Human Nature and Human Behavior The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli Man is Evil and Warlike, by Thomas Hobbes Man is Rational, by John Locke Man is a Product of His Environment, by B.F. Skinner

The Nature of Man “The Prince” by: Machiavelli “mankind is bad” “men are naturally bad” People have an interest in themselves and what they need may be trustworthy, but most are dishonest Greedy, ungrateful and fickle Authority is accepted to gain personal needs and wants and to feel secure The Nature of Man “The Prince” by: Machiavelli Authority is necessary to provide order for people that are inconsistent A leader should be both feared and loved, but better to be feared

The Nature of Man “Man is Evil and Warlike” by: Thomas Hobbes Humans are intrinsically bad People are equal, and can strive for the same things Yet, there will be competition, winners and losers Men will destroy one another in their fight for resources Authority is accepted because life is “nasty, brutish and short” therefore, people will take advantage of the lack of authority to benefit themselves The Nature of Man “Man is Evil and Warlike” by: Thomas Hobbes Authority is necessary to provide structure and rules Evil needs a guiding force Provides an understanding of what may happen in a state of nature Gives reason for societal structure Considers what humans may do if lack of structure existed

The Nature of Man “Man is Rational” by: John Locke Man is naturally good, equal, and independent Men can make judgment calls We do not need a “common superior” The Nature of Man “Man is Rational” by: John Locke Authority is necessary to uphold our rights and make us secure and encourage equality Applies today to concerns about providing equality, civil liberty, and religious tolerance to those around us Locke would say we all deserve the above because we are naturally free and good

No such thing as human nature Your behavior depends on the environment you’re in You become a product of what influences you possible consequences of any behavior: - reinforcements which are consequences which increase the likelihood of behavior (such as praise or food) punishments which tend to decrease behavior (such as a frown or a traffic ticket) the lack of reinforcement or punishment which also tends to decrease behavior (such as no response to the punch line of a joke Authority may be accepted to because we benefit from it or we fear the consequences of not following it Authority will influence us and can potentially control us Relates to what type of government or societal structure may be more effective The Nature of Man “Man is a Product of His Environment” by: B.F. Skinner