Short Answer Essay Sample

Civilization has had many detrimental effects due the fact that it has played a significant part in the development of human lifestyle. Civilization has been driven by the need for people to live comfortable lives. This is mainly due to the inherent self-respect (amour de soi). This drives people to be innovative and to seek for various ways to attain the state of comfort or satisfaction of basic need that they require. This is the main indicator of civilization as lifestyles and the standards of livings improve dramatically.
However, as individuals make significant advancements in life (after satisfying the basic needs) there is an onset of egotistic mannerisms. For Rousseau, morality is one of the most important constituents of a human being. When others make significant improvements in their lives, they develop an ego (amour propre). They may deem others as inferior and hence undermine their self-esteem. This creates a sense of dissatisfaction a psychological unrest in others. Their lives deteriorate, much as a minority few may be doing well. This represents the two sides of human development. The success of one person may have a detrimental effect on the general development of human lifestyle.
The most satisfaction out of our lives comes from the things that exist in nature as opposed to material things. These ones do not corrupt our perception of others when they are successful. Natural love is expressed in from of self-respect. The other side of the coin is the selfishness and egoism (amour propre) that undermines human development, especially in the form of human relationships. This limits the full development of the human being as was originally intended by nature. This is mainly accredited to the role of civilization and its effect on human psychology.