Humans As Nature Intended (Part 2 of 3) [in collaboration with Socrates Cafe KL]

Themes
Human Nature, Human Behavior, Nature (Philosophy), Nature (Science), Essence, Nature vs Nurture, Instinct, Free Will, Morality, Science, Philosophy vs Science, Socrates

Description
“According to Aristotle, the philosophical study of human nature itself originated with Socrates whom is said to have studied the question of how a person should best live. He was a rationalist and believed that the best life and the life most suited to human nature involved reasoning”

The idea of nature having intentions or a specific plan for humans is a philosophical and metaphysical concept that is open to interpretation. Some philosophers such as Aristotle and other ancient Greek philosophers believed that nature has a specific purpose or plan for all living beings.

From a scientific perspective, nature is understood as a set of natural processes and phenomena that operate according to the laws of physics and biology. Humans, like all other living beings, evolved through these natural processes but also have the ability to shape and manipulate the environment. Whether or not this goes beyond what nature intended is a matter of personal belief and philosophical perspective.

While humans are a part of nature and evolved from these natural processes, human activity is often seen as separate from other natural phenomena. This is in stark contrast to the opposite end of the spectrum where simpler beings such as fish and birds rely more heavily on instinct and fixed action patterns whereas humans have a greater capacity for learning and adapting their behavior based on experience.

From this, it is understood that humans are a product of nature’s processes which had endowed them their own ‘human nature’. As such, unlike other animals which primarily act upon instinct, humans hold the potential to surpass what nature started them with and thus they possess the ability to move against nature’s course.

Though the discussion does touch upon the theme of ‘nature vs nurture’, we will not go into that discussion since it has already been proven and there is much literature available on that subject. Some references on the matter are listed below for further proficiency.

Questions

1. Do nature’s processes show a trajectory of what “nature intends”?
2. Do humans have a function in nature and could it be that humans had somehow branched off from it?
3. What are humans in their most natural state, often referred to as their essence? What is the nature of humans and how does that compare to animals as it is said that humans have both instinct and the ability to reason?
4. Although there isn't good or evil without a concept to frame it by such as morality, does this show that human nature is more inclined towards what would otherwise be seen as evil attributes; being violent, etc or is it the opposite?
5. What if human concepts such as morality was wrong in the eyes of nature and goes against nature’s processes?
6. Are humans able to choose and shape their nature? Or is whatever they become also part of their nature?
7. Should humans fight their nature or embrace it? Should they re-adapt to nature’s processes and attempt return to being one? If so what would be the peak form of human nature for the future of both mankind and nature together?
8. Would there be a problem with humans severing their association with nature and going about their own redefined nature?

TLDRs
https://www.thecollector.com/socrates-philosophy-ancient-greek-philosopher-legacy/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/socrates
https://www.worldhistory.org/socrates/
https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/careers/080422/how-would-socrates-teach-science
https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/evpsych/chapter/human-behavior-nature-or-nurture
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/human-nature/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00260/full
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/may/19/are-we-products-of-nature-or-nuture-science-answers-age-old-question
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-probe-human-nature-and-discover-we-are-good-after-all/