For Karl Marx, human nature is a reflection of the society of which it is part. It is a product of the relations of influence between the consciousness of a human being (his psychology), the material world and society. These three things produce our nature within society, but we also have a basic species nature. Our fundamental nature, or the nature of our species, is more important to Marx than our individual nature. Marx's belief in our nature leads him to believe that communism is the most beneficial society for our existence. If human beings lived in a state of nature, according to Marx, they would be naturally attracted to each other because our collective nature is more important than our nature. our individual nature. Living in nature and trying to survive, we are required to make something of our surroundings. In essence humans produce a material world from nature and this is where we differ from animals. “But an animal only produces what it immediately needs for itself or its young. It produces unilaterally, while man produces universally." (266) Humans have a propensity to create more things than we need simply because we like creating things. We appreciate ourselves as producers because this distinguishes us and shows that we have free thoughts. Furthermore, what we produce gives us a concept of ourselves, in the sense that we can see ourselves in what we do. “It is therefore quite evident from the beginning that there is a materialistic bond between men, which is determined by their needs and their mode of production and which is as old as men themselves.” (273) For as long as humans have existed, we have been making things. That production leads to connection because it shows that all of humanity has something in common. That we are all not...... middle of paper ...... in a communist world. All that matters to communism is the collective, not the individual. This leads me to think that Marx's view of human nature is not correct, or at least not complete. I believe that while humanity may be drawn to communities, we also value individuality. Marx places too much emphasis on community by stating that human nature is a collective thing and not an individual one. Individuality and creative thinking are how societies progress and how new discoveries are made. If every single person simply worked for the common good, nothing like this would happen. Communism and the thought that our basic nature is collective limits people in what they can accomplish. I think it would create resentment because of how restrictive it is. Works Cited Loptson, Peter. Readings on human nature. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview, 1998. Print.