Sunday, February 10, 2008

Two Common Gender Questions

Some Notes on Two Common Gender Questions/Issues and On Human Nature

Introduction

Nature has designed men and women to have similarities and differences. There are similarities because they human beings, they both belong to the same species, homo sapiens sapiens which existed around 30,000-40,000 years ago. There are differences primarily because of laws pertaining to the survival of their species, e.g., when a woman gets pregnant, conceives the child and takes care of the baby, the woman’s role to produce food is reduced. In turn, the man must work harder then to produce food not only for himself but also for his wife and young children. And so the man develops a stronger physical body. This is connected to the law of complementary roles that I will discuss later.

I. Similarities of Men and Women

Many psychological and sociological tests in the western countries prove that as far as emotional qualities and intellectual abilities are concerned, there are insignificant differences between men and women. (1) In western developed countries, women relatively have many opportunities to develop themselves as much as the men. Thus, the tests on insignificant differences show that women have the same potentials for emotional and intellectual growth compared to men. Thus, when women in a given society do not achieve much as men do whether in business, in politics, or in the arts and culture, it is the male-dominated, patriarchal social structure that prevents women from achieving as much as the men by simply not allowing women access to social opportunities for growth like education and/or social higher positions. The big concentration of wealth and power in the elites also fundamentally deprives women, particularly the poor working class women from developing their physical, emotional, intellectual and moral/spiritual potentials. These unjust social structures are the main causes that make women inferior to men. Therefore, women are not inherently, are not by nature, inferior to men emotionally and intellectually. Indeed, men and women, as human beings belonging to the same species, have equal emotional and intellectual potentials.

One common misconception on the emotional and intellectual differences between men and women is that women are by nature, “fickle-minded”, “moody”, i.e., in general, women are emotionally unstable compared to men. Accordingly, this negatively affects the women’s analytical and decision-making abilities. This is largely attributed to the women’s menstrual cycle that assumably affects the woman’s emotional and mental balance. Again, tests show that “the variability of moods in females has not been found different from the variability of moods in males, especially when the males are matched for lifestyles and ratings of moods are made daily. Overall, environmental events, expectations and social variables have been found to account for more of the variance in mood than …”. (2) Thus, women are not inherently, are not by nature “fickle-minded, moody”. Men and women both have the same analytical and decision-making

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potentials. It is again the unjust social structures that socially condition many women to think that they are inherently not fit for higher social positions.

II. Differences of Men and Women

A. Men Built to be Physically Stronger

Scientific findings show that among other obvious differences like the reproductive system, there are two more important differences between males and females. One major difference has to do with anatomy, with the bones and muscles. Nature has designed males, in general, to be slightly bigger. “Males have narrower pelvic outlet, broader shoulders, more cardiovascular power and tend to have a smaller body-fat-to-muscle ratio than females at all ages. Males then generally have more strength, more ease in running and over arm throwing, less flexibility, poorer ability to float and to withstand cold. Of course, training and experience can alter this situation in individual cases”. (3)

This fact that men are physically stronger than women has led to the idea that men indeed are superior to women. There are two points I wish to explain and elaborate why this idea is very wrong.

One point is that such a difference is an example of the law of complementary roles in nature. The superior physical strength of the male complements the childbearing function of the female. Once the female has become pregnant up to the rearing of babies which overall will take about 2 years before the child can be physically independent from the mother, the male meanwhile has to get food for them. The law of complementary roles in nature in turn is under a more fundamental law of nature – the law of the survival of the species. The complementary role of the male and female ensures the survival of the newborn and the children. This fundamental law of the survival of the species will be discussed more in detail in the topic regarding human nature.

In the evolutionary process, nature has to design men to have more physical strength than women, as the men would need such extra physical strength to get food unaided by his female partner as well as get additional food for his children. As many of my female students in gender studies rightly point out, the superior physical strength of the men must be used to work harder for their respective female partners and children. He should not use such superior strength to oppress, to abuse, to make his female partner inferior and submissive to him. Indeed, the good, mature loving male recognizes such complementary roles in nature and uses instead his superior strength to work harder to show his love to his female partner and young children.

The second point is that using physical strength as a yardstick, as a measurement of who is inferior and who is superior is only used in the animal kingdom. We say that the lion is superior to the deer and many other animals because of the lion’s physical strength, ferociousness and speed. Human beings stand higher than all animals. We have qualities much higher than animals. We have higher emotions like love, trust,

respect, patience, sense of right and wrong, etc. and higher intellectual abilities like systematic thinking and creative thinking. Our higher emotions and higher intellect teach us to love our fellowmen, to help and care for each other, to strive for the ideal of universal brotherhood and sisterhood and not fight each other to show who is superior or who is inferior. It is these qualities that we should develop to make us more and truly human.

