Platonic and utilitarian resolutions of conflicting human nature

Philosophy

Human nature seems to be delicately balanced between destructive and constructive forces, which may wrestle and be in continual conflict. However, it is possible to resolve the conflicts inherent in human nature to create unity and harmony. Plato pointed out that the body and the soul represent the two opposing forces pulling human nature in different directions, potentially begetting conflict. The body's appetites and desires for pleasure are pitted against the soul's desire for reason. Appetites include the most basic impulses of survival like hunger, thirst, and sex. Other aspects of human nature that can conflict include the aspect of aggression: the "spirited" nature of a human being that is not necessarily destructive but can be if not kept in check. Similarly, the body's appetites are good in the sense that they help keep the body alive, but they need to be tempered by reason to avoid problems. Generally, the main components of human nature in the Platonic conception include reason, aggression, and appetite. When aggression and appetite are subsumed by reason, the individual can achieve harmony (Chapter 2, p. 10).

Utilitarianism presents a similar view of human nature, revealing the way the body's desire for pleasure and immediate gratification can be tempered by reason. With a utilitarian outlook, a person can make a rational decision to ignore the body's desire for instant gratification using methods like Bentham's hedonistic calculus (West). Actively measuring whether a given action is destined to cause more pleasure to more people, versus more pain to more people, can help the person achieve a balance between the desires of the body and the rational choices of the soul. Thus, the Platonic and the Utilitarian views are similar. They each suggest that human nature is comprised of binary forces, but that those binaries can be united with reason to achieve maximum benefits for both the individual and society.

Most Western philosophers reached a similar conclusion related to human nature, the potentially conflicting aspects of human nature, and the means by which to resolve the conflicts. For example, Aristotle posited that reason was necessary for human happiness. St. Augustine also recognized that base desires in human beings for instant gratification and egotistical satisfaction are innate, but they are destructive only when the will is weak. The key is to harness the aspect of human nature that can temper elements like hunger and aggression.