Poll: Are humans inherently good or bad?

[Thistlehart]

As has been said, humans are neither inherently good or bad. We just are.

I would posit, though, that if humans are inherently anything, we are inherently flawed. I mean, let's face it. We're all a little broken in some way or another.

 

[Scarim Coral]

While I belived more in inherited good but neutural is more realistly. The way I see it a bad person is a byproduct of his/her upbringing or surrounding but it's not always the case (the whole nature/ nurture thing).

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

Taking into account the fact that good and evil(bad) are purely constructs created by us, to serve our own purposes, mainly as societal controls, this entire argument is invalid.

I cannot be inherrently anything that does not inherrently exist, can I?

Nope, and neither can ANYONE.

 

[Dark Knifer]

Humans, as a species, aren't inherently anything. It just depends on whatever desires people might have based on genes, environment and social factors. Good is just commonly linked with peoples desire that feel good for most people. Rapists and murders are doing the same thing but its rare that their desires line up with anyone else. So we can change them depending on social and environmental factors.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Jean-Jacques Rousseau? Get the hell out of my internet!

People aren't good or evil. They have free will. That implies the capacity to choose and to do good or evil. On top of that, good and evil are rather arbitrary labels assigned to a wide variety of things, some of which conflict within the same term. Humans can chose and there choices can be labeled but man had no inherent nature. (Beyond being a dick on the internet).

 

[Old Father Eternity]

Nor good, nor bad simply the result of how our society and species has evolved, we did not get where we are right now by being exactly 'nice' now did we, the most effective methods of survival were most of the time what we now mostly call 'bad/evil' and it has been engrained onto our psyche. Now that we have control of many of the various factors, each individual has a choice in how they want lead their lives, to choose to reject/suppress those urges/habits or what not ... most of the time at least, certain situations, mental wiring may still negate that choice pushing some individuals to either side of the socially established grey area.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Those concepts tend to be very subjective, however I do think that humans are inherently destructive if that's what you mean.

 

[Lonewolfm16]

A product of mixed evolutionary urges. On the one hand we inherintley want things like wealth, power, fame and the like. We look out for ourselves and can be tempted with rewards, or driven to evil by emotion and selfishness. On the other hand we also evolved as social animals and are empathetic. Doing good feels good, we hate seeing other people suffer, and we want those around us to be happy. We are both inherintly selfish and inherintly alturistic. We want to do what is best for us... but we also want to be good people. Overall I would say most humans are more good than evil as a mix of social condtioning, logical determinations, and empathetic instinct keep most human beings firmly in the "I want to be a good person catagory." But when we begin social condtioning for evils, we convince people that somthing is right, or we lack empathetic instincts (mostly sociopaths but common jerks and the like as well.) things can get messy.

 

[Skillock]

We all carry the seeds of both good and evil within us. A good person can do bad things and vice versa. Hitler deplored animal cruelty. I think we tend to only conceptualize people as all good and all bad because it easier to pigeon hole them in our own minds. It does get you think though.

 

[Cheeseless]

I believe people are neither good nor bad, they are what they view themselves as wanting and so any outside judgement is useless. I am quite sure however that people can vary in whether they dance or not.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

i've always believed a persons ethics are purely based on risk-reward of any given situation and how high they perceive said risk/reward to be
the average person wouldn't stab a granny for a dollar because the payout is too small for the risk of jail however flip the coin and put a loaf of bread in front of a starving man and you can bet he will steal it

i've always thought the difference between a criminal and a so called ethical or honest person is a different perspective of the value of the crime payout and a diminished sense of embarrassment/fear of getting caught while the true test of someones morals comes when there is no fear of getting caught or no fear of reprisal

Pretty much this. Let's say you live in a society without laws or any kind of punishment for doing anything and you have no food. Do you A) go rob the helpless old lady next door and take her food? or B) Try to play nice with her in the hope that she might give you some food, all while knowing she's only 0,1 inches away from stabbing you, burning your corpse and scattering the ashes to the wind?

In the past, war was viewed as a way of attaining glory and fame. Nowadays war is just seen as shitty business no one wants to be part of. As with so very many other questions, it all depends and is relative. I'm slowly getting tired of these pseudo-philosophical debates.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

Well, I'll just say it plain: People can be utter dicks, so I'd say inherently evil, but can definitely tend toward good. Lets face it, we all know that, sometimes, hell, most of the time it's easier to be an asshole in a situation, unless you've essentially conditioned yourself to be more inherently good and kind.

Now, that isn't to say there isn't a great capacity for good or even greatness in humanity. Its just that, more often than not, it's easier to be a total dick.

The internet, in fact, is a great example. When you take away the chance for physical, or even simply emotional or mental consequences, people are drawn all the more towards general dickery. It's a word. Internet trolls embody this perfectly.

Anyway, to be honest, I'm pretty damn sure that that's colored by my general dislike for people as a whole (I am a misanthrope after all), but I won't deny that there can be some pretty damn awesome individuals out there. There are. I just wish I met them more often.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Neither. Good and bad are descriptors/concepts we as humans have come up with, so we can't be inherently either.