It is wrong therefore to use the criteria of strength that is applicable only to the animal kingdom. Men who think that strength is a correct measure of their superiority to women think like animals. Men who use their strength to make the women inferior and submissive to them behave like animals.

Furthermore and connected to this point, even in the animal kingdom, we speak of superiority in terms of the relationship of one species to another, i.e., the specie of the lion is superior in relation to the specie of the deer. Within the same species, we do not say the male specie is superior to the female specie. We do not say that the male lion is superior to the female lion in recognition also of the complementary roles they have.

B. Men Having Stronger Sex Drives

Another major difference between males and females is that men generally have stronger sex drives. “Men have more androgens which is associated with libido or sexual desire … although human sexuality is so much also a function of learning.” (4) This fact has been used oftentimes by males to say that since they have stronger sex drives than women, it is natural and alright for them to have “other women” aside from their girlfriends or wives. In other words, such men say that it is natural and alright for men to be polygamous. In my gender studies class, in a discussion workshop, the majority arrived at the conclusion that there is no right or wrong answer as to whether it is natural and alright for men to be polygamous. It depends on one’s upbringing, on social conditioning, on one’s religion and culture. As concrete examples, the Christian religion upholds monogamy while Islam allows Muslims to have many wives. It appears then that this issue is a bit more complicated than what it appears to be. Thus, in this article, I have elaborated on answering this question/issue.

III. The Two Aspects/Sides of the Basic Nature of Man/Woman

In answering this gender question/issue, it is necessary to discuss the basic nature of man/woman, the issue of what is human nature. My own observations, analysis, insights on human nature are presented in the diagram (Appendix 1) attached to this article. (See previous article of the author on “Human Nature and the Purpose of Life” for a broader discussion on this topic. Below is a summary of the important points of that article)

As presented in the diagram, we can observe that human nature has two sides that I differentiated into the lower nature, which I call our animal nature and the higher nature that I call, our moral/spiritual nature. Let me begin the discussion on the lower nature.

A. The Lower Nature of Man/Woman.

The lower nature, being part of our animal nature, generally follows two basic laws of nature, two fundamental laws of evolution. One law has to do with developing “survival mechanisms, survival instincts” so the individual can and must survive as long as possible. Such instincts are normally called instincts of self-preservation, instincts necessary and useful for the survival of the individual organism.

Thus, physical instincts like hunger and thirst are necessary for us to eat and drink at the right time. If we had no such instincts and only eat when we remember to eat or want to eat, then we will have serious health problems with out digestive system that will eventually endanger our survival.

Emotional instincts like pain make us avoid getting hurt, whether physically and/or psychologically while the emotional instinct of pleasure make us do again what we feel is good to us physically (like eating good food) and./or psychologically. Fear is necessary to also avoid dangers that threaten our lives while anger helps us to protect and defend ourselves. Such instincts of fear and anger are also part of the “fight or flight instincts” when we face danger.

The mental instinct of “common sense” and simple mental analysis are self-explanatory in that these mental instincts help us to further protect ourselves, find better ways of getting food, avoid getting hurt, etc. Common sense and simple mental analysis are also instinctively used to generally understand the world we live in. Thus, before the development of modern science, people used their common sense, their simple thinking in observing that the sun goes up from the east and goes down in the west everyday. They then wrongly concluded that it is the sun that revolves around the earth. One must see the usefulness as well as the limitations of such a mental instinct in the same way as the usefulness and limitations of the other lower instincts.

What is not so obvious is our mental instinct to over-generalize. If we accidentally eat a poisonous mushroom and become very sick, the trauma makes us tend to over-generalize that most if not all mushrooms are dangerous. Therefore, you strongly tend not to eat any kind of mushrooms anymore. It is a mental instinct that helps us not to take risks, not to endanger ourselves. This mental instinct covers all things that we encounter, including personal and/or social relations. Thus, for instance, if a woman experiences abuse, betrayal, injuries, etc. from a boyfriend or husband, she develops a trauma and then she has a strong tendency to over-generalize that most if not all men are bad, abusive, polygamous, etc. She then has a strong tendency to avoid getting personally involved again with any man.

