Human Nature
Human nature is the disposition of man. That is a fact. Where, when, or how human nature arises is where the question lies. Sarte believes that man starts with nothing and that he acquires an essence through living. The "Tao Te Ching", on the other hand, promotes the idea that the essence of human nature is found and implanted within the soul. These two points regarding the issue of human nature are poles apart, but if read into deeply enough, one can see that they both have the same aspiration. That goal is to define when, where, and how human nature evolves within man. "Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. That is the first principle of existentialism" (Sarte, 349). An existentialist believes that "existence comes before essence" (Sarte
I think that the meaning of the Tao varies from person to person, but the underlying idea that we all possess a human essence is evident within each Taoist. The contentness and simplicity of a Taoist is what allows their human nature to erupt without lifting a finger. "Content with an ordinary life, you can show all people the way back to their own true nature" ("Tao Te Ching", 65) ". . .man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world-and defines himself afterwards" (Sarte, 349). If human nature were a honey jar, it would start out empty. As man walks the journey of life, he receives a teaspoon of honey in his jar for every value he picks up, emotion he expresses, and essentially, every time he contributes to his self-promotion. The way t
Some common words found in the essay are:
Te Ching, , human nature, Tao Te, tao te ching, tao te, te ching, Lecture February, sarte 349, essence human, essence human nature, nature arises, human nature arises, honey jar,
Approximate Word count = 521
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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