Human Nature

[Chipmonker]

What do you believe about Human Nature in aspect to good vs. evil?

 

Are humans born selfish, self-centered and "bad"? Are humans born "good"?

Or are all human behaviors learned? Are there no innate born behaviors?

Can one even determine what is "good" verses "evil"?

 

Post back on any one of the questions above - clearly state what you are posting on. Be constructive. And make sure to come back to reply to what others think on the subject!

 

Edit: You know, I don't have to be the only one who posts topics...

[kikaown]

You're not the only person to post topics. You post the majority of them, but others also post some.

 

Anyways, my viewpoints come from my religion. Humans are born with a sinful nature, so it is instinctive for all of us to become evil. Everyone is born completely selfish, undeserving, etc. Just think of babies. All they care about is 'me, me, me.'

 

However, because we were all created perfect but ruined it for ourselves, we also have an innate desire to search out holiness (conscience, partially). Some people can suppress their sinful nature, and some suppress their conscience, to the point of mass murderers, robbers, or whatever else they become.

 

I know this isn't a religious debate, but for me, my views are inextricably entwined with my religion. People who argue with me, please just argue my viewpoints, not my beliefs surrounding them. That is place for a different debate.

[.Dan.]

Back in the days morality plays were a staple of medieval society. Even today many productions are based on the idea of good vs evil, albeit a bit more skewed than the medieval counterpart.

[Ellie_Penguin]

In my point of view, humans are not born perfect and will never be perfect. However, I believe humans reach a point in their lives when they have to choose between the "right" and "wrong" path. Most of us are pretty much on the right path, but it is because we're not perfect that we make mistakes, but most of us learn from those mistakes and try to do better. For a human to be on the wrong path, it would mean the person is pure evil and will never change.

[cloudedsunny]

My beliefs come partly from a belief in evolution and partly from a belief in "something more". I don't define it, am not religious but do believe in something that is indefinable.

 

What do you believe about Human Nature in aspect to good vs. evil?

 

Think about the term "human nature". All it really means is that humans are a part of the natural world. This is a big thing - this means that the big bad world of dog eat dog, survival of the fittest, vine strangle tree, lion eat zebra, earthquakes, bushfires, tsunamis, volcanos - we are a part of this natural jungle. If humans are part of this, then everything we have built up around ourselves, civilisations, moral standards (which history shows us change dramatically from era to era), societal conventions etc is either a NATURAL phenomenon or a cultural phenomenon that ONLY exists in humans. (I'm assuming when talking good or evil, nobody considers any animal or plant to be "evil" and thinks it only exists in humans.) Now I think it is a natural phenomenon - ants have societal structures, bees do, meercats do, all animal species have their own behavioural patterns and animals who behave OUTSIDE THE NORM of those patterns are considered outsiders. In our society they are considered outsiders at best, evil at worst.

 

To say that it is human nature to be one way or the other is a mistake - it is human nature to learn from its environment, and evolve in order to survive.

 

Are humans born selfish, self-centered and "bad"?

 

Is selfishness bad in the first place? In the case of a baby selfishness isn't selfishness as in "I want everything, gimme now!" it's selfishness as in survival. They are helpless creatures, with needs that someone else must fulfil for them because they can't themselves and would have no concept how to even if they could.

 

In the case of children and adults the question gets more complex and the "gimme gimme" version of selfishness definately comes into play, but I do believe that is a learned response and not an innate one. Apparently in child rearing there is a stage in toddler-hood when the kid starts saying "mine mine" to everything and gets a selfish attitude etc so why does that start THEN and not as soon as it starts talking? And why does it stop, stay or get worse according to the parenting skills? Because it is learned behaviour that can be altered by teaching them otherwise.

 

Are humans born "good"?

 

No that is learned behaviour too. Babies and kids do things cos they are exploring the world - trying to touch fire, trying to hit someone, they don't know the consequences. To be "evil" you must have INTENT to cause harm. To be "good" you must first learn what your society considers good.

 

Can one even determine what is "good" vs "evil"?

 

No. No matter what view you are coming from, evolutionary or religious - religious people say that god has a plan for everybody and that he works in mysterious ways. So what people call evil might just be him working his mystery. From an evolutionary point of view, good and evil are constructs of societies that have grown over thousands of years of history. Societies need laws and morals in order to keep the peace and keep the civilisation moving forward. But each generations laws and morals change. Hundreds of years ago the norm was to enslave humans as a means to wealth. This was considered good. These days considered barbaric and evil. Hundreds of years from now how many of our customs will be deemed as such?

 

Or are all human behaviors learned? Are there no innate born behaviors?

 

This is a tricky question. I think there ARE innate born behaviours but they are a starting point and the person you become is because of your environment and what you have learned from it.

 

Genetically, scientists who study identical twins have said that the reason they think and act almost exactly the same is because of their dna. Because they started as the same egg (or whatever) that was split into two, they have the same basic building blocks, and thus their reactions, thought patterns, etc are more likely to follow the same exact path. It is not a telepathy or otherworldly spooky thing, it's just genetics. So that leads me to believe that dna WILL set you a course on how to act, but it can be vastly changed as soon as you are born by whatever your surroundings end up being.

[.Dan.]

People know that it's wrong to download music illegally, and they read the warnings that sites forcibly pop-up, but they still do it. Some think they're waging a war against record labels, others don't really care.

[Ellie_Penguin]

Well people do that because the rule of piracy is not really enforced to those who download even for personal use. If they did, though, they would send 90% of earth's population to jail.

[Chipmonker]

Wow! XD Although I disagree with you on some points there, cloudedsunny, that was nothing but net there.

 

What do you believe about Human Nature in aspect to good vs. evil?

First I believe that we can and should define human nature as good and evil. There are numerous examples of one verse another in everyday of our lives on this planet. From lying, cheating, drinking and driving to actions of caring, loving, and holding open the door for a little old lady. I believe it is dangerous not to recognize that and to label everything as "just" natural.

 

Under that philosophy, we have no basis upon which to judge (as in the courts) and understand any actions taken by a individual other than some byproduct of nature that is defined by a cultural phenomenon created by our society. With that there is no such thing as a fault, or wrong doing. There is no such thing as truth, and no such thing as a lie.

 

Are humans born selfish, self-centered and "bad"? Are humans born "good"?

In that sense, I concur so with the first statement. As stated before, humans are born into this world with no way to defend or care for themselves. They know only themselves and their wants. Growing up without learning otherwise leads to the problems that grown persons have.

 

I mean, (not that any of you have kids) you DO have to teach your child to be patient, obedient, responsible, how to look out for the needs for others and how to control temper. However, DO you need to teach a child to lie, hit, throw a temper tantrum, or lash out in anger at others? Absolutely not.

 

Can one even determine what is "good" vs "evil"?

Definitely. Although I would like to point out that there has never been a consensus as to slavery being the norm and good.

 

Or are all human behaviors learned? Are there no innate born behaviors?

Both.

 

You're not the only person to post topics. You post the majority of them, but others also post some.

 

I have posted 6 topics since the last person posted a topic on Mar. 27th. I'm lonely :crying:

 

This post has been edited by a member of staff (Chipmonker) because of a violation of the forum rules.

Ehhh...this post is getting a little old. PM me to have it reopened.

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