Another law of nature, law of evolution has to do with the survival of the species as a whole and not just the individual organism. Thus, we have for example, the physical instinct of sex with the corresponding emotional instinct of lust. These instincts are very, very strong. In fact, in my observation, it is the second strongest instinct after hunger. Nature made the instincts of sex and lust very strong to ensure the survival of the species. If there was no sexual instinct or if it is weak, the human race would gradually be an endangered species.

Jealousy is also an emotional instinct that helps to ensure the survival of our species and many animals as well. Jealousy helps a person to protect, to strengthen a relationship or break it if the partner is not faithful, is not trustworthy. The protection and strengthening of a relationship is important in having a kind of order, a good system that avoids quarrels, anarchy in personal and social relations. Quarrels and anarchy in social and personal relations, lead to lesser bonding of people that correspondingly lessen the chances of the survival of our specie. Furthermore, jealousy protects and strengthens the family bonding that is important in the rearing of children, thus ensuring better survival of the specie. If there was no instinct of jealousy, any man or woman can simply have multiple partners, there would be a lot of confusion. Consequently, the family as a basic social unit necessary to really take good care of the children will weaken, will be endangered.

The emotional instinct of pride, of ego is another natural instinct that helps the person to protect and defend himself/herself. It is the counterpart on the physical side, of the instinct to protect and defend oneself if he/she is physically hurt.

The emotional instinct of parental protection of the children is another instinct that directly helps in ensuring that the young will survive, grow, mature and thus, the continuity of the species.

In the sense that the first group of survival mechanisms/instincts is geared towards self-preservation, such physical, emotional and mental instincts tend to make us selfish. The second group of instincts connected with the survival of the species tend to make us think first of the interests of the family above everything else.

B. The Higher Nature of Man/Woman

Let me now discuss the higher side/aspect of human nature – the moral/spiritual side. It is this side that makes us different and above the animals. We have higher emotions like love, trust, respect, sense of right and wrong, sense of responsibility, empathy, etc. that help us not just to focus on our own feelings particularly our animal instincts, but to feel what others feel, to give due respect to the feelings of others. Such higher emotions make us love, care and help others beyond our own feelings and interests as well as beyond the family’s feelings and interests. Thus, to love a person is to think on how to make the other person happy and how to help her/him grow, develop, mature. When we think of doing something that would affect others, our sense of right and wrong, our sense of responsibility help us to feel and do the right things for others.

Correspondingly, our higher emotions are complemented by our higher mind – the mental abilities for scientific, systematic and creative thinking, for deepening and broadening our knowledge of what is right and wrong as well our knowledge of our moral responsibilities to ourselves and especially to others. These higher mental abilities have the general function of helping us understand more and more the nature of the world we live in, the laws governing it, how to live rightly and harmoniously with others, with Mother nature and how to creatively express such knowledge and feelings through the arts.

C. The Right Relationship Between the Higher Nature and the Lower Nature of Man

In relation to ourselves, such higher mental abilities help us to find out the right use vis-à-vis the wrong use of our higher emotions and lower animal instincts. Some examples are the following:

1. The lower physical instinct of hunger must be controlled and then guided by our higher mind so we will be eat the right amount of food (to avoid gluttony) and the right kind of food (to have a balance diet) so we will be healthy.

2. Our higher mind must control and guide the sexual instinct and lust so we will only have sex with the right higher emotions (with love, trust, respect, sense of responsibility, etc.) and with the right higher ideas like being psychologically and financially prepared to be married and have a family.

3. Our higher mind must control and guide the lower emotional instinct of anger so we get angry only if there is a real, serious basis like seriously and deliberately being fooled, molested, abused, exploited, oppressed. We should not get angry over simple, trivial matters or honest mistakes. We should not get mad over honest misunderstandings but instead use our higher mind to resolve such misunderstandings by an honest exchange of feelings and ideas.

4. Our higher mind must control and guide the lower emotional instinct of jealousy so that we get jealous only if there is a real, serious basis. If we see our love-partner talking to a friend from the opposite sex and enjoying such talk, we should not get jealous. It is normal for a person to have friends from the opposite sex. It is normal to enjoy talking with friends. People with a lot of insecurities tend to be very jealous right away without systematically analyzing the situation. Our higher mind teaches us to be scientific and systematic in our approach to social and personal problems.

5. Parents must use their higher mind in controlling and guiding their lower parental instincts to protect, defend and provide for their children. Some parents tend to be overprotective to their children and thus, their children become dependent on them even after becoming an adult. Parents should control such lower emotional instincts and teach their children to learn to think by themselves, learn to decide by themselves and learn to take responsibility for their ideas and actions, particularly when they become adults. In providing for their children, some parents tend to give so much and spoil their children. As a result, their children become lazy and selfish, learning only how to receive and not how to give to others.

