Are human beings born good or bad? Give examples.?

Answer 1

All human beings are born sinful.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

They are born innocent. Take the example of the 'baby in the box'. It's an old psych test where the psychologist wanted to keep all stimulus from the baby and see what happened (not a good idea, babies are human and have needs). I don't agree that what happens to us shapes us. Three boys in my town were born into a very disadvantaged household. They were poor, had really bad hygeine, and came from developmentally disabled parents. Two continued the lifestyle and the third is an attorney in another state who is one of the most revered attornies in the area. Same stimulus, completely different outcomes. Free will also comes into play as much as genetics. This third brother bonded with a teacher and worked hard, studied long into the night and took what would otherwise have been a dismal life and turned it into upper middle class happiness (with a wife and children). Hope these examples help. I'm a probation officer with almost 25 years experience and have to tell you, I have never met the 'bad seed.'

Answer 4

Human beings develop as a result of nature and nurture.

Nature would be their genetics. Example: Some physical and mental disorders are passed on through the parents genes.

Nurture is their upbringing. Example: A child abused is at a disadvantage because studies show they are more prone to eating disorders and substance abuse, etc.

Another part of nurture is beyond the parents control, it is other influences such as teachers, the clergy, the media, and the era the child is raised in. Example: A teacher spends each day with a child and that influence is bound to affect him. A priest is also an authority figure and religion in and of itself is a powerful influence. The media, especially nowadays shows the child what is happening globally, and that is certainly an influence. And the era the child is raised in is an influence as well. Someone born in the 1950's would be less inclined to contradict anything their parents said to them. Where a child born in the 1980's would be more inclined to contradict their parents. There is more communication, more of a sense of entitlement, plus the laws have changed.

In conclusion, a child apart from their genetic inheritance, is born "good". If they had no negative genetic inheritance and were to turn out "bad", nurture would be the cause.

Great question. Good luck sorting through all these answers. Whew!

Answer 5

I don't believe human beings are born bad. They are born into a world filled with sin. The child must be instructed on the proper way to be. Because children live what they learn, it is important to teach them right from wrong. Since a newborn has only his natural instinct for hunger, as he grows, he must be given physical love and nurturing. Some children learn the difference between right and wrong at the age of three or so, if they are taught. If a child is never touched or held, he can lean the other way and have no feelings. (That was the example). If a child is physically abused, it will cause great harm and the world as he sees it, will be distorted. It makes me sad to think of that, but it is true. Most serial killers have experienced some sort of physical or mental torture at a very young age. Just something to think about. I also believe there is redemption.

Thanks for the question. Hard to answer but the way I believe, not so hard that I cannot answer. The book of Proverbs states that you train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Answer 6

According to the bible, we are born according to the ways of the world...which is good and bad. Some people grow to be naturally good people and some just can't seem to do right. There are also generational traits that past down from child to child, so whatever a parent struggled with, the child may struggle with, and whatever a parent excels in a child may also.

Just FYI, having good traits doesnt necessarily make you a good person, just as having bad traits don't necessarily make you a bad person, because we are born the way we are. But there is another nature that is beyond good or bad that we should all strive for.

Answer 7

Human beings are born without the cognizance of good or bad. We are born with self interest. We are born unware of the consequences relating to that self interest, we act on desire and needs we might never understand. We are born, in effect, amoral.

An example would be when a child cries. It cries for attention, which can cause its parent(s) stress. It does not desire to do that, but nor has it been shown, so far as I know, that it cares if the stress could be caused by its crying. The child may feel the stress of its parent(s), but it thinks more about how to ease its own needs that the burden it is to others. That doesn't make the child evil, just self interested.

Answer 8

Born Good

Answer 9

I believe we are born totally impressionable. Some would say (Carl Jung) that we are born with certain archetypes that make us more likely to develop certain behaviors. Others would say we are born with certain propensities for certain types of behavior. I believe that these propencities are often overcome if necessary by our conditioning and how we are raised. some would say, Kaballah, Tantra, that there really is no such thing as good or bad because all is of God and that it is our personal belief system that attributes our evaluation of whether something is good or bad. Some would say, Kaballah, Gregg Braden( public inspirational/spiritual speaker) that crisis, or "Sa-Tan" (Kaballah) is necessary to propel us to the "next level" of action. I know from personal experience that I am most prone to act and desire the company of God when things are going badly more than when things are going well. Adversity brings us closer to God. If you look, you may find that good things can come out of bad situations. It's a matter of perspective. To an extent, the terms good and bad are relative.

Answer 10

Humans aren't born bad at all. They're born innocent because a child comes into this world not knowing about cause and effect. They don't know what will happen if they run in the street, there has to be something to show him/her what is happening or what will happen. Conflict or an action can make a person bad like if a child watches a violent cartoon, he'll want to try that and see what'll happen in reality.

Answer 11

I don't think we are born bad, or good, we are just born. Through the course of our lives we learn to fight for survival. People focus too much on the concept of "good" and "bad". Here is the deal, there is no God, because if there was, and we are part if God's "master plan", then why have we been allowed to let the environment become so damaged? Would God have not intervened by now? There is only the Universe, and it has been around for at least 15 Billion years, and the Universe does not give a damn about "good" or "bad", it just is.

All of the human traits that are associated with evil, such as Greed, Envy, Selfishness, Power, these are all just a means of ensuring survival, albeit in the short term. Long term survival can be ensured through sharing, co-operation, tolerance, understanding, etc.

Just think, 6.5 Billion people trapped together on the same rock, and the majority are selfish, thoughtless, greedy people. It's bound to cause problems for everyone, and the environment it's self, if people don't consider the long term ramifications of their daily actions.

I say, IMHO, don't worry so much about "good" or "bad", just strive to understand how you're daily decisions may affect the world at large.