Humanity In Rene Descartes's Meditations On First Philosophy
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What makes us human? Or more importantly, why do we identify ourselves as human? Why does humanity act, think, work, live the way that it does? This question can be difficult to answer, yet the majority of people agree that the answer to this question lies within the idea of the human condition. The human condition consists of an abstract grouping of philosophical ideals, which revolves around figuring out what makes humans human. The human condition consists of core principles in humanity with a myriad of different interpretations; a majority of which seem contradictory, due to the nature of philosophy, has 6 core traits, 3 of which this essay will explore.
A massive part of human life consists of conflict. This conflict can range anywhere…show more content… This piece, called “Meditations on First Philosophy,” focuses primarily on the belief of a person’s free will. It shows that a person will grow, as they realize their true potential and recognize their free will. This quote says that the ideal of free will, and once people recognize that they have this, that they will be an inherently stronger person, and the ability to think for themselves and decide whether or not what they do moral, and whether or not they feel as if they need anything more in their lives. Overall, the idea of growth, especially growth within oneself, is a core tenet of the human condition, as growth itself, and the realization of growth, helps to make us…show more content… The first piece which discusses this idea would be Friedrich Nietzsche’s piece “The Genealogy of Morals.” Within this quote, Nietzsche states that man’s desire consists of constitutes the removal of their negative emotions and ideals onto an overarching deity, one that they can blame their own shortcomings upon, yet take praise for themselves for whenever they act properly. This idea is also further explored in Descartes’s piece. Now, within Descartes’s piece, he also brings in the idea of man’s inconceivability and sin. Within this following quote, he also blames his sin on his own ignorance, due to the willing of God. In conclusion, it is all an incredibly important idea surrounding the Human Condition, with how the idea of spirituality impacts a majority of people's lives, some people even more