6. Our higher mind must control and guide our tendency for over-generalization after a very bad experience, after a trauma. In the case of eating a poisonous mushroom and being abused by bad men mentioned earlier in this article, our higher mind will teach us that there are poisonous as well as delicious, nutritious mushrooms, that there are bad men as well as good men. We should only avoid poisonous mushrooms as well as avoid only bad men. We should eat delicious, nutritious mushrooms as well as make friends with good men. We should not reject all mushrooms nor should we avoid all men.

7. Our higher mind must control our emotional instinct of ego, of pride. Our higher mind teach us that we should protect and defend ourselves emotionally when we are on the right side, when we are actually abused, exploited, and oppressed. In such circumstances, it is right to uphold our pride, our dignity. When we are on the wrong side, we should control our ego, our pride and instead, humbly acknowledge our mistake, apologize, repent and correct our mistake.

8. Our higher mind must also control and guide our higher emotions. For example, it is not enough to have premarital sex with a person we love but we must also have the right ideas about it like being financially ready to face the real possibility of begetting a child. We must also have the right psychological preparedness to have a family or else the woman and/or child will suffer psychologically. This is what we mean by knowledge of moral responsibility in this case. In short, before engaging in premarital sex, we must have the right higher emotions as well as the right higher ideas. In fact, when we are psychologically and financially ready for sex with our love-partner, then it is only proper to get married and eventually build a family. In this sense, premarital sex is unnecessary and wrong.

Sometimes when we hear people say, “madali maging tao, mahirap magpakatao” or “ magpakatao ka naman”, they are referring to the idea that it is hard for our higher nature/side i.e., our moral/spiritual nature to overcome our lower nature/side, our animal nature. Sometimes we hear people talk of heinous crimes like merciless killings, rape, incest, etc., and we oftentimes hear comments like, “Parang mga hayop sila!” Such comments refer to the idea that our lower nature/side, our animal nature have overcome completely, totally our higher nature/side, our moral/spiritual nature. When people make mistakes and say, “sapagkat ako’y tao lamang”, they mean that their higher nature was not able to control their sexual instinct and lust from their lower nature/side, i.e., their animal nature.

Our higher nature is concerned not only in developing the individual person’s higher human potentials but also sees that the development of our own potentials are closely interlinked with helping our fellowmen develop their potentials as well. In this sense, our higher nature tends to be unselfish, people-oriented especially towards the poor, the deprived, the oppressed working masses. The renowned Spiritual Teachers in history like Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mary, Muhammed, as well as our own heroes like Bonifacio, Jacinto, Gregoria de Jesus, are known for their compassion, love and principled fight for the welfare of the poor, the deprived and the oppressed.

Human nature therefore has two basic aspects/sides – the lower, animal nature that tends to be selfish due to the need for self-preservation and the higher, moral/spiritual nature that tends to be unselfish. In this sense, human nature has two conflicting tendencies that are also constantly interacting.

The right solution to these conflicting basic tendencies of our two natures -lower and higher - is for the higher nature to have more control of and to give more guidance to our lower nature. Our higher emotions and mind must eventually control, master and guide our lower physical, emotional and mental instincts for only then can the lower instincts be used in the right way as in the examples I have given. Thus, one basic direction of our efforts to develop our moral/spiritual nature and correspondingly become more and truly human is to have more and more control and guidance over our lower nature. To become truly and fully human is to have sufficient, decisive control over our animal nature, to have mastery over our lower nature so we can always use such lower instincts in the right way.

Let us now answer the question, the issue of whether it is natural and alright for men to be polygamous because men have stronger sex drives.

Based on the framework I have discussed on what is human nature, when we say that it is natural and alright for men to be polygamous because of stronger sex drives, we are actually referring to man’s lower nature wherein nature has made the sexual instinct very, very strong, especially on the male side, for the survival of the human species. But, as I have pointed out, if we merely follow our lower animal instincts, we think and behave like an animal. Thus, this idea that it is natural and alright for men to be polygamous, that they should just follow their instincts, is very wrong. Furthermore, such an idea and practice will have other bad social effects like the weakening and eventual destruction of the family as a basic social unit. Correspondingly, there will be many bad psychological and financial problems with the children.

