Is Human Nature Simply The Enjoyment Of Sin?
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In Saint Augustine's Confessions, the quote "…the world is drunk with the invisible wine of its own perverted, earthbound will" masterfully describes the broadest underlying concept of human nature as the will to sin. However, Augustine develops this concept much deeper, expanding a definition that can be compared to that of Thucydides in History of the Peloponnesian War. The accounts of human nature (and what it consists of) scripted by these two authors has many striking parallels, displaying very little trace of discrepancy (Augustine 45).
Describing humans' universal inclination toward sin is the most obvious foundation for these concepts. While sin is commonly known to be a "bad" ...
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often killed on grounds of personal hatred or else by their debtors because of the money that they owed" (241). This is a direct example of personal wants and greed leading to massive sin. It is exactly this selfish concept which lays the foundation for defining human nature according to Thucydides.
Augustine, much the same, uses his own personal experiences to show the domination of sin in humankind. He starts this account by describing the selfishness and jealousy of infants. "But in those days all I knew was how to suck, and how to lie still when my body sensed comfort or cry when it felt pain" (Augustine 25, 28). As an infant, Augustine argues, one is solely concerned with gaining comfort, food, and attention, regardless of who has to suffer for this to happen. He furthers his account by explaining the sins he did in his boyhood years, including playing games instead of writing and studying. "But we sinned by reading and writing and studying less than was expected of us" ...
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are" (Thucydides 220, 221). What this means is that people get very cocky, courageous, and carefree when they are under the influence of a group of allies. This is because of the feeling of stability and protection that the group provides. However, this feeling is often ill determined, and results in actions that the person would never conceive of, had he not been with this group. So in this sense, a communal setting promotes a greater quantity of sin, as well as increased severity of sins. Thucydides provides another example: "In the various cities these revolutions were the cause of many calamities…In times of peace and prosperity cities and individuals alike follow higher ...
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Is Human Nature Simply The Enjoyment Of Sin?. (2006, August 19). Retrieved April 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Is-Human-Nature-Simply-Enjoyment-Sin/51045
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"Is Human Nature Simply The Enjoyment Of Sin?." Essayworld.com. August 19, 2006. Accessed April 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Is-Human-Nature-Simply-Enjoyment-Sin/51045.
"Is Human Nature Simply The Enjoyment Of Sin?." Essayworld.com. August 19, 2006. Accessed April 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Is-Human-Nature-Simply-Enjoyment-Sin/51045.
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