Is Human Nature Basically Good or Evil?

[earllogjam]

Oh God, you remember that?

Yup. It is now in MY head for 14 years.

I doing my best to tip the scale in favor of evil.

Yes, I see. No need to state the obvious.

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

I believe people are basically good, but that we find evil more attractive than good.

 

[Meniscus]

Yup. It is now in MY head for 14 years.

Sorry about that. But the fact that it stuck in your head makes me think perhaps you understood the truth of it. :wink:

 

[2322]

I believe people are basically good, but that we find evil more attractive than good.

Ain't it the truth? With evil your inhibitions melt away. You can indulge all your darkest fantasties, revel in the forbidden, and project as much power as you want: all without the consquence of remorse.

Perhaps the biggest problem is that as you sate each evil desire that your hunger continues to grow until nothing becomes satisfactory any longer. Reminds me of General Zod conquering earth and then lounging about the White House bored out of his mind.

And Alexander wept...

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

Tolstoy said 'All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in it's own way,' and I think this in some way applies to good and evil, that there are only so many ways that good can express itself while evil has a multitude of expressions. The urge to be self sacrificing, to give to others, to do other good things doesn't have the same appeal as to take what you want even when it's at a cost to others, to trample over people to get your own way; to behave badly when you know you should behave well is often just easier than to do the right thing. Luckily people have people they love and the urge to do evil things is offset by not wanting those people to be disappointed in you, to find out that you're not the person they want you to be and by the fear of the consequences that society needs to impose to curb our desire to be bad.

 

[JennyS]

I'd say humans are basically social.

And they'll react to their surroundings and will be basically good when being good works to their advantage, and basically evil when being evil works to their advantage.

So I'm glad I've grown up here and not in some wartorn country.

 

[2322]

Oh you take the fun out of everything! :grumble::grumble::grumble:

Tolstoy said 'All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in it's own way,' and I think this in some way applies to good and evil, that there are only so many ways that good can express itself while evil has a multitude of expressions. The urge to be self sacrificing, to give to others, to do other good things doesn't have the same appeal as to take what you want even when it's at a cost to others, to trample over people to get your own way; to behave badly when you know you should behave well is often just easier than to do the right thing. Luckily people have people they love and the urge to do evil things is offset by not wanting those people to be disappointed in you, to find out that you're not the person they want you to be and by the fear of the consequences that society needs to impose to curb our desire to be bad.

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

Stop moaning and join me in doing some evil stuff

 

[arliss]

basically...good

 

[D_Pubert Stabbingpain]

I believe that people have their own free will but that free will is limited and constricted by the society in which you live. I don't believe our inherent nature is animalistic because we are part divine. This sounds corny I know.

Not corny, just theology.

But we can decide our fate unlike animals. We have the capacity to understand what is right and wrong unlike animals. We have the ability to control our nature to suit ourselves and survival unlike animals.

Yes, unless we are mentally deficient in some way. And therein the lawyers and courts decide.

I don't know of many hermits anymore. Everybody relies on some group to live. Ted Kaczynski even relied on society to survive teaching math inorder to eat. You cannot be a human being outside the context of society. You would be an animal. By group I mean any social unit. Altruism is not unique to humans however. Social animals exibit the same qualities instinctually.

I am glad you defined "group." As many people have several social contacts none of whom "socialize" with any of the others. Of course, I suppose you can call any 2 people together a form of group. :smile:



Premeditated murder among the chimpanzees? huh amazing - can evil exist if you don't know right from wrong? I know tom cats kill kittens from other litters - would you say this is evil or just part of nature? I think evil is a human construct which only exists if you have a conscious. This is why mentaly retarded people who have killed are never put to death. The don't have the ability to understand right from wrong.



Very nice quote Meniscus. I still like your "people like the smell of their own shit" quote better though. :smile:[/quote]