Such an idea that to be polygamous is natural and alright actually belongs to the lower mental instinct of “simple mental analysis”, of “common sense”. We must use our higher mind, we must approach the said idea of men having stronger sex drives in a scientific, systematic way. This higher approach will lead us to the conclusion that to behave like a human being, “ang magpakatao”, we must control, we must master our stronger sex drives such that we only use such instinct to only person we love, trust, respect and commit ourselves to. Thus, to me, being polygamous or monogamous is not a matter of upbringing, it is not a matter of social conditioning. My study of human nature leads me to the conclusion that to strive to become fully and truly human, particularly at this high point in the development of the civilization of mankind, only the idea and practice of monogamy shows mastery of and the right use of our lower instincts of sex and lust. Only monogamy shows higher emotions of genuine love, trust, respect, and commitment for the love-partner. Only monogamy shows the right use of the lower instincts of sex and lust as it strengthens the family as a basic social unit that is necessary and good on the personal and social levels. When sex and lust are controlled and guided by our higher nature, they are “upgraded” in becoming expressions of our love for another person.

C. Analysis and Critique of the Muslims’ Practice of Polygamy

Any social idea, any social practice must be analyzed and evaluated in its own historical and social context. A simple example would be polygamy in the Old Stone Age, in the New Stone Age and in tribes relatively uncivilized. Due to their low level of economic, political and cultural development, their practice of polygamy is understandable. Now, when the economic, political and cultural developments have reached a relatively high level, to practice polygamy is wrong. We should move forward in history to become more and truly human. We should not move backwards to behave more like an animal. So, what was the historical and social context when Mohammed pronounced the practice of polygamy of having 4 wives?

At the time before Mohammed pronounced such a practice, in the areas near him, there were many tribal wars for the selfish, greedy goal of plundering another tribe’s wealth and the enslavement of men and women. The victorious tribe also made the captured women their sex slaves. In areas where Mohammed and his followers became victorious, he removed such exploitative, immoral practices. As a Spiritual Teacher, he has learned that it was morally/spiritually bad. Instead, he preached that the proper relationship with women is one full of love, trust, respect, commitment, etc. to be consummated formally in marriage.

Now, why a maximum of 4 wives and not simply 1 wife, monogamy? Because of the many wars that Mohammed-led Muslims waged against the selfish, greedy tribes, many Muslim warriors were killed. Since the warriors were men, the ratio between men and women became abnormal. It was said that the ratio between men and women became roughly four (4) is to one (1), i.e., there is only 1 man for every 4 women. That explains why Mohammed pronounced that a Muslim man could have a maximum of 4 wives. Even then, to avoid problems in polygamy, Mohammed said that a Muslim can only have additional wives with the consent of the first wife and if he is financially capable.

However, when there was relative peace some years after the death of Mohammed, gradually the very unequal ratio between men and women was corrected by nature itself. In due time, there was more or less equal number of men and women. Thus, there was no need anymore for the practice of polygamy. But, in my point of view, the Muslim elites, Muslims who have the financial resources to practice polygamy, did not change such practice so they could continue to have many women. The poor good Muslims, the good Muslim masses, cannot and do not practice polygamy. Even as we should respect the Muslim’s religious beliefs on this matter, there should also be an honest exchange of different points of view, with neither side imposing its own point of view.

IV. Social Structures vis-à-vis The Two Aspects/Sides of Human Nature

A certain social structure has social institutions that either predominantly develops the higher nature or the lower nature of man. Of course, some social institutions focus on developing the higher nature of man while some institutions focus on developing the lower nature of man. However, in evaluating these different, conflicting social institutions in a certain social structure, we see that one set of social institutions are dominant than the other set. Let me for example, evaluate the current further globalization of the advance capitalist system for elaboration and clarification.

In many formerly 3rd world countries like the Philippines, the further globalization of the advance capitalist system has led to deeper and wider mass poverty. In the Philippines, high levels of unemployment and underemployment, low wages, etc. has resulted in increasing poverty levels, reaching approximately 40% of the population. Thus, even the most basic lower instinct of hunger, can not be satisfied by the current advance capitalist system for 40% of the population. Hunger, the strongest instinct for survival, pushes many poor people into anti-social acts like prostitution and theft.

Because of the overriding goal of having bigger profits, companies influence people especially through the mass media, to eat more and more manufactured, processed goods. In this way, people are taught to have less control in eating the right amount of food and the right kind of food. Processed foods have lots of preservatives, artificial coloring, synthetic chemicals, etc. that are harmful to our health, especially if taken frequently. Thus, the lower instinct of hunger and thirst is satisfied without the proper control and guidance from our higher nature of scientifically analyzing the health hazards of such processed foods.

