Poll: Are human beings born good or evil?
- Thread starter UnwishedGunz
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UnwishedGunz said:
That's retarded, what evidence do you have of this magical scale that would lead to your balderdash?UnwishedGunz said:
Your view cannot work, or the options on your poll. It is possible for a human being to do an evil thing with the best of intentions.UnwishedGunz said:
In this case, how can we know who is evil? History is littered with examples of war's, murder's and a like that have been carries out "for their own good", "to protect everyone else". Who are are we to decide if they are evil. Or anyone? They did what they believe best, and knowing how it would end, would do it again for the same reason.
The nuke's dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima killed an approximate average of 100000 people each the instant they were dropped. With that number again dying in the next 4 months. But ultimately, this move ended the second world war, potentially saving millions upon millions of people. However without the use of the bombs, the war still might have ended within the year. Meaning hundreds of thousands of none combatants, civilians, men women and children who had nothing to do with the war, were killed directly by the bomb and over the next 60 years.
Does this make Oppenheimer and the rest of the target committee evil? After all, they DELIBERATELY pick a none military target to prevent potential loss of the bombs.
Who knows. But it cannot be contained in a simple sliding scale.
Immaunel Kant was a brilliant man. "Tabula Rasa" has been an interesting idea for me for quite some time now, ever since i learened about the guy last year.
I don't believe we're born either good or bad, but that everything around us, from an early age, shapes us into what we are today.
"We're products of our own past" i believe some dud once said...
If no one has said it yet then MY STATEMENT SHINES BRIGHTLY ABOVE ALL!
I don't believe we're born either good or bad, but that everything around us, from an early age, shapes us into what we are today.
"We're products of our own past" i believe some dud once said...
If no one has said it yet then MY STATEMENT SHINES BRIGHTLY ABOVE ALL!
So you think that life is nothing but a bad moral choice system? That's an extremely simplified version of heaven, methinks...
OT: I think that we are all born neutral, and that our morality depends on those who raise us.
OT: I think that we are all born neutral, and that our morality depends on those who raise us.
What's almost interesting here is that quite a few people are basing their answer to this question (Are humans BORN good or evil) on actions displayed well past birth using examples of grown people or children. Even those that complain about toddlers should consider that by that age interaction, with others and environment has already had a massive effect on them. But I suppose that's a different point entirely.
My opinion?
Well, first of all the topic is difficult if not impossible to address without some assumptions. The largest problem is the fact that good and evil are not absolute concepts, they are relative terms based on the social and cultural norms that are at hand. First we need to ignore that entire debacle. Let's just say for sake of argument that evil is the willingness to lie, steal, kill, spam, and so on for personal gain beyond that necessary for survival while good is then unwillingness to.
I think I would have to say that people are born good.
This may need an explanation. (because, you know, I haven't blathered on enough yet) Humans, with everything else that they are, are a social creature; we are born to work together in groups for the betterment of ourselves as members of that group. It's well accepted that as the human race evolved our brains increased in size to be better utilized in figuring greater complexity in social systems and communication. (or divinely designed if that's your thing)
Now considering that, evil would only harm the group and the social connections that allow us to survive so why would we be born evil?
I say that we're probably born good, though perhaps not by a wide margin and with plenty of opportunity to mess that up.
On the other hand, there's the argument that the ability to improve ourselves is the only good that we need, but that's a topic for another day.
My opinion?
Well, first of all the topic is difficult if not impossible to address without some assumptions. The largest problem is the fact that good and evil are not absolute concepts, they are relative terms based on the social and cultural norms that are at hand. First we need to ignore that entire debacle. Let's just say for sake of argument that evil is the willingness to lie, steal, kill, spam, and so on for personal gain beyond that necessary for survival while good is then unwillingness to.
I think I would have to say that people are born good.
This may need an explanation. (because, you know, I haven't blathered on enough yet) Humans, with everything else that they are, are a social creature; we are born to work together in groups for the betterment of ourselves as members of that group. It's well accepted that as the human race evolved our brains increased in size to be better utilized in figuring greater complexity in social systems and communication. (or divinely designed if that's your thing)
Now considering that, evil would only harm the group and the social connections that allow us to survive so why would we be born evil?
I say that we're probably born good, though perhaps not by a wide margin and with plenty of opportunity to mess that up.
On the other hand, there's the argument that the ability to improve ourselves is the only good that we need, but that's a topic for another day.
I like to think Tabula Rasa is true. No-one is born particularly good or evil. It is their future personalities that determine their disposition.
- Mar 31, 2010
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I think that whether someone is "good" or "evil" is largely defined by their upbringing. However there are certain traits, such as lack of empathy, which some people are just born with. No-one is destined to be bad though.
Some people are just born to be bastards and others are born to be good.............I know of people who've had the best possible bringing and are still sadistic, nasty, little shits and people who have been through the wringer and come out as some of the best people I've ever met.
Nature does not recognize such subjective terms like good or evil. They are human made and are based on personal/collective perception. A newborn is unable to recognize any of it, it's pure in that sense it's closest to the most natural state where every vice has a virtue and vice versa.
Life's not a computer game with pre-defined morality scale where you get + or -points for each and every of your decisions. We are judged by other's, similar to us, and depending how much we care about it, we will consider ourselves as good or evil.
The concept of hell or heaven or any of the religions ultimate reward/punishment exists only to encourage certain view of morality while condemning other, mostly based on basic principles of social and economical stabilities accurate for environment where the religion in question was born/evolved. Simple pragmatism.
Life's not a computer game with pre-defined morality scale where you get + or -points for each and every of your decisions. We are judged by other's, similar to us, and depending how much we care about it, we will consider ourselves as good or evil.
The concept of hell or heaven or any of the religions ultimate reward/punishment exists only to encourage certain view of morality while condemning other, mostly based on basic principles of social and economical stabilities accurate for environment where the religion in question was born/evolved. Simple pragmatism.
Children are born with only instincts so yeah a blank slate although some would call human instincts evil too.
Much like the Animal Kingdom when a child is born there is no good or evil, light or dark
there is only life.
It is only when we become aware of our being aka sentience that we gain the knowledge of good and evil.
Much like the Animal Kingdom when a child is born there is no good or evil, light or dark
there is only life.
It is only when we become aware of our being aka sentience that we gain the knowledge of good and evil.
I believe that humans are born Chaotic Neutral (anyone who's ever been around small children can see it for themselves), and then our social conditioning pushes us along the alignment spectrum, either toward Good or Evil and toward Lawful...or not.
This is the closest to what I believe. Lack of morality does not equal evil. The best choice then would be blank slate considering what shapes you (or does not shape you) during your lifetime.Crystalite said:
Well, it depends. If you follow Tabula Rasa, you believe that humans are shaped by their environment and thus are technically born neutral. If you think that humans are born preprogramed (for lack of a better term), then it can go either good or evil.
