Theme – Human Nature

Theme – Human Nature

1. The question – regarding human nature- Explains how (1 – 5) dealt with the question: “Can people be trusted “to do the right thing for the greater good” over a sustained, indefinite period of time?

1. The answer – depends on “the truth” about human nature- Explains why/how (1 – 5) had the belief they did about human nature.

• either good or evil; how/why it came to be that way
• who/what (God, the church, society, and/or the government) is responsible for cajoling, inducing, and/or forcing people to defy their very nature and “do the right thing” by looking out for the welfare and well-being of the larger community in which they live?[unique_solution]
• Are some people born “naturally” good and others “naturally” evil? If so, who/what is responsible for this type of human nature?
• If all people are born good, how and why do some become evil?
• Or . . . are all people so “totally depraved, corrupt and/or in bondage to sin” that they can do nothing for the sake of anyone beyond themselves?
• What role does God, the church, society, and/or the government play in cajoling, inducing, and/or forcing people to defy their very nature and “do the right thing” by looking out for the safety and well-being of the larger community in which they live?

1. Conflicting evidence – regarding “the truth” about human nature- Offers specific evidence that directly relates to each era’s/man’s answers and contributions to “A” and “B”

Be specific in your references to textbook material and lecture material as you give evidence to explain how each pair (1 – 5) addressed the questions cited in “A” and how their answers to the questions listed in “B” helped to shape our understanding of human nature and the degree to which we care about “the greater good.”

1. High Middle Ages: Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey Chaucer
2. Italian Humanist Renaissance: Pico della Mirandola and Niccoló Machiavelli
3. Christian Humanism Erasmus and Thomas More
4. Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther and John Calvin
5. Seventeenth Century Political Thought: Thomas Hobbes and John Locke