The mass media, as a very strong socializing institution, also influences for example, the way people today, especially the young, view and practice sex Many sex-oriented films, called bold, rated X, etc. focus on arousing the lower instinct of sex and lust without proper control and guidance from our higher nature. In these films, many wrong, bad ideas are promoted like women are sex toys to play with, that it is alright to have multiple sex partners, that it is alright to have sex without love, respect, commitment and responsibility, etc. Producers of such films are guided only by the profit motive that is why they are concerned only with focusing on developing such lower animal instincts. Many advertisements also look on women as objects of pleasure like connecting them with intoxicating drinks like gin and rum.

In a capitalist system, science is widely promoted. However, the natural sciences, the pure sciences and event the social sciences are primarily controlled and used by the big companies in earning big profits even at the expense of the environment and the people welfare. Science is not used, except in the academes and people’s organizations, in understanding and correcting man’s relationship with nature and with his fellow men/women. In our social life, some social institutions like the mass media, being dependent on the big companies for its income and profits, teach people not to think in a scientific, systematic way. As one big company puts it, “just do it!”

This is one of the main serious problems we have today. The further globalization of the advance capitalist system, as it is today, focuses on developing the lower nature of man at the expense of the higher nature of man. Thus, many people today are less loving, less caring, less respecting, less trusting, less patient, less understanding, have less sense of right and wrong, have less sense of moral responsibility. Many become very “materialistic”, excessively seeking pleasures in sex, liquors, drugs and other “cheap thrills”. Aside from the usual exploitation, oppression, violence of man against his fellow men, there is now increasing exploitation, oppression and violence of bad men on the physically weaker women and helpless children. People today think less and “just do it”, not thinking much about the rightness or wrongness of an idea and action. In short, the advance capitalist system makes many people today become more selfish.

Unless serious, big changes are made in the present further globalization of the advance capitalist system that focuses on using the lower nature of man without the control and guidance of man’s higher nature, there will be more serious and bigger social problems to come. Those groups of people, classes that suffer under this advance capitalist system are becoming more aware of the urgent need to change in a serious, big way this present advance capitalist system. But understanding the roots of the present social problems, finding out the main directions of social change is not easy. There must be continuous deeper study of history and society.

We must open our minds to new ideas, new approaches, new frameworks of analysis. We must listen and learn from people who have shown real sincerity and determination in finding and fighting for the scientific truths about our social problems. We should not be fanatics, blindly believing someone or something. There are many who talk good and look good, for and against the present system but they are actually liars and selfish. There are so-called progressives, radicals for instance who talk about human rights violations of the government but in practice, they also violate human rights in their own organizations and people under their influence. To know the truth, we must learn to think by ourselves, find out the truth by ourselves. We must use and further develop the abilities of our higher mind to think analytically, critically, scientifically and continuously sharpen our knowledge of what is right and wrong.

Today there are concerned, sincere individuals and organized social forces that are fighting to build the truly just and human world that will then rebuild societies focusing on developing further the higher nature of man and its ability to control and guide the lower nature of man. Then man and woman, on a mass social scale, can move forward faster in becoming truly and fully human. A qualitatively new social structure will then emerge in the history of mankind. History continuously moves forward though not in a straight line. All good men and all good women should all help push history forward.

BY: PROF. DANILO M. ARAGON

TITLE : A THEORY ON THE TWO ASPECTS/SIDES OF HUMAN

NATURE

Table of Contents

Introduction

I. The Lower Nature of Man/Woman

A. The Instincts of self-preservation/the Instincts for the Survival of the Individual Specie

B. The Instincts for the Survival of the Specie as a Whole

C. Other Interrelationships Between the Physical, Emotional and

Mental Instincts

II. The Higher Nature of Man/Woman

A. Higher Emotional Qualities

B. Higher Mental Abilities

C. The Free Will

III. The Interrelationship Between the Lower Nature and the Higher

Nature of Man/Woman

A. The Lower Nature Controls, Guides and Uses the Aspects of the Higher Nature

B. The Higher Nature Controls, Guides and Uses the Instincts of the Lower Nature

C. The Right Relationship Between the Higher Nature and the

Lower Nature of Man/Woman

IV. Some Initial Notes on Social Structures vis-à-vis the Two Aspects/

Sides of Human Nature

By: Prof. DANILO “PI-WI” ARAGON

Department of Social Sciences

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