must be comfortable. The introduction of his article, he implements an overview of arguments given by the theist, which he introduces as proofs. He claims that the proofs do not create a rationalization to believe that God exists. He provides 3 theist proofs, which are Cosmological argument, teleological argument, and the argument of design. He also mentions the presence of evil in the world. He focuses on the existence of evil to try to support his non belief in God. McCloskey believes that if there is evil, then there cannot be a God. Not one of these arguments can actually reach the point of certainty that God does not exist. First McCloskey argues about the Cosmological argument. McCloskey provides a dispute against the cosmological argument: “The mere existence of the world constitutes no reason for believing in such a being.” The claim of the cosmological argument is only stating that a being exist. In response, Evans and Manis talk about a non-temporal form of the cosmological argument. They break it down into three factors: “Some contingent beings exist. If any contingent beings exist, then a necessary being must exist (because contingent beings require a necessary being...
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... The Nature of Man To quote Buddha, “It’s a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe that lures him to evil ways.” In essence, this quotation denotes that because every human being has a brain, they also possess the ability to think and act in a malicious and inhumane manner. Considering this, William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, illustrates that uncivil behaviour will prevail on the adult-free island. In a like manner, Macbeth by Shakespeare gives insight to the lengths people will go to so that one can achieve personal profits at a rapid pace. Through similar fashions, both novels depict the true nature of human beings. Similarities between the characters of Jack from the Lord of the Flies and Macbeth from Macbeth reveal that power and greed is the root of all evil. In addition, the use of knives and representation of blood in both novels plays large roles in the quests for power. Also, similarities in plot structure help to further establish the sinful nature of humans. One can conclude that both Macbeth and Lord of the Flies give insight to the fact that human nature is predominantly evil through the characterization of Jack and Macbeth, symbolism of knives and blood and similarities within plot structure. Initially, the predominantly evil aspects of human nature show through the characterization of Jack and Macbeth. In the Lord of the Flies, the society the boys...
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...and Juliet, also demonstrates the inherent duality of the world. The dualities in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde consist of the duality of human nature and the duality of society; Romeo and Juliet ties in with some of these dualities. Dr. Jekyll, a character in Stevenson’s novel, is used a common example of the duality in human nature. Dr. Jekyll was thought to be an entirely good person, by the Victorian...
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...Zarqa Private University Faculty of Art Candidate: Yasmin Mahmoud Research Proposal Indicative Title: Corruption and Evil in Human Nature: Analysing How Crisis Affects Human Nature in "Lord of the Flies" and "Blindness" Aim of the Study: The aim of the study is to highlight the roots of evil in human nature, and how crisis can change a lot of things in a human being when it strikes by analysing two novels: "Lord of the Flies" and "Blindness". Abstract: "Lord of the Flies" tackles the theme of human nature. Throughout the novel, William Golding illustrates how sick and twisted human nature can get when faced by crisis. On the other hand, "Blindness" which is a novel by the Protégées author Jose Saramago, questions the good and conscious part in the heart and brings it to test. Both novels dig deep in human nature and go under the surface to reveal the source of evil in human nature. This study is designed to employ scenes and events in both novels to prove how fragile the sense of civilisation is in human beings, and how easy it can be to fall in the ambush of savagery as a last resort for survival. The research will analyze both novels separately from a psychoanalytical point of view then compare the findings of the two works. Introduction: The research is about two novels that tackle the same crucial theme of the evil nature in human beings. The two novels were written in different eras and as a result of different circumstances which in one way or...
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...Are humans by nature inherently evil Lord of the Flies provides one with a clear understanding of Golding's view of human nature? Whether this view is right or wrong is a point to be debated. This image Golding paints for the reader that of humans being inherently bad, is a perspective not all people share. Lord of the Flies is but an abstract tool of Golding's to construct the idea of the inherent evil of human nature in the minds of his readers. To construct this idea of the inherent evil, Golding employs the symbolism of Simon, Ralph, the hunt and the island. Golding drives the point that the instinctual evil within man is inescapable. At one point in the book, when the Lord of the Flies is representing all evil, this theory is stated as, "The Lord of the Flies was expanding like a balloon". Along with this idea is the religious symbolism that is used for ineffectively confronting the evil. At a point in the book, Golding has Simon, symbolic of Jesus Christ, confront the Lord of the Flies. This is a pig's head on a stick that is imagined to talk and represent the evil in all humans. Simon tries to act and spread the knowledge of this evil to others but is killed. This is a direct reference to the death of Christ, alluding to the Holy Bible. At many points throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding writes for the characters to become gradually more and more evil. This attribute even reaches the symbols of goodness and order, such as Ralph. Once, when Ralph and...
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...Victor Frankenstein also proves that he is to blame for the Creature’s evil actions because, in the creation process, he never considers the thoughts and feelings of the Creature. The epigraph of Frankenstein which is from John Milton's work Paradise Lost perfectly describes the Creature’s feelings, stating that Did I request thee Maker from my clay, To mold me, Man, did I solicit thee, From the darkness to promote me (Shelley). John Milton’s Adam quote shows that Frankenstein never considers how the Monster will feel about being created so ugly, that he, in a sense, transforms the Creature into an evil monster. Just as Rousseau’s state of Nature Theory claims that as man gains power, he becomes corrupt. Victor gained the power to create another lifeform, that he forgot about consequences, thus leading to his downfall towards the end of the book. Along with this topic, Victor also never considers the fact that the Creature is partially human and therefore has human characteristics. The Creature demonstrates these characteristics when he asks Victor to make him a female companion because each character wants to have a partner to eliminate loneliness and misery. The Creature also displays several other human characteristics such as his sense of want towards the Delacey family when he explains his hopes that the family...
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...that evolution is a process by which God realizes His purposes (6). Evans and Manis point out that the laws of nature and physical constants seem to be contingent. They could have occurred differently, but yet they did not. It does not seem rational to believe that the laws of nature are governed by chance. The laws of nature remain unchanged. If it were true that nature was governing...
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...The existence of evil is one of the world’s most vexing challenges. Most Christians agree on the existence of an omnipotent God, however like Augustine, we struggle to understand how evil comes into being. Evil corrupts our free will and enables us to sin, but if God is all-powerful and all good, how can he allow this to happen? “Whence comes evil? Was there a certain evil matter out of which he made these things? Did he form and fashion it, but yet leave within it something that he would not convert into good? Why would he do it? Was he powerless to turn and change all this matter so that no evil would remain in it, even though he is all powerful?” As these questions found their way into Augustine’s mind, they also manage to exist and remain unanswered for most people today. However Augustine addresses these questions by justifying evil in this world with God’s creation of free will. By granting us free will God makes us responsible for our wrongdoings, as a result of this we can knowingly choose either right or wrong. In the infamous biblical passage on the creation of original sin, God accommodates men by giving Adam and Eve all the necessities of life: partnership, water, food and land. However, despite God’s warning Eve chose to eat the fruit from the tree of life. The serpent persuades Eve who later convinces Adam to eat from the tree. From this persuasion and act from men, original sin is born. Men are now born with a predisposition to sin; in other words, they can knowingly...
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