Are human beings naturally good or naturally evil?

Question

Why cant we all get along, why are some people perfectly happy being good and controlled and others are perfectlly happy being bad and hateful?

Answer 1

Locke versus Hobbe - two philosophers that have tried to answer that question. One believes, good, one believes evil. Read both and make your own decision.

Answer 2

To answer your question directly, I'd go with evil. Hands down. All humans are concerned with is self preservation of themselves and loved ones. There's no great concern for the world at large. And if we pretend to have one, it's usually just to make ourselves feel better about ourselves; which goes back to self preservation.

But the reason we act certain ways is best explained by the 2 schools of thought in psychology: Humanism and Behaviorism.

Humanism says we have the majority of control over the way we act, think and feel.

Behaviorism argues we're a product of our environment; especially as a child. For example, if your mom smoked, you're more likely to smoke.

The way I understand it is that most psychologists lean devoutly one way or the other in that area, but any reasonably intelligent human being can tell you that there's an element of truth to both. So the classifications of individuals being good and evil can best be explained through those 2 theories.

Answer 3

Regarding good and evil I propose this new paradigm.

Good exists, it comes from a source.
Bad or evil does not exist, there is no source for bad.
Bad is just the absence of good.

A metaphor will illustrate the point.
Light exists, there is a planet called sun that sends us light.
Darkness does not exist, there is no planet sending us darkness. Darkness is just the absence of light.

Imagine you enter a room full of darkness, the moment you flip a switch all the darkness disappears instantly and it has no pwer to fight the light.

Good actions have their source in the moral values aquired by men. The source is the effort and energy he has spent during a lifetime to acquire them.

Bad or evil is just the lack of moral values.

Take kindness..
Kindness is a virtue and comes from a person that has made a conscious effort to polish his character.
Cruelty which is the opposite and is considered bad or evil is the absence of kindness. It comes from a lack of a virtue.

We are all born with the "potential" to reach an ever increasing
amount of perfection in our life. It all depends on the "effort" that we are willing to make.

Answer 4

there is good and evil, the balance of powers, if we were all the same in the sense of behaviors then no one would have a personality. We all do some things that are not proper at times .
I like to think most people are good but then we do have evil
ones too. Its idealistic to think we are all going to be happy.
Happiness is different to each one of us as well, Nature of things
in the world. If we were happy all the time that wouldn't be natural either We are a little of both at times I think its safe to say That Good and Evil are a basic part of life

Answer 5

Humans are by nature Benign and will respond to situations and conditions according to their individual circumstance, experience ,and general temperament.

That is, given the opportunity to do good, and comprehend the merit of that, then people will aspire to such, but equally given the opportunity to do bad things, and perceive no consequence, then the want of ego and power will become their justification.

This realization is why Buddhism places so much importance on eliminating the personal ego and worldly desires, because the person who can will see past good and evil and find true harmony in the natural essence of things.

Answer 6

Human beings are not naturally good or evil. The idea of being good or evil is just a construct people have created to describe things and to try and define and understand behavior and others around them.
Humans are just human and act on or control their impulses and emotions using their gift of reason.

Answer 7

Neither. Good and Evil is a poor attempt to categorize events that are detrimental to a person or a people or advantageous. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no absolute good or evil. You can argue this because there are clear differences in opinions on the same question of "good or evil" from person to person. (Granted, take this last sentence with a grain of salt as it does not pertain to the everyday shallow individual that simply swallows the cyanide pills given to him)

Answer 8

Children DON'T have to be taught to lie, or steal, that comes naturally. I think people are naturally selfish and have to be conditioned to care about the feelings and interests of others. Some parents are good at teaching those lessons, and some are not, thats the heart of the matter.

Answer 9

What is good for one culture is evil for another. Some feel it is evil to eat cows while others believe the same for dogs. Which is good and which is evil? Then there are those that no matter what culture you are from are evil. I think some are put here as necessary evils and others are put here as guidance then there is the rest in between.

Answer 10

Human beings, begin as blank pieces of paper. Their personalities, are determined by many different things. I do NOT believe that people are pure good, or pure evil. With the exception of Jesus, no one person has ever been called completely good. I do not believe people are controlled either. Good Luck!!!

Answer 11

both in One. While integrated it is harmony where meanings of good and evil cease to exist. Choosing side initiated split...that what happen with apple. As long two units appear war begun. One cannot exist without the other, for it was One...Always antagonistic and eternal unless integrated again. It is split within any each of us, conflict, manifesing externaly in a world we live in and we are all responcible for it..