Good Vs. Bad

I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt, so yes, to an extent, I agree with Anne. Anyone who went through what her and her family did and can STILL say something like that, the saying certainly holds weight!

Ok, ok, WAAAY too sober to answer this, but I'll take a stab at it anyway.

I think babies are born inherently self-serving.

After all, every animal's most basic instinct is self preservation, to keep ourselves alive, right?

Then, that infinitely variable combination of genetics and environment take over so ANYTHING could happen.

So to answer the question, I think it's less a question of whether people are Good or Bad (since we're ALL both), and more of a question of the individual capacity to FIND, seek out, recognize, Good or Bad.

So I think 'society as a whole' is VERY self serving, but each of us that together create that 'whole' have the choice every minute of every day to FIND the good, or to MAKE the good.

Whew!

:)

I would like to, but no, I do not.

I think people can CHOOSE to act in ways that are good and / or evil, but we all have the potential to cause great hurt because we are inherently selfish. This is demonstrated in big ways (power, greed, corruption, genocide, crimes against humanity) and also small ones (lies, disrespect for others, failure to reach out to others, etc).

If this were not so, I don't believe we would have to train children to do the right thing. You don't have to hang out with a toddler very long to notice that their nature is ego-centric and inclines toward selfishness and self-preservation over honesty and courtesy.

As a Christian, I adopt the Biblical worldview that asserts that "the heart of man is deceitful above all things" (Jer. 17:9). I think all you need to do is look around the world to see the results of this. The evil in the world is the result of humanity's choices. We have to be very intentional about our thoughts and words in order to do the right thing in any / every situation. It is an aim that is impossible in our own strength, which is why we look to Christ's example, wisdom and guidance to help us.

This is also why Christ came to die for us, because we could never attain the perfection needed to spend eternity in Heaven on our own. In this way, he covered our sins (no matter how great or small, they all "miss the mark" of perfection) and made it possible for us to go to Heaven, where there is no sin, suffering or imperfection.

NOTE: Almost every other world religion is based on the idea that the human heart and soul is something that needs to be "mastered" through certain disciplines meant to improve our thoughts and behavior, so this is not just a fundamentalist Christian concept.

Sorry for the novel, but this is a question that has long been the focus of theological and humanist debate - so it's tough to simplify.

Short answer: God gave us the choice of free will. Left to ourselves, we are capable of great good, but also great evil. If we could always be good on our own, humankind wouldn't be suffering the atrocities and ills that it does. That would be the extreme exception, not the norm.

I believe that people want to be good. But I believe we are desperately wicked. I suppose the word selfish is more accurate. But selfishness to me is wickedness.

I think that most people are good at heart. We are all lost in O. way or another.

I never understood the need to polarize and separate things out.
I think there's bad and good in everyone, and everyone has different views of what bad and good mean.
Your view also changes as you age.
When you're young, you're optimistic and you think there's good everywhere.
But old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm.

I don't know about this O.... I would add the third (and most annoying group) to the list... "Completely Indifferent". That makes me crazy!

I do not believe that all people are inherently good. I really don't. I also don't think people are inherently bad. I do believe that temperament (general way of looking at things and dealing with life) is present at birth. A mild-mannered and easy-going baby is usually similar as an adult. High-strung babies are usually intense and high-strung adults. There are, of course, exceptions to such generalizations, but for the most part it's true.

As a whole, though, I do believe that society is good. I think that the vast majority of the population has general goodwill towards others and that people care about others- at least in their immediate environment. Unfortunately, the average "good guy" doesn't make for good news coverage, so all we see are the really "bad guys" and the exceptionally "good guys"- most of us are somewhere in between.

Nature vs. Nurture... well, it's really hard to overcome either and we are who we are because of a dynamic interaction between the two. Unfortunately for some people if you have bad genes and grow-up in a bad environment... you just can't get through that.

Yes.
I am blown away by some of the evil though. I can't even think of the things that some people are capable of doing.
Let's just take the Casey Anthony case and many like it. I couldn't fathom letting another living creature lie in my car, dead. Even a dog or a cat. We even buried the mouse my cat killed.
Or Jeffery Dahmer, Gacy, all these high profile cases and then there are the little petty thiefs. I cant' think like that.

First off, I'm writing this after working a very long night shift, so please forgive any rambling, run-on sentences, misspellings or incomplete thoughts.You might find my moral relativism distasteful, but here goes: What is your definition of Good? Of Bad? If someone acts in the interest of their own self-preservation, that is, by society's standards, bad. But from the perspective of the individual it is good. To value O.'s own life, what is more "good" than that? Is it an affront to the wisdom of creation/nature to value someone or something above O.'s own gift of (made in God's image) self? I mean, isn't that why suicide is a sin? I'm not a religious person, just using this as an example.

Of course I'm just stirring the pot a bit in the interest of debate. I find Ayn Rand to be incredibly interesting and thought-provoking, yet incredibly wrong in her assessment that self-sacrifice is pure evil. She clearly did not have children.

I'd like to point out that even Hitler believed he was doing something good. He provided a scapegoat for the horror that was post WWI Germany. He believed he was doing right by his people, who were suffering. Was he evil? Nearly everyone (including this gal) would say yes, based on what happened next, but from his perspective (and the people who followed him) he was good. By the way, how about his followers? Were ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE evil? Or were they just duped? THink about the mentally ill criminals who know not what they do. They are just as much God's children as any O. of us. Are they bad? Do they have a choice in the matter? Does choice matter?

So, to ask whether people are inherently good or inherently bad is to assume that there is such a thing as an objective Good/Bad. A dicey topic for debate! I like it!

I see how easily people are persuaded by political speeches, religious leaders, radio talk show hosts, etc. It's not difficult to make the masses do bad things. But I don't believe that means that they are inherently bad. I'm not sure why. I just can't bring myself to believe it. How's that for a weak ending to this ridiculously long post? Thanks for stimulating my brain when I'm supposed to be sleeping, Denise! :P

I totally think most of the population is good at heart. I have a very positive outlook on society as a whole...but I also believe there are downright evil people...but they are not the norm. We just see the evil and bad behavior highlighted incessantly in the media...which is now all around us from our phone, twitter, facebook, t.v. radio etc. We are so barraged with the bad that we now think it is the norm. I see good all around me in my neighborhood, church, school, husband's place of employment etc. Sometimes we just need to look for the good to notice that it is there.

I believe that despite everything there are MORE people that are really good at heart...but then there are some that are evil to the core...or even just bad to the core and deny anything good or wholesome or uplifting or moral or just or true.

For me, its not about good or bad, its about circumstances. When someone does something off the wall, I try to think of what would cause me to do that, before making generalizations or harsh judgements. A friend was sooooo upset that someone wore a Steeler jersey to a Pirate game - he assumed the person only spent money on Steeler wear and should stick to attending Steeler games. Aside from my belief that any Pittsburgh team jerseys are welcome at any Pittsburgh team event, my first assumption was that it was probably the only thing the person had that represented the city's colors, whether it was the only thing that was clean or the only thing in his closet.

So, not necessarily me thinking good about the person, just that there could be a different explanation.

NOTE: My reactions/assumptions change drastically when MIL is involved, then everything is thought to be evil/manipulative/etc.