Over the years, the topic of human nature has spurred a hot argument and discussion with two opinions sharply polarized. There are those who believe that human nature is naturally good and just need guidance. The other group comes out strongly to refute this claim by saying humans are born bad and their nature is evil in general. Xunzi, the great Chinese Confucian philosopher, was the first to mention and advocate for human nature being as bad. More so, each group has conducted research to support their point of view. Human nature is as good; it's just that the pressures in our environment weigh much mass on us and tends to crush our good nature. The paper delves into the discussion to argue against the statement and provide a counter-argument.
Human nature is as good because we are concerned about the welfare of others instinctively. That's why there is a good feeling that strikes us whenever someone expresses gratitude towards us or our actions. In response, one hardly expresses himself as if he actually deserved it. Instead, we welcome the appreciation humbly and our instinct is calm at such moments. Thus, the welfare of others is also our concern. This instinct shows that humans are aware of what is happening around them and they can differentiate the good from the bad. One knows it's wrong to brag and it's right to replace bragging with humility. Such instincts are natural because one involuntarily executes them even when he has never seen another person do so. This leads to the question whether the proponents of the statement understood what nature is about. Human nature is related to nature, and this means it's an original material(Kaebnick, 2013). Being born with a particular original disposition or pattern means that the material can't depart from its natural disposition unless by accident or intentions. That's what the instincts are all about, nature. Instincts never depart from us.
