SHOULD WE LIVE ACCORDING TO OUR NATURE? - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG

25/ 07/ 2022

Many books written for young people often use a quote that says: “Live your life!” “I am a genius, so are you!” If this is just a slogan to give motivation to souls who are lost and disoriented due to many complex and inexplicable reasons, then it is very true, because in a world already full of lies, one more lie wouldn't complicate the situation at all. But when we look back at this empty slogan, we would see that it has the appearance of a fallacy.

First of all, what does this sentence mean? These are the assumptions underlying this advice:

1-You have a certain innate "nature", according to Meng Zi (human nature is good) or Xun Tzu (human nature is evil).

2-Live according to your “true” nature and you will be “successful” or “happy.”

This is a kind of fallacy because it involves other “ingredients” that are not well defined:

1-Is there any evidence that human beings have a fixed "nature" (variety in nature)?

2-If we live according to this "nature" could we be "happy" or "successful"? Or is it easier to live "in harmony" with people, following the trends of the times, will we be more "successful" and "happy"?

3-But what is "success"? What is its standard measure? Whose? From what era? Mozart more successful or Son Tung more successful?

4-What is "happiness"? If so, can the use of stimulants, as addictive as drugs, bring about “happiness”? Or for example, if "harming someone" brings "happiness" to a person, should that person continue to "fight" for the "happiness" of his life?

In philosophy there is a fallacy called Naturalistic Fallacy. But when we think more deeply about this, we realize that there is no more ambiguous, controversial concept than the concept of "natural", for example "natural" eating or dressing " What is ''natural”? Is eating a live fish without any preprocessing steps? Or is it best to dress like Mr. ADAM or Mrs. EVA in the garden of Eden? Wouldn't it be best to give birth to a child without teaching and bring them to the forest? Speaking "naturally" means just saying what's on your mind to the other person: "You're the dumbest idiot on the planet!" Or in the usual "fake" way (what we call "polite")? In fact, the history of mankind is a process of taming all the animal instincts of man, helping man to become more cultured, more civilized, to become more "human". So which is better? "Nature" or "culture"? Even herbs must be processed to be used, rather than picking leaves in the forest to chew and swallow, they are considered to have consumed herbs. The so-called "pure forest honey" is full of harmful bacteria that cannot be harvested and "used" directly. Many fishermen have "closed their lives" ahead of time just because of eating raw fish bile in the sea in such a "natural is best" fashion.

CONCLUSION:

1- Humans do not have a given "nature". Humans have created that "nature" in the process of growing up and adapting to difficulties and limitations in real life and interacting with other members who share a cultural community.

2- Humanity is a complex product of 4 factors: biological genetics, society, culture, and natural environment, but humans still have a very "human" characteristic. is: The ability to overcome all these factors through learning new things. All other animals known to date are far behind humans in this capacity.

3- But when saying “Live according to your nature!” We just want to remind that "you only have one life to live, so live your own goals and passions, don't have to follow the prevailing social trends" then this saying can be acceptable in its common usage sense. Of course, as a particular socio-cultural member, we cannot “choose” types of “passion” and “purpose” that conflict with socio-cultural norms. For example, it is difficult to accept a person who chooses "the hobby of killing" as his "noble" goal in life and "resolutely" implements that "goal". It's just that you haven't had time to realize this "passion" and have been shunned by society and joined hands to "send" you to a mental hospital!

  • READ MORE
popup

Số lượng:

Tổng tiền: