Are humans innately good or evil?

Are humans innately good or evil?

good	15.7%	[ 8 ]
evil	15.7%	[ 8 ]
neutral (they learn one way or the other)	68.6%	[ 35 ]
Total Votes:			[ 51 ]

[Xiam]

Suicidesoldier#1

Xiam

Suicidesoldier#1

But even if you think you are the best, that does not justify killing or hurting everyone else. Thinking of yourself as a great man doesn't mean you need to hurt everyone who you think isn't, that was his choice based on that ideology, to hurt others basically for no reason, just exclude people who he shouldn't hurt (because he's stupid).

It wasn't for no reason. He had a reason. It just wasn't a very factually sound reason.

Well, let's say for a moment you think you are amazing, say some high end super genius. Does that justify hurting or enslaving everybody you think isn't as good as you? I'm great so you must die? At the worst he'd leave them to die or something, not outright attack them. Even in the own frame of logic, it doesn't make any sense.

Well--

Lucky~9~Lives

You're thinking like a rational person, not like a person who thinks they are an amazing, some say high-end super genius.

Sort of. Humanity has a long history of dehumanizing each other to justify their actions toward each other. It's actually kind of hypocritical to pick out one individual (or group of individuals) without acknowledging it as a common trend in the species.

Case in point, demonizing Nazis. Had they won the war, they would have demonized the Allies, and perhaps history would have been told very differently.

Again, not defending anyone. But I am saying that everyone has a potential for good or evil, and since good and evil are largely determined by one's perception of good and evil, there can be no absolute.

[Dieu des hommes]

Neither, they have only their natural instincts representing some sort of innate morality.

[LaughingWombat]

rshl

An interesting question posed to me by one of my instructors that has continued to randomly haunt me for the past few months as I struggle for an intelligent or rational answer.

Personally, I would like to believe that humans are naturally good. Any other thought would cause me to question why I like to be nice to people. I enjoy being kind, and the thought that perhaps humans naturally are simply designed to be evil and against one another would be highly depressing. It would also cause me to seek out those who are also kind and question their motives, for if we are all evil, are the good ones crazy?

Such an interesting question. One that I'm glad that your thinking about. But let me ask you this. Do we have to teach children to be bad or does that seem to come naturally? Do we not spend our time teaching children how to be good?

[Lucky~9~Lives]

LaughingWombat

rshl

An interesting question posed to me by one of my instructors that has continued to randomly haunt me for the past few months as I struggle for an intelligent or rational answer.

Personally, I would like to believe that humans are naturally good. Any other thought would cause me to question why I like to be nice to people. I enjoy being kind, and the thought that perhaps humans naturally are simply designed to be evil and against one another would be highly depressing. It would also cause me to seek out those who are also kind and question their motives, for if we are all evil, are the good ones crazy?

Such an interesting question. One that I'm glad that your thinking about. But let me ask you this. Do we have to teach children to be bad or does that seem to come naturally? Do we not spend our time teaching children how to be good?

Who taught us how to be good; who taught them; ad infantum?
- ninja

[LaughingWombat]

Lucky~9~Lives

LaughingWombat

Such an interesting question. One that I'm glad that your thinking about. But let me ask you this. Do we have to teach children to be bad or does that seem to come naturally? Do we not spend our time teaching children how to be good?

Who taught us how to be good; who taught them; ad infantum?
- ninja

A natural question, thank you. It's one for each world view. If we believe humans are inherently good then we have to explain poor behavior if bad the the good behavior must be explained.

As a christian mine falls in line that humans were created as very good, so much so that we bare the image of God himself. After the first sin, which was disobedience. We now see a war between competing natures. Sin is like a cancer unless treated it eats away at the body's defense until death of it's host. Is that not what we see? A seeming internal battle between what is good and what is not? The very question are human inherently good or not certainly reveals that.

[Lucky~9~Lives]

LaughingWombat

As a christian mine falls in line that humans were created as very good, so much so that we bare the image of God himself. After the first sin, which was disobedience. We now see a war between competing natures. Sin is like a cancer unless treated it eats away at the body's defense until death of it's host. Is that not what we see? A seeming internal battle between what is good and what is not?

Does what we see not depend upon the nature of our eyes?

[LaughingWombat]

Lucky~9~Lives

LaughingWombat

As a christian mine falls in line that humans were created as very good, so much so that we bare the image of God himself. After the first sin, which was disobedience. We now see a war between competing natures. Sin is like a cancer unless treated it eats away at the body's defense until death of it's host. Is that not what we see? A seeming internal battle between what is good and what is not?

