Philosophers, thomas hobbes and john locke views on huma nature as

Hobbes or Locke?

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both have their own ideas on human nature. But, which of the two has the right idea? According to Hobbes, people are born evil, and if given the chance, they will save themselves rather than others and not think twice about it. Locke’s theory is quite the opposite. He believed that people are born good, and when the time comes, everyone will unite for the needs of the many rather than the needs of the few. Hobbes is correct that people are egotistical, wicked, and greedy.

People are naturally egotistical because of their inevitable thought of themselves as the number one priority to worry about, rather than anyone else. Egotistical is defined as “ given to talking about oneself” or “ indifferent to the well-being of others”. When you get right down to it, isn’t this the term that defines human nature as a whole? If you were to go to a big city, someplace where there would be beggars on the streets, how many people do you actually see stop and help out the homeless? When I go into some place like that, such as New York City, I see dozens of beggars on the sides of streets asking for food, or money, or practically anything someone would be willing to give. But, does anyone usually stop to give them anything? No. Whenever I am in a big city, no one stops to give even a penny or a crumb of their food. This is because people are naturally born egotistical, where they only worry about themselves. They only worry about if they have enough money, or if they are getting enough food. Egotism is what stops people from helping others, no matter if it is the right thing to do or not.

Humans, by nature, are also truly wicked. Some people think it is amusing to see others in pain. In other words, they humiliate or torture others for their enjoyment. For example, bullying. In an everyday school, no matter where, there will be bullying. Someone will tease another, pushing them to the breaking point with their words or their actions. Depending on the case, it can be a mental or physical abuse, but does it really make a difference? The bully usually does this for no reason other than to make themselves feel better or just to amuse themselves. It is sick and twisted and cruel, but this is the way people are. Torturers by their blood, no matter how deep they bury it down.

Last, but certainly not the least, people are greedy. Whether it be attention, attraction, wealth, material items, or fame, humans will always want more of it than anyone else. It is simply in their nature. In the Yale Baby Lab, the scientists proceeded to test something a little different on young kids after they had experimented with the babies about good and evil. They conducted a procedure in which a child could get more tokens for prizes for themselves, get the same amount as the other person, or simply give the other person more tokens than them. More often than not, the children chose to give more tokens to themselves rather than the other child. In fact, they seemed to rather want to get more, an equal amount, or no one gets any at all than the other child getting more than them. This clearly proves that humans are just plain selfish and greedy, even at such a young age. This greediness continues on throughout life and carries out to show through competitiveness and bragging. As it is shown, greed is a cruel and destructive trait.

In conclusion, Hobbes was correct in saying that people are naturally born evil. It bubbles up inside of everyone, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to break free and cause havoc. This proves how all humans, no matter what age are egotistical, wicked, and greedy, some people just happen to embrace the evil more than others.