Human nature and politics Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Human nature and politics - Dissertation Example This essay tells that in the present day turmoil, observed worldwide in various political circles, and the disillusionment faced by the citizens thereafter, the focus has steadily remained on the changing political actors and their varying political ideologies, which are in reality superficial in nature. In a persistent move to examine various political theories and doctrines, one has failed to observe the most important aspect, which plays a decisive role in the world of politics and power play (both globally and nationally), which is the ‘human nature.’ However, the term human nature is not easily defined, and includes complex characteristics like human perception, reasoning, behavior, ways of feeling, thinking, that are naturally observed in any individual in context of his or her surrounding socio-political world. The questions as to what causes these characteristics to take shape and form within human thought processes, in what exact manner the causal factors work, and as to how well the human nature is entrenched, form the bases of various researches in the world of western philosophy, with considerable implications in the practical fields of psychological and biological sciences, religious studies, politics, and ethics. This is primarily owing to the fact that Ð °human nature can be seen as antecedent of a benchmark for ‘living well’ and behavioral norms, while on the other hand it can also be perceived as a characteristic that creates problems and constraints in the way of a good life. Aristotle in his virtue theory claimed that ‘virtues’ are human qualities that assist an individual to achieve the benchmark and ‘live well,’ which is in concordance to human nature.5 Machiavelli and Hobbes on the other hand believed that human nature tends to be egoistic thus creating problems and constraints in ‘living well.’ Machiavelli further suggests that each individual has the potential of ‘li ving well’ and being happy, as long as he/she does not face suffering. Hobbes however, takes an extreme view and states that human nature is entirely derived from materialist axioms, and the state