Does what we see not depend upon the nature of our eyes?

You would need to expand upon that thought. I'd rather not make assumptions to what it is your trying to get across. Thanks!

[Lucky~9~Lives]

LaughingWombat

Lucky~9~Lives

LaughingWombat

As a christian mine falls in line that humans were created as very good, so much so that we bare the image of God himself. After the first sin, which was disobedience. We now see a war between competing natures. Sin is like a cancer unless treated it eats away at the body's defense until death of it's host. Is that not what we see? A seeming internal battle between what is good and what is not?

Does what we see not depend upon the nature of our eyes?

You would need to expand upon that thought. I'd rather not make assumptions to what it is your trying to get across. Thanks!

If one looks with Christian eyes, one is more likely to have a Christian view of the world.

[LaughingWombat]

Lucky~9~Lives

LaughingWombat

Lucky~9~Lives

Does what we see not depend upon the nature of our eyes?

You would need to expand upon that thought. I'd rather not make assumptions to what it is your trying to get across. Thanks!

If one looks with Christian eyes, one is more likely to have a Christian view of the world.

Just as one who looks through a dog's eyes finds the world less colorful. Nevertheless it's still the same world. But may I remind you what I said in my original post all world views must have an answer to the problem of evil as well as to human nature. If you choose to dismiss my response because of a christian world view that still does not relieve you nor anyone else of the responsibility to answer it coherently.

[Lucky~9~Lives]

LaughingWombat

Lucky~9~Lives

If one looks with Christian eyes, one is more likely to have a Christian view of the world.

Just as one who looks through a dog's eyes finds the world less colorful. Nevertheless it's still the same world. But may I remind you what I said in my original post all world views must have an answer to the problem of evil as well as to human nature.

Must a dog have a favourite colour; except those that see neither a problem nor (an innate) human nature?

[LaughingWombat]

Lucky~9~Lives

LaughingWombat

Lucky~9~Lives

If one looks with Christian eyes, one is more likely to have a Christian view of the world.

Just as one who looks through a dog's eyes finds the world less colorful. Nevertheless it's still the same world. But may I remind you what I said in my original post all world views must have an answer to the problem of evil as well as to human nature.

Must a dog have a favourite colour; except those that see neither a problem nor (an innate) human nature?

Yes, because if someone did good by you then you would know and acknowledge it. Just as if someone hurt you, you would know and acknowledge it. You may even demand justice. So to say you see no problems with human nature would not be true, because people have hurt you in the past and people will do so in the future.

[Lucky~9~Lives]

LaughingWombat

Yes, because if someone did good by you then you would know and acknowledge it. Just as if someone hurt you, you would know and acknowledge it. You may even demand justice. So to say you see no problems with human nature would not be true, because people have hurt you in the past and people will do so in the future.

I may acknowledge hurt without acknowledging evil, and without attributing it to human nature.

[LaughingWombat]

Lucky~9~Lives

LaughingWombat

Yes, because if someone did good by you then you would know and acknowledge it. Just as if someone hurt you, you would know and acknowledge it. You may even demand justice. So to say you see no problems with human nature would not be true, because people have hurt you in the past and people will do so in the future.

I may acknowledge hurt without acknowledging evil, and without attributing it to human nature.

Then you need to explain how you do that. We all have to answer it one way or another. Even if you are choosing to say it doesn't exist, you do need to give coherent reasonings for it.

[Lucky~9~Lives]

LaughingWombat

Lucky~9~Lives

LaughingWombat

Yes, because if someone did good by you then you would know and acknowledge it. Just as if someone hurt you, you would know and acknowledge it. You may even demand justice. So to say you see no problems with human nature would not be true, because people have hurt you in the past and people will do so in the future.

I may acknowledge hurt without acknowledging evil, and without attributing it to human nature.

Then you need to explain how you do that. We all have to answer it one way or another. Even if you are choosing to say it doesn't exist, you do need to give coherent reasonings for it.

I'm not necessarily saying it doesn't exist; does a dog say rainbows don't exist?

[LaughingWombat]

Dogs have no ability to think philosophically. I'm having to make the assumption that whatever belief you do hold to it's not one you feel you can defend. Nevertheless, it was an interesting dialogue. Thank you.