Are people basically good?

[challenger]

By that I mean, do most people tend towards we generally think of as "good"?

Personally I'd say so, because while people don't always need a reason to do a "good thing" (i.e. perform an altruistic act), few people will to a "bad thing" (i.e. something cruel, which hurts another) without a reason for doing so (whether or not its a good reason).

 

[Buzz Dixon]

Anyone who has raised infants will tell you the basic human default mode is selfishness. Virtue needs to be taught. Humanity is capable of great virtue, it is also capable of great evil.

I think it was Herny Miller who observed this and added, "we are apparently limitless in both directions." (Not every day one sees Miller quoted in a Christian forum! Next thing you know I'll be citing William Burroughs! )

 

[DXRocker73]

Yeah I think [eople are basically good. We see it through hospitality or simple smiles. Sure there's a lot of darkness in the world but I think mostly people are good.

 

[coyoteBR]

hm, complex question. I agree with Buzz on the default mode question, but I tend to think it's a reflex of animal necessities. The human baing has the instinct to survive since the birth. And selfishness is a reflex of this instinct.But, likewise, we have, imprinted, a sense of community. When the person matures, the later grows in importance.
Also, the experiences of the person (if you want to add metaphisics to the discussion, even the experiences before the birth) weighs a lot on the scale. If that was not so, all twin brothers would have the same personality.

I tend to think we are born... how can I say... "simple, towarding good"...? And we made our patch from there

 

[Eudaimonist]

People are basically neither, however we are all born without moral character -- impulsive and unwise -- and so goodness is something that must be learned and practiced.

I don't think that we are essentially "Orcs" as some Christians seem to believe. Orcs, from J.R.R. Tolkien's writings, are intelligent living beings so flawed and corrupted in their biological nature by an evil power that their natural growth and development is inevitably towards having an evil character. There is no such thing as a virtuous orc.

I personally think the opposite is true for human beings -- as long as human beings get enough love, guidance, wisdom, education, etc, they tend to grow up to be reasonably benevolent and moral beings. One could say that human beings have basically good potentials, though these are not at all guaranteed to be actualized. A human being starved of nourishing values may grow up psychologically and/or morally stunted.

 

[Slick888]

The weird thing I find is that weather people are actually doing good or bad in others eyes, most of them see it as good. Example the Al-Qada. They truly belive that what they did was good. Rarely do people do things that they think is bad. Its just what others think.

Even when people do things bad and they know there bad they feel good about so for them it is good. Child taken a cookie even though they know the y are not aloud to. Eating the cookie is good there for the act is good.

 

[12volt_man]

Good by man's standards? Yes. Good by God's standards? No.

 

[Seeking...]

People are basically neutral - given initially to being selfish and self-preservation which I consider to be healthy, natural and neccesary in appropriate quantities. Whatever morality we have is subjective and learned, not hard-wired. I don't tend to think of people as having either good or bad characters - bur rather strong and weak characters. A person of strong character will always follow their moral compass, a person of weak character may not and either person could be taught and or coached into believing that violence is a virture and kindness an evil character flaw (or vice versa) if enough pressure is brought to bear. I think we are moral blank slates at birth and highly malleable.

 

[psychedelicist]

Good and evil are moral illusions, there is only two sides with opposing views.

While I do not believe in good and evil, I do believe you need the utmost respect for your fellow man. People who lie, murder, rape and steal have no respect for anyone but themselves, and this is what is called evil.

 

[The-Doctor]

I have never met a truly evil person but I have met ones who have done some evil things in my time

 

[challenger]

Anyone who has raised infants will tell you the basic human default mode is selfishness. Virtue needs to be taught. Humanity is capable of great virtue, it is also capable of great evil.

I think it was Herny Miller who observed this and added, "we are apparently limitless in both directions." (Not every day one sees Miller quoted in a Christian forum! Next thing you know I'll be citing William Burroughs! )

If the default mode of human beings is selfishness, where would morality ever come from? That's a pretty weak argument.

Also, people don't do selfish things with the intention of hurting others, they do them because they think they will get something out of it. But people will do good things for others even when there's no chance of reciprocation.

 

[Buzz Dixon]

If the default mode of human beings is selfishness, where would morality ever come from?

God.

 

[MoonlessNight]

I'd like to think that humanity is basically good, but after my experience with history, psychology and mythology it's hard to hold on to that position. But I don't see much evidence that people are entirely selfish and/or evil either. It's a complex issue, certainly.

 

[challenger]

God.

Are you saying that no morality existed untill God deigned to bestow it upon us?

 

[Lifesaver]

Naturally people are incredibly selfish. We don't need a lot of knowledge of human nature to know what would happen if, overnight, all government and police disapeared. Chaos would ensue quickly.

We need first to be taught right from wrong, and then to be encouraged to pursue good. And still we often fail.

 

[slayer-2004]

Yes . The only problem is that people have warped visions of what is good .

For instance in hitlers case - everyone believes that hisactions were evil but was he really evil ? He honestly believed what he was doing was morally justified and the best thing for his people . Was he really an evil person on the inside ?

It all comes down to subjective morality .

 

[challenger]

Naturally people are incredibly selfish. We don't need a lot of knowledge of human nature to know what would happen if, overnight, all government and police disapeared. Chaos would ensue quickly.

We need first to be taught right from wrong, and then to be encouraged to pursue good. And still we often fail.

Again, the problem with that argument is that morality has to come from somewhere. God's a pretty poor explanation, because all cultures have moral values, most of which center around the same common themes and ideads (i.e. the golden rule) and yet there are thousands of different Gods, most of which are mutually exclusive.