There Is No Such Thing as the Essential Nature of Man
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There is no such thing as the Essential Nature of Man.
What is a human identity, why do we have an urge to separate ourselves from animals and seek individualism as a species? Is there such a thing as an essential nature of man? In order to determine this, we must first define what an essential nature is. The dictionary defines nature as:
The material world and its phenomena.
The forces and processes that produce and control all the phenomena of the material world: the laws of nature.
The world of living things and the outdoors: the beauties of nature.
A primitive state of existence untouched and uninfluenced by civilization or artificiality.
Theology. Humankinds natural state as distinguished from the state of grace.
A kind or sort: confidences of a personal nature.
The essential characteristics and qualities of a person or thing:
The fundamental character or disposition of a person; temperament:
The natural or real aspect of a person, place, or thing.
The processes and functions of the body.
The dictionary continues to define essential as:
Constituting or being part of the essence of something; inherent.
Basic or indispensable, necessary: essential ingredients.
When combined, they allow us to define an essential nature as the fundamental characteristics shared by all humans; they are inherent in all man, and not shared by the animal kingdom.
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