Unraveling the Mystery of Human Nature

"I say that human nature is the original beginning and the raw material, and deliberate effort is what makes it patterned, ordered, and exalted.”
-Xun Kuang, Confucian philosopher

Human nature is often cited as justification for various intellectual positions. Most notably, concepts of morality are intrinsically linked to how we view humanity on the most fundamental level. One of two prevalent notions are generally accepted: Human nature is characterized by a tendency toward selfishness and immorality, or people are fundamentally kind and moral, though sometimes misguided.

Although the lifeward tendency prevalent amongst all living things may seem to suggest one trait or the other, to attribute any such specific qualities to human nature is to stop the investigation short of its object. The particular expressions of human nature are not human nature itself; and conditions are a major factor to consider when evaluating both personal and social behaviors.

Human nature can best be defined by a single core quality: Freedom

This may seem dubious or simplistic at first glance, but what’s being indicated is not the physical condition of freedom. In fact, physicality itself is a limitation. Man cannot fly or breathe underwater by his own volition. He is often inhibited by environmental factors, or the actions of other individuals. The innate freedom of a human being is not to be judged externally, but by the internal quality of free will.

Free will is a topic hotly debated, so we must pay careful attention to our terms and how they are being used. Prudence dictates that we reserve judgement (pending further investigation) and not permit common objections to free will to dissuade us from continuing. Remember, the first step of the Trivium method is to carefully define information, and permit it access to earnest critical analysis before determining its merit.

First, let us consider a fascinating phenomenon - human beings are incredibly adaptable. In the short term, our adaptive capabilities are light-years ahead of any other species. Just look around you – nearly everything you see is a creative adaptation to the environment. We needn’t wait thousands of years for genetic adaptations to grant us better protection from the cold; we just put on a coat and hat. Poor night vision? By applying our technological understanding, we develop the flashlight, or a pair of night-vision goggles that allow us to see better in the dark without even revealing our position.

Man’s adaptability is rooted in this evolved intellectual and creative prowess – it is an adaptation of the mind. These left-brained and right-brained modalities (respectively), when working in unison, allow us to devise novel, effective solutions. Adaptability, however, like all extant phenomena, exists as a polarity. The dark side of adaptability is programmability – a vulnerability to manipulation.

With a deep understanding of psychology, a manipulator can use man’s adaptability to control him. A good example of this is “trauma-based mind control”. Through torture, an individual’s adaptability can be leveraged to direct them toward a particular behavioral pattern. On a more mundane level, basic fear programming can be used to garner the desired response to a suggested solution. This technique (known by some as “problem-reaction-solution”) can be used by power-mongers to elicit support for a particular agenda.

Culture is another powerful force directing man’s adaptability; and though it is a factor comprised of many variables, it can be purposefully guided by those with the influence to do so. The following passage from The End of All Evil by Jeremy Locke, explains how culture can be used to engineer a society:

“Cultures limit the choices available to people by creating arbitrary rules for your life, and enforcing them with peer pressure. Crushing the spirit of people allows culture to gain their obedience.

…[Model citizens] are rewarded by society for being easily molded by culture. The powers of authority and compulsion in all walks of life will always reward the model citizens with tokens of nobility and will always punish those who fail to meet the standards of servitude with humiliation and ridicule. Such is the creation of a culture. Such is the making of slaves.”

So where does this leave free will? By the above commentary, one would be left suspecting that free will could not exist at all; as it doesn’t appear to be consistent with programmability. However, free will resides in the ability to decide where to place one’s attention.

Attention has been described as “spiritual (or mental) currency”. We “pay” attention to get something in return. What we get depends on where we spend it, and how much we pay. If we spend attention on fear-inducing aspects of our world (such as what’s largely offered by mass media’s worldview poisoning), we are more susceptible to the problem-reaction-solution manipulation. If we instead recognize the undesirable realities of our world, but quickly shift our focus toward knowledge, understanding, and the wisdom thus derived, we are using our free will to beneficial effect.

All action begins with a thought, so it behooves us to be as prudent and frugal with attention as we are with our material resources. More so, in fact, as the expression of our human nature (given a particular set of conditions) will be a reflection of this expenditure.

In the final analysis we’ll find that it’s actually us who program ourselves by choosing which thoughts to feed with our attention, and thus free will is ever-present, even where most obscured. Those who seek to assist us, or control us, by offering ideas, beliefs, perspectives and worldviews, can only make suggestions. It’s up to us to carefully evaluate these offerings, and only permit those meeting the highest standard of truth to take up residence within our own thinking.

”Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
-Phillipians 4:8, King James Bible

Thanks for checking in!
Brian Blackwell

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