Are humans inherently evil?

[number4096]

Considering that most of our actions in everyday life are influenced by fears of retributions,what would happen if we were devoid of any fears of retributions,personal restraints and survival instincts?

If we were brought down to our most natural selves and would behave purely on the account of what passes through our minds without restraints,
would we immediately do evil things?if so,does that mean that we are naturally led toward evil on a genetic basis?

One must take into account that in most video games,the fun comes mostly from killing creatures.
So in this context someone who likes to play violent video games would logically do in real life what they do in the game.

So the question is,what would you do if there was no repercussions possible for your actions and you could do as you please?

If you feel uneasy answering,then just think about what you would do and then imagine everyone around you doing that.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

I'd probably continue doing exactly what I do now, because boy am I fun.

Games are more fun that real people; that's why I actually play them. Dead people are just gross and smelly.

 

[Julianking93]

I'd continue with my normal life.

I'm not an evil person by nature, I just don't care.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

'Evil' is something that humans have devised, if you take away all fears and survival instinct then there is no evil, only a species that will die, very, very quickly.
And welcome to the escapist, we are your family now.

 

[DannyBoy451]

You seem to be making the mistake of assuming that evil actualy exists objectivly.

 

[Prof.Wood]

If I could do what I wanted with absolutely NO ramifications I would definitely kill some people just to see what it was like then I would just have a very fun life driving everywhere fast in a stolen car

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

I swear to God I saw a thread with the exact same title not long ago...

Anyway, no, we're not. But stripping us down to basic instinct, morals aren't even a questionable factor, so your arguement is void. We're still animals at the end of the day, we're just very clever, though living in a chav-riddled township, I sometimes doubt we're intelligent at all.

EDIT: I also forgot to mention that evil is a matter of opinion. I might find setting cats on fire something good, where as you may be truly disgusted with me, but in the long run, I'm not going to feel bad about it.

 

[Shanecooper]

"nothing is inherently good or evil, but thinking makes it so"

Does that answer your question?

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Define 'evil.'

Without restraints we'd be led to a more tribal society, likely ruled by the strongest. Each would likely be highly territorial, attacking and murdering other tribes.

 

[JanatUrlich]

Well I'm not exactly the perfect law abiding citizen as it is but I still don't think I'd feel the need to kill everyone if I was suddenly exempt from all rules.

So no, I think the majority of us aren't too bad

 

[AplChild]

Umm, we play games for escapism?(hence the name of this site)
If we were always evil we'd have no fun from a games of that nature. It's a consequence free enviroment, so it's not evil.

Also a lot of people enjoy games revolving around structure like Sims or something.

The "Man Is Inherently Evil" philosophy is as old AS philosophy (and we all know Philosophers are proffesional Tools amiright)

Also, I'm a nice person

 

[LTK_70]

If we were stripped of all personal restraints, fear or retribution and survival instincts, we wouldn't be human. That's just part of our 'natural selves'. You can't categorize humans as inherently good or evil, those are things out of a comic book. Every person acts on their emotions and rationale. No one wakes up in the morning and decides to rob a bank or murder their husband/wife just because they're feeling evil, just as no one - okay, not many people - take a flight to Haiti the next day out of the goodness of their heart. That's not how people work.

Kind of a strange subject for a first post on a gaming magazine's forum, really.

 

[oppp7]

No.
Most of the stuff we do is for acceptance or whatever. When we fail at that we go to extremes for respect and such.
Yes, we have a survival instinct. But we also have an instinct to help each other to survive.

 

[GundamSentinel]

No, neither are they (we) inherently good. Humanity has defined good and evil, so it can't be one or the other in and of itself.

 

[Mertruve]

You seem to be making the mistake of assuming that evil actualy exists objectivly.

This.

 

[Flishiz]

Ugh, not this antipathetic argument again.

*sigh* People are mixes. Good and evil. There's not underlying single evil personality, just as we aren't inherently good either. Stop trying to go black and white with humanity, and we'll all save a huge amount of time we could be spending helping/killing each other.

 

[electric_warrior]

no, we're less inherently anything than any other animal. That's what makes us so adaptable.

 

[Beldaros]

NO human being ever has been or ever will be evil.

There will be many who look at HItler for instance and think his actions were evil, but do you think he knew what was really going on. Do you think he wittnessed first hand what was happening to those people? Of course he didn't. Therefore the people commiting the deeds ust be evil right? Wrong they're following orders.

I wouldn't even say evil is in the eye of the beholder. How can someone who thinks they are doing something right and just be considered evil?

You can look at children that skins cats alive as evil, but they simply cannot comprehend what that cat is feeling or that what they are doing is wrong, because they have no concept of right and wrong.

Then I could go on a rant about cultural differences but I won't.

Finally look at ancient civilisations, it was common for an old man to take a young boy to his bed. Girls married and had children at the age of twelve.... by todays standards this is considered wrong, and I'm not condoning this behaviour but then it was the social norm and the people who have such tastes today are merely in the wrong century.

As for what would I do without restraints. Well whatever I'm capable of. The human mind is a very strange thing and it ponders on what would happen if.... for instance what would happen if I threw the person standing next to me over a cliff. Ok we've been told that it would probably kill them, and seen images of such things in the media but we've never experienced it. Well I suppose some of you might have, but probably not. I've worked in a prison I've seen the people who live like this. They aren't evil, far from it they just have no constraint. Even then If I put my self in some of their situations. Guess what, I would have done exactly the same.... I'm just going to stop there, I could go on about this forever, and chances are no one will read it anyway.

 

[number4096]

By evil what i meant was gratuitous sadism,and by sadism i was mostly refering to human history as well as this:

http://www.cracked.com/article_16239_5-psychological-experiments-that-prove-humanity-doomed.html