I don’t think humans are naturally bad any more than they are naturally good, we’ve just been told that natural human characteristics are bad. Furthermore I think that trying to repress those parts of ourself is to blame for a lot of the shit that’s going on (I normally blame said shit on religion, but what would organized religion be if it didn’t constantly try to stop us from acting like humans?).
I would say that what qualities we deem as good or bad in a person is solely set by society. And thus we are molded by the very same society into thinking that these qualities are good or bad. I think that humans are not fundamentally good nor bad, simply because this is a variable that changes as society does. Humans are, in a word, moldable.
An example. In middle eastern societies, the woman is supposed to stay at home and raise the kids, make food, keep the house and so on. If she does all this, she is a good woman and a good wife and society respects her for it. If a woman in the west does the same, only stay at home with the kids, just be a housewife, most likely none would respect her.
Shouldn’t we repress some of human nature? Lets suppose no current religion is correct, what does that mean this “innate sin” is? Probably just us being animals, which we are. Not many species of animals live in groups such as humans do, the ones that have the largest groups have rules. Acting like the animals we are is fine under certain conditions, but when placed in civilization, it becomes problematic for us to co-exist.
I think there is way more repression involved in being “evil” than there is in being “good.” It’s harder to become the “inner animal” than it is to become a normal member of whichever civilization you are a part of.
I’m not entirely sure what your definition of a “group” is, but there are many species other than Homo sapiens which live in observable societies. For instance, African Wild Dogs, Orcas, Meercats, Wolves, etc. Really, the only things that separate us from other species are language (arguably so) and culture; religion (that which guides most of us in morality and whatnot) is included under culture.
I can’t think like that. I can’t think that people are inherently good or the opposite (that people are inherently bad). We are what we are made. It if we get told no for doing something bad, we will assume it is bad. If we don’t get told no for something that we did that was bad, we will do it again. It isn’t necessarily that simple a process, but it still makes sense. Humans aren’t naturally good; they aren’t naturally bad either. We are what we are made to be.
I think it really depends on what we feel guilt about doing and what we regret.
Isn’t what your saying alot like what I said? Society determines what we think of as good and bad. If you grew up in the middle east, and then went to Africa, there will most definitely be some differences of how good and bad is viewed. My main reasoning in saying that humans are more inclined to be bad than good is the state of the world and the countless wars, genocide, and various other “evil” acts of our history. What else would cause humans to do such things repeatedly through history other than something that is innate in us?
I don’t think humans are naturally bad any more than they are naturally good, we’ve just been told that natural human characteristics are bad. Furthermore I think that trying to repress those parts of ourself is to blame for a lot of the shit that’s going on (I normally blame said shit on religion, but what would organized religion be if it didn’t constantly try to stop us from acting like humans?).
But it is us humans- and only us humans- who have learned to overcome this supposed “innate sin,” so doesn’t that count for something?
What is bad, and what is good?
I would say that what qualities we deem as good or bad in a person is solely set by society. And thus we are molded by the very same society into thinking that these qualities are good or bad. I think that humans are not fundamentally good nor bad, simply because this is a variable that changes as society does. Humans are, in a word, moldable.
An example. In middle eastern societies, the woman is supposed to stay at home and raise the kids, make food, keep the house and so on. If she does all this, she is a good woman and a good wife and society respects her for it. If a woman in the west does the same, only stay at home with the kids, just be a housewife, most likely none would respect her.
Shouldn’t we repress some of human nature? Lets suppose no current religion is correct, what does that mean this “innate sin” is? Probably just us being animals, which we are. Not many species of animals live in groups such as humans do, the ones that have the largest groups have rules. Acting like the animals we are is fine under certain conditions, but when placed in civilization, it becomes problematic for us to co-exist.
I think there is way more repression involved in being “evil” than there is in being “good.” It’s harder to become the “inner animal” than it is to become a normal member of whichever civilization you are a part of.
I’m not entirely sure what your definition of a “group” is, but there are many species other than Homo sapiens which live in observable societies. For instance, African Wild Dogs, Orcas, Meercats, Wolves, etc. Really, the only things that separate us from other species are language (arguably so) and culture; religion (that which guides most of us in morality and whatnot) is included under culture.
I can’t think like that. I can’t think that people are inherently good or the opposite (that people are inherently bad). We are what we are made. It if we get told no for doing something bad, we will assume it is bad. If we don’t get told no for something that we did that was bad, we will do it again. It isn’t necessarily that simple a process, but it still makes sense. Humans aren’t naturally good; they aren’t naturally bad either. We are what we are made to be.
I think it really depends on what we feel guilt about doing and what we regret.
I must agree. I think we should give our species some kudos for setting up natural reinforcements and punishments.
Isn’t what your saying alot like what I said? Society determines what we think of as good and bad. If you grew up in the middle east, and then went to Africa, there will most definitely be some differences of how good and bad is viewed. My main reasoning in saying that humans are more inclined to be bad than good is the state of the world and the countless wars, genocide, and various other “evil” acts of our history. What else would cause humans to do such things repeatedly through history other than something that is innate in us?
Unfortunately, many of the terrible acts of the past were done by those who thought what they were doing was the right, or moral, thing.