Human nature refers to the unique elements in human life that distinguishes them from other animals. Human nature can also be defined as the common qualities of human beings. Adam Smith and Carl Marx tried to explain human nature. Adam Smith in the book Wealth of Nations tries to lay out how the economy works. He claims that people seek material comfort which makes them naturally sociable. According to Carl Marx, the nature of human is directly related to the social relationship where one is born. The social relations are then reflected back in the society.
Adam Smith Theory of Human Nature
According to Smith, human nature drives market exchanges, a division of labor, and specializations in people, increased productivity, and comfort and material wealth. He claims that starting from the countryside, there is an expansion of productivity to that people can meet their necessities. In towns, there is also increase in the level of production to meet the conveniences of life. Development of the long-distance trade was a natural history of the economy. In his book, he claims that the capital of a growing society is directed to agriculture, then to manufacturers and finally to foreign commerce. The natural order of things has basically taken place. However, the foreign commerce of some cities has introduced all their finer manufacturers.
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In the book, Smith claims that the pride is the thing that makes a human love to domineer, nothing mortifies him other than persuading his inferiors. This law applies wherever and it is readily afforded by nature. It is, therefore, better to prefer services of freemen than slaves. Slave cultivation can be practiced in the planting of sugar and tobacco while production of corn cannot be done through the slave trade. Also, he describes human civilization to move through four different stages. It started with hunters, moved to nations of shepherds, agricultural nations followed and lastly the commercial societies (Smith, 2017). Smith insisted the progressing stage of civilization is superior to the previous one. He claims that the primary economic tension is the primary economic engine and is driven by the interactions of town inhabitants and inhabitants of the countryside. In agricultural production, the urban populations provide the means of manufacture and influence the production of the rural people. In each stage, the town and the countryside have different relationships but are always intact.
On the philosophical issue, the first one is a division of labor and the second one is the economic value. According to Smith, a division of labor works on a large scale where different populations are dedicated to different tasks for everyone’s benefit. The commercial system is integrated as one because what benefit one group can at the same time benefit another. For instance, butchers, brewers, and bakers are manufacturing and gain their livelihood by preparing food for their customers.
Carl Marx Theory of Human Nature
Carl Marx defines human nature and humanity as a whole. His theory offers a critique of capitalism, his concept of communism and history in the concept of communism. He claims that human nature has no other role than what is made by social relations. He claims that social relations are the key to determining the nature of humans. Additionally, he claims that nature of human is more than what is conditioned by the circumstances in one’s life ( Pfeffer, 2010) Humans are dependent on the material conditions of their lives. He believes that nature of human conditions against the production backgrounds and their relations to production. He criticized the tendency where eternal roles of nature are transformed into social forms from the present mode of production and form of property. He, therefore, criticizes some aspects of human nature.
Marx believed that humans are different from animals in their thinking, religion and other factors. Humans distinguish themselves from animals through means of production which is conditioned by their physical organization. From this, he claims that the means of production is dictated by their physical environments. Marx agreed with the concept that human nature forms the developmental thesis in regard to the expansion of the productive forces ( Marx & Engels, 2009) He claims this is a fundamental driving force in the history. He claimed in his article” historical materialism itself, this whole distinctive approach to society originates with Marx, rests squarely upon the idea of human nature”. The quote explains the human productive process and the transformations humans have organized in the materialistic environment. The historical progress of humans rests on the people’s ability to shape and control the world themselves. In historical anthropology, production is not similar to the production in historical theory. According to historical anthropology, the exercise and exercise of manifold powers which are mainly productive enable people to flourish. In the case, the role of freedom comes in. human production is not by choice but the fact that they have to.
Conclusion
Human nature can only be defined by the labor of humans. Labor enables individuals to express their lives and therefore what they do concede with their production. The production is mainly determined by what they produce and how they produce. The concept of production is what distinguishes them from other animals. Production concept is intellectual and therefore the division of labor has to play an important role in the production.
References
Marx, K., & Engels, F. (2009). The economic and philosophic manuscripts of 1844 and the Communist manifesto . Prometheus Books.
Pfeffer, J. (2010). Building sustainable organizations: The human factor. The Academy of Management Perspectives , 24 (1), 34-45.
Smith, A. (2017). The Wealth of Nations . Lanham: Dancing Unicorn Books.
