Introduction
Understanding human nature reveals the inner struggle between the aggressive attitude associated with survival instincts and the desire for compassion. This essay explains why the pessimistic view of thinkers like André Malraux on technological advancement and human happiness is not agreeable. Malraux’s idea of technology is that progress and science mean the atom bomb and that the human predicament is not amenable to logic (Paquette & Ravi 2021). While some believe that the expansion of scientific knowledge is only for technical improvement, there is a reason to believe that technological advancement often does not result in human satisfaction. Therefore, free will and awareness emerge as critical ideas that define man’s struggle and the eventual rise of man as a compassionate being.
The Desire for Self-Actualization
The modern man is a toolmaker, and technology in human endeavors can be associated with self-preservation instincts. Man has created tools and invented communication, including art, as part of the natural desire for self-actualization. The technology development and art creation techniques follow the same logic and have a metaphysical meaning for Malraux (O’Kane 2019). In Malraux’s perspective, technological progress does not necessarily lead to human happiness. The statement can be challenged considering that technological progress has been associated with psychological improvement in man. Such progress includes expressing oneself, transmitting sentiments, and portraying the world in different dimensions (Paquette & Ravi 2021). Technology can create a parallel universe that asserts man’s existence despite immense indifference’s undiscovered scheme of things.
The Power of Instincts in Humans
However, Malraux makes a widely accepted observation that human beings can be driven by instincts depicting human predicament as not amenable to logic. Malraux recognizes man’s rejection of his nothingness by aggressively pursuing meaning (O’Kane 2019). Malraux related aggressive behavior to man’s feeling of insignificance in the face of a universe in which his existence seems to be meaningless. The desire for self-actualization in pursuit of meaning can expose the defensive nature of humans. Malraux relates the development of atomic bombs due to man’s desire to be safe from oblivion. From such as perspective, human beings’ natural self-preservation instincts can override their innate sense of compassion. However, despite the natural self-defense forces in man, there are more instances where technology has been used for the good of society.
Conclusion
Unlike the pessimistic view of André Malraux, technological progress was developed as a technique for tool development that would help man navigate a chaotic world. However, the natural beast inherited from our ancestors still exists and can influence our judgment. The human being, as a toolmaker, would not hesitate to use technology, such as the atomic bomb, to defend themselves. But equally, there is the natural desire for humans to express compassion as a means of self-actualization. While André Malraux may have a valid concern about aggressive human nature magnified by access to technology, the statement ignored the critical aspect of humans as emotional creatures that cherish compassion as a fulfilling state of being.
References
O’Kane, P. (2019). Technologies of Romance: looking for ‘object love’ in three video artworks. Science Museum Group Journal, 1(2), 1-12.
Paquette, J., & Ravi, S. (2021). Art as rediscovery: The relationship between art and heritage in the life and work of André Malraux (1920s–1930s). Modern & Contemporary France, 29(1), 75-93.