Nature as Human Beings Has Long Been

¶ … nature as human beings has long been debated heatedly throughout human history. Some influential thinkers have seen human nature as essentially "evil" or flawed, while others viewed human nature as basically good. Great Western philosophers like Plato, Locke, Hume, Rousseau, and even notable historical figures like Machiavelli and Thucydides all delved deeply into the problem of human nature. Despite these prolific, influential and varied opinions, the true nature of human beings is far from completely understood. In this light, it may be helpful to look outside of philosophy to determine the basic, underlying nature of human beings. In our modern capitalistic society, the workplace may offer important and practical insights into human nature.

Further, traditional theories of human nature have largely ignored the female in their studies. Certainly, given that almost half of the human population is female, this is a grievous and important oversight. It is perhaps this oversight that had compounded the inability of philosophers and thinkers to determine a truly universal theory of human nature. Recently, several essays and books have been written on the dynamics of gender in the modern workplace. Ellen Goodman's "Being a secretary can be hazardous to your health," and Gloria Steinem's "The Importance of Work" both delve deeply into the role of women in the modern workforce. As such, Steinem and Goodman provide an importance source of ideas for divining principles of human nature both from a female perspective, and from the practical perspective of the modern workplace.

In her essay "Being a secretary can be hazardous to your health, Ellen Goodman looks at how the powerlessness of the modern secretarial job has ultimately resulted in increased risks of heart disease for modern clerical workers. This is a serious issue for women, as 35% of working women in America (or 18 million) have clerical jobs.

While Goodman's discussion of the issue of increased cardiovascular events among women is interesting, it takes second place to her treatment of gender roles in the modern workplace. Goodman characterizes clerical workers as often supervised by controlling Type A male bosses, and in jobs that are "de-skilled, down-graded, dead-ended, and dissatisfying." While this is clearly an oversimplification, given the increasing numbers of women in management positions, there is a disquieting nugget of truth in her assertion.

Steinem's essay "The Importance of Work" highlights societal expectations for the working woman.

She notes that women in the workplace are often regarded as being "unfeminine," and yet women who work in the home are often not given the respect that they deserve. She notes that women have the same basic needs as men, including the feeling of accomplishment and respect.

Taken together, the essays of Steinem and Goodman help to reveal a great deal about the societal views and realities of women in the workplace. While their arguments may be somewhat dated in the year 2002, they still contain important nuggets of truth about the role of women in the workforce. Women often find themselves in powerless, unsatisfying jobs, and still face a struggle with gaining respect as homemakers, and being regarded as "ball breakers" and unfeminine in the workplace.