Poll: Are humans inherently good or bad?

[Heronblade]

Neither, if we are "inherently" anything, the term would be chaotic.

Much like everything else found in nature, the base state of humanity is unpredictable and dangerous.

Beyond that, it is our choices that define who and what we are. Civilization tends to tone down on much of the chaos, giving people reason to live harmoniously, but it is not always effective.

 

[Fluffythepoo]

A man walking down a clean well maintained street who doesn't do anything is good.
A man walking down a dirty run down street who doesn't do anything is bad.

 

[DrunkenMonkey]

If a man is shown nothing but cruelty and hatred than that's all that he will ever know.
If a man is shown nothing but love, than that's all that's ever known.

I wish that were the case, but sometimes people's brains have a disposition to interpret the world differently than love and hate, which is where we get mavericks in morality.

 

[kyuzo3567]

Im going with product of our environment with a touch of "bad but kept in check by social constructs/contracts"
The thing is, I really do believe that it's the first, but if we were to start acting in a way that is our nature without fear of violation the social contract, then we would be behaving "badly" by the definition we have for that word right now.

We are creatures meant to survive and reproduce, and we will do whatever it takes to do that or we die, we just figured out a long time ago that living in groups makes it a helluva lot easier to have kids than trying to survive on our own or raise a family alone. So if we ignored morality and acted as is in our nature then this question wouldn't matter, but if even one of us didn't do away with morality to focus on our evolved instincts, that person would see us as "bad" creatures

 

[Quazimofo]

snip.

but we arent good or evil...we are all just a bunch of behaviours...compassion, empathy, selfishness, hate, predjudice

all have their origin in nature and all work to some function....we have emathy and compassion so we can operate in a society we also have group mentality and selfishness...all of us are inherintly selfish in some way or another which has its place in society

the question of if we are ALL good/evil is just too simple and the answer is just too complex

Ah, but thats where the discussion comes from! were it a simple question we would have a clear answer so long ago.
But to simplify things a smack, and i should really go back and edit this into the OP, but I meant in terms of the stock definitions of good and bad we operate under in day to day living for the most part.

 

[Strazdas]

Humans are inherently egocentristic. They will follow that is better for THEMSELVES. and sometimes it is better for THEMSELVES to work together in a society. those who do not thing so we call criminals.
Good or bad are concepts that we made up and has changed A LOT over the last 2000 years. There were times when slaves were a show of charity of "helping those poor people". whats good or bad is subjective.
Now whether we are inherently moral is another question. And yes we are, however our own concept of morality may differ, but we all have a inner "code" that we follow.

morallity doesnt apply to nature

yes it does. animals are moral. their morals may be different from yours or mine however.

 

[Gennadios]

Anyone who thinks purely in terms of "good" or "bad" should apply as a BioWare writer.

We've survived about 9,000 years and despite a few hiccups here and there we're still plodding along. We can keep our shit together as a society and a species for the most part, how individuals choose to go about their daily routine is their business.

 

[Flatfrog]

Humans are inherently human. That's all there is to it.

Considering we invented the concepts of "good" and "bad", we can't really objectively talk about it at all.

Great answer. To the OP, I'd say that without a clearer definition of your concepts, it's pretty hard to give any real answer. Is rudeness 'bad'? Or war? Or pollution? Is loving your family 'good'? Because pretty much everyone except the actually mentally ill does that.

Ultimately we are what evolution (biological and cultural) has made us. The very fact that we even *have* a sense of good and bad seems to be a point in our favour, and as far as I can see most people try to do good as best they can, while maintaining a fairly clear system of priorities: First me and my family; then my social group; then possibly my country; then other human beings; then other large mammals I can be persuaded to care about; then at a pinch the rest of the planet.

Although for some people the large mammals get a higher priority than others.

 

[Hoplon]

I would suggest that while humans are inherently selfish, which produces many of the worst things about people, they are also inherently altruistic (because there is nothing more human than the dichotomy of our nature) and it is the push and pull between those things more than the abstracts of good and evil.

 

[Xan Krieger]

To quote Slipknot "People=shit"
So I'd say they're bad and I'm basing that on how I've been treated throughout life.

 

[the darknees abyss]

I think we all have good and bad in us most chose to be bad but some do decide to be good.

 

[Shocksplicer]

Humanity is not inherently good or evil.
It is, however, inherently stupid.

 

[Dimitriov]

Too quote from the movie Zero Effect:

"There aren't any GOOD guys. You realize that, don't you? I mean: there aren't EVIL guys, and INNOCENT guys. It's just - it's just... It's just a bunch of guys."

every morning every human being that's alive gets up and does the same thing: they endeavour to better their situation.

everyone. every day.

now you may not agree with how the set about doing it and you may not agree with what they personally consider to be better for themselves at each given moment but when it's all said and done that's ultimately what we do and what we have always done.

whether its going to work at McDonalds for a pittance, robbing a bank to buy a bag of smack the size of a minivan, or lying on a couch munching cheetos in the case of all the participants they are seeking to better their situation as they see fit...even if it is just "moar cheetos!"...

better. every day. in all things.

muse.

I have to disagree, it's mostly semantic, but I think it's an important distinction.

People aren't really trying to better their situation, they are trying to satisfy their desires... whatever those might be. That I would say applies to everyone.

Bettering one's situation implies planning for the future, and that is something that very few of us manage to do consistently. Almost no person who lights up a cigarette thinks that that is a good idea...

It just feels good now, and really, for most of us, that's enough.

My 2 cents anyway

 

[lechat]

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

 

[Angie7F]

I think people will want to do something that they think is good or correct for themselves. This my just be for their own benefit, or to do something good for other people to make themselves look good.
Ultimately it comes down to greed and hypocrisy, but very few people will be bad on purpose.

 

[HardkorSB]

So this is something that people have been debating for centuries, and never can a conclusive answer be reached. Now, I'm not trying to convince anyone, or put down people who disagree with me, but i am just curious as to the general opinions among my fellow escapees.

As for me, I believe in the third option on the poll (Good, but some are born evil, and almost nobody is above corruption). From what I've seen in history, and news and stories contemporary and old, quite a few people get corrupted by power, and some people are just born messed up, and some people are unfortunate enough to get emotionally broken or jaded because of their life experiences.

But even still, everyone has the capacity to do the right thing, and even a desire to do so. All that holds back this world from being a great place is fear of reprisal or loss for doing what is right, and selfish tendencies that most seem to have and act on a bit too much.

People are born (maybe not all but most) with a natural tendency to self-preservation. That's not a matter of character or anything like that, it's genetic. Your genes want to keep on existing and be passed on to the next generation.
Depending on the context, that can lead to both "good" and "bad" things, however it does mean that there's a selfish side to human beings.

 

[Sandjube]

No, they are not. Next.

 

[Thyunda]

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

Stealing a loaf of bread because you're starving is not morally wrong. Call it priority of ethics if you like. Personhood above property, every time.

OT: Neither. Good and bad are, as mentioned, relative concepts. Bring a kid up in a violent home and show him that you can solve all life's problems by punching them, and I guarantee he'll be arrested for assault on his eighteenth birthday. It's all about environment. Genes may result in a person being better at being bad than good, but if they don't have cause to be bad, they'd never realise this.

Now. Don't try to remind me that we're going off morality as accepted by the majority of society.
Morality is not a democracy.