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You don't think that human nature is effected by cultural changes over the millennia? You think human nature is purely genetic and has never changed? I can't see that at all.
MarkPaul · 26-30, M
@IAmJess Of course human nature response to new social conditions will change, but human nature itself is sadly static. Human greed, human quest for power, human sense of wonder, etc. is timeless and hard coded into each of us across the planet. I present history as my first and only exhibit.
MarkPaul · 26-30, M
@IAmJess No, you're stuck in your own loop. We're talking about humans, not a computer code. Greed is a part of human nature today just like it was 100 (or 2018) years ago. But, today because of social changes the implications of that greed are going to be different.
For example, human greed once encouraged humans to eat a forbidden fruit. Today, it's most likely going to involve something completely different. But, the human nature fueling the greed is the same.
During the time of the Vikings, greed involved and rationalized physically raping and pillaging foreign lands. Today, greed is more likely to be defined economically (even though raping and pillaging do still take place).
Finally, back in the day, human nature encouraged people to close themselves off and stick their individual heads in newspapers while commuting by train. Today, people bend their necks out of shape to focus intensely on their phones or tablets in communal isolation.
Human nature drives humans, not like a computer code but like [u]a static driving force[/u] that is able to accommodate and won't be deterred by social changes. If that wasn't true, we wouldn't still be greedy since we have no real need to be by the standards of 100 (or 2018) years ago and we wouldn't still have a (human nature) desire to isolate ourselves while being obsessed to conform to the latest trends.
For example, human greed once encouraged humans to eat a forbidden fruit. Today, it's most likely going to involve something completely different. But, the human nature fueling the greed is the same.
During the time of the Vikings, greed involved and rationalized physically raping and pillaging foreign lands. Today, greed is more likely to be defined economically (even though raping and pillaging do still take place).
Finally, back in the day, human nature encouraged people to close themselves off and stick their individual heads in newspapers while commuting by train. Today, people bend their necks out of shape to focus intensely on their phones or tablets in communal isolation.
Human nature drives humans, not like a computer code but like [u]a static driving force[/u] that is able to accommodate and won't be deterred by social changes. If that wasn't true, we wouldn't still be greedy since we have no real need to be by the standards of 100 (or 2018) years ago and we wouldn't still have a (human nature) desire to isolate ourselves while being obsessed to conform to the latest trends.
@MarkPaul Okay, so you've pretty clearly made the case that human nature is static and unchanging despite fluctuating social norms. Thank you for picking a side (despite denying that you are doing so).
I am of a different opinion. Yes, greed and gluttony and pride and all the other seven deadly sins are still present in our nature. However, I would argue that these driving forces or "natures" exert far less influence on humanity today than they did a thousand or several thousand years ago. The process might be slow, but I do believe that our nature has changed and is continuing to change. These base drives exert less influence over our behavior today (thank goodness).
I have little evidence for this belief other than my personal observations and my longstanding position as an optimist. 😁
I am of a different opinion. Yes, greed and gluttony and pride and all the other seven deadly sins are still present in our nature. However, I would argue that these driving forces or "natures" exert far less influence on humanity today than they did a thousand or several thousand years ago. The process might be slow, but I do believe that our nature has changed and is continuing to change. These base drives exert less influence over our behavior today (thank goodness).
I have little evidence for this belief other than my personal observations and my longstanding position as an optimist. 😁
MarkPaul · 26-30, M
@IAmJess That's hardly an authentic demonstration of optimism. I just think you want to (naively) believe that modern humans are somehow superior than previous generations. The problem I have with that bias is history is jam packed with that urban legend which only points to how human nature has stayed the same from one century to another.