---
title: "Freedom: unnatural slavery of man to man"
subject: "Communication English"
chapter: 2
key: "semester_5/communication_english:unnatural-slavery-man-to-man"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/communication_english/unnatural-slavery-man-to-man
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Freedom: unnatural slavery of man to man

Communication English · Chapter 2: Extensive Reading

- Asked in: 2079 Baishakh, 5 marks
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/communication_english/unnatural-slavery-man-to-man
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_5/communication_english/chapter-2

## Question

Unnatural slavery of man to man is despicable. Elaborate. (Freedom)

## Short answer

Unnatural slavery is one person forcing another to serve, despicable because it brings no pleasure (unlike natural needs), is unnecessary, destroys freedom and dignity, exploits the weak, causes cruelty, and corrupts both master and slave.

## Answer

In his essay "Freedom", Shaw says that human beings are slaves of nature, because we must eat, drink, sleep and obey her laws. This is "natural slavery". The slavery of one person to another, however, is "unnatural" and despicable.

#### Why it is despicable
1. **Without pleasure.** Nature compels us to eat, drink and sleep, but she makes these things pleasant. A human master, however, compels his slave to labour for the master's benefit, giving him no pleasure and often only the minimum to keep him working.
2. **Unnecessary.** The demands of nature cannot be avoided, but the demands of a master come from greed and power. No law of nature requires one person to serve another.
3. **Destroys freedom and dignity.** The slave loses the right to decide his own life and is treated as a tool or a piece of property. His mind and spirit are humiliated.
4. **Exploitation.** The master lives on the fruits of another's work, and the slave's effort is taken without fair reward.
5. **Cruelty.** Nature is a kind master; man is often cruel, punishing and humiliating the slave.
6. **Corrupts the master too.** Having power over others makes the master selfish and heartless.

Shaw therefore concludes that while man must accept the laws of nature, he must never accept slavery to another man. A just society should abolish all forms of human exploitation and give everyone real freedom.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. What is 'natural slavery' for Shaw?
   A. Obeying nature's laws, such as needing to eat, drink and sleep
   B. Serving a master
   C. Working in factories
   D. Paying taxes
   Answer: A. Slavery of man to man is unnatural. (Key point: Natural vs unnatural)

2. How does nature differ from a human master?
   A. Nature is crueller
   B. Master is kinder
   C. Nature makes her demands pleasant; a master gives no pleasure
   D. No difference
   Answer: C. A slave gets only the minimum to keep working. (Key point: Pleasure)

3. Why is slavery to man unnecessary?
   A. No law of nature requires it; it results from greed and power
   B. Nature demands it
   C. It is a law of economics
   D. It is inevitable
   Answer: A. Natural demands cannot be avoided; masters' demands can. (Key point: Unnecessary)

4. How does slavery harm the master?
   A. It makes him wise
   B. It makes him poor
   C. Power over others makes him selfish and heartless
   D. It has no effect
   Answer: C. Shaw concludes man must never accept slavery to man. (Key point: Corrupts master)

## Related in Communication English

- [Interpret: slavery of man to nature](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Ainterpret-slavery-man-to-nature) — Communication English, chapter 1
- [Unnatural slavery according to Shaw](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Aunnatural-slavery-according-to-shaw) — Communication English, chapter 2