A Necessary Evil?

I believe that working is a big part of everyone’s life, and that is cannot be avoided. Although it would be more appealing to go to work if you were not “alienated,” but it is something you must do for survival. Work is a necessary evil in order to live and it is necessary in order to accomplish life goals. In today’s world everything costs money, and thus we must work in order to earn money. Therefore, work is a part of us, and will be until the end of our lives. We must except that work is a part of us and that we are dependent upon working. I agree with John Locke, that we wouldn’t work unless we had to.

Although this seems very true, I feel as though we prepare our wholes lives to work and after retirement we can only enjoy the rewards for a small amount of time. It seems as though we are prepared for the work force from the time we are younger all the way throughout our lives. Today, most students only attend college so that they can get a higher paying job with their degree. Sadly, our entire lives are devoted to working so that we can enjoy a small ending. As disappointing as this is, it is reality. I’m not saying to accept the fact that we cannot change this, but unless we can find a way to make money and not work, there is no solution. Perhaps I will find a job in the future that will be fun and feel like I am not working.

Is there a way to avoid work?

Many people view work as a means to an end as well as a way to pleasure. Work can be viewed as pain and as humans we try to escape pain and thus working can be viewed as alienation. College can also be viewed as a means to an end because college is associated with making more money in the work force. The human race is always trying to better their lives and work towards having a pleasurable end. I completely agree with Marx, that people are continually preparing their whole lives for a small pleasurable end. Most people begin working when they are still teenagers and work throughout their lives until retirement, so that they can enjoy the remainder of their lives. Although I believe working is important and that it is critical for survival, one can never know when he or she is going to die. Therefore, someone could work hard their entire life and never be able to enjoy their hard work. Our society is programmed to be successful and to work hard in order to have a pleasurable end. Unfortunately, this desirable end comes with many costs and hard work that force people to become alienated by their work. Today, society is encouraged that you have to go to college in order to get a decent job. It seems as though people are only attending college so that they can work towards the pleasurable end that they desire. I believe that Marx is right when saying that work alienates us, and that we might be working towards something that we cannot enjoy. But I believe that we have to work in order to survive, and that there is no way to avoid working.

to work or not to work?

I found this article very interesting because I sometimes view working as pointless and as a means to an end. I agree completely with Bentham, that we are pleasure seeking individuals and that we try to avoid pain when possible. It is evident that this motivates us and that work helps individuals seek pleasure, although it can be stressful, annoying, and tough. It is evident that work helps us satisfy our needs as well as our wants, so we are pressured into working. Working can be alienating, but I believe that it is partially our duty to the rest of the world to work. Although jobs cleaning up after other people such as janitors and maids are jobs that could be eliminated, most professions provide needed services for people. I do not think that working alienates people because people need to work in order to buy food, keep their house warm, pay bills, as well as many other necessities. Working can also be a rewarding experience and force people to work harder and contribute to society. I do not believe that working is negative or that people are working for only the end. I believe that working helps society and that it can build character as well as provide people with goals, assets, and build towards their future.

Theses on Feuerbach

It is clear that Marx’s Theses on Feuerbach is a very significant document. In this critique Marx displays his theory of human nature. He believes that we are partially in control of our human nature. Marx believed that our human nature is formulated by material conditions and that it will condition according to the way that we express our lives. Marx believed the humans were naturally good and that it allows our human nature to flourish. This is a significant document because Marx challenged the way of thinking during his time period, and he challenged philosophers to think differently to try to change the world. By going against theorists such as Kant and Hobbes, Marx encouraged people that they are naturally good and capable to take control of their human nature. Marx concluded his eleventh thesis by challenging people to change the world with the knowledge that they have learned from other philosophers. He was trying to encourage people to be skeptical and to challenge everything that they hear, which will help our human nature to grow and improve.

One determinant?

I have always had a personal theory that we are created by our experiences in our lives. Although there are some other determinants that play a role in our human nature, I believe that personal experiences are the most significant. Although it has not been proven that there is a “nice” gene or personality genes that can be passed through generations, I think genetics plays a small role in our human nature. It is evident that the combination of genes in our bodies will give us the ability to act, think, and perform in certain ways. All of our experiences, whether small or enormous, will cause us to act and think in a certain way, and thus form our human nature. Certain experiences will force people to mature quicker or to see things differently, which directly affect their human nature. These experiences could be your religious experience, work, school, friends, death, as well as many other experiences. Evidently, there are many determinants that play a role in the formation of our human nature. One determinant cannot be held responsible for the way that all of the billions of people on this earth act, think, or perform. It is clear that we develop our morals, ethics, and beliefs all throughout our lives. Thus, these determinants are constantly affecting us and forming us, and therefore one determinant cannot withhold all of these responsibilities.

What determines our human nature?

I believe that the driving facture in determining our human nature is nurture and how we are brought up. It is evident that the way that your parents raise you will directly affect your ability to perform in society. Our parents' care or even the lack of care is not the only variable that plays a huge role in our human nature, there are many other factors. It is evident that perhaps a bigger influence than our elders is, society. We are constantly trying to mold ourselves to be what society wants and demands us to be. Clearly, society and its demands force us to bend and shape into a certain type of person. There are thousands of different variables that play into the overall determining of our human nature and how we act, think, and even learn. It is proven that parents that avidly read and talk to their children when they are younger, their children will have a higher IQ than children that didn’t receive this treatment. Clearly, our parents and society play a huge role in our lives and our human nature. I don’t think that any one determinant can determine what type of person we are going to be or what ethics or morals we are going to have, rather it is a diverse combination of determinants.

In my opinion the primary determinant that defines who we are as humans is social determinism. Clearly, we develop from education, customs, culture, interactions, and many other things. On the other hand, our genetics do not determine what type of person we are. Genetic determinism only determines our genetic make up and they way that we look. Although if our genetics include a disease that greatly affects our lives, it could affect the way we act and live our lives.


I view the environmental determinant as a slightly more important factor in determining our human nature. It is clearly evident that where people live determines how they live and the way that they act and behave. It is proven that people become lazier in warmer climates and that people have better work ethics in other colder climates. Now this is not true of everyone, but it is an overall average. Thus, it is evident that your immediate environment can directly affect the way you act and your social ability.