V. Character and History
Society is founded not on the ideals but on the nature of man, and the
constitution of man rewrites the constitutions of states. But what is the
constitution of man?
We may define human nature as the fundamental tendencies and feelings
of mankind. The most basic tendencies we shall call instincts, though we
recognize that much doubt has been cast upon their inborn quality. We
might describe human nature through the “Table of Character Elements”
given on the following page. In this analysis human beings are normally
equipped by “nature” (here meaning heredity) with six positive and six
negative instincts, whose function it is to preserve the individual, the
family, the group, or the species. In positive personalities the positive
tendencies predominate, but most individuals are armed with both sets of
instincts–to meet or to avoid (according to mood or circumstance) the basic
challenges or opportunities of life. Each instinct generates habits and is
accompanied by feelings. Their totality is the nature of man.
TABLE OF CHARACTER ELEMENTS
