Mankind, Inherently good, or bad?

AGallant

AGallant

Member
Hey NS, I'm doing a research project for school that requires me to ask other peoples opinions on a question that has been asked for hundreds of years. Is mankind inherently good, or bad? I thought i would ask you guys just because i think you may have some good input. Thanks!

P.S i don't really want to be one of those people, but, +k for good stuff.
 
nuetral, because when we are born babies are overall uninfluenced and have the ability to go any direction as far as morals/ good and evil goes.
 
Neutral at t1, but there are arguments that from evolution we have become self-servingly cooperative (oxymoron?) at t2. pm me if you want and I'll find the paper I had to read about the effects of evolution on human morality
 
Machiavelli believed that mankind is inherently evil, and he's always a good source to cite for all kinds of papers. Read The Prince if you haven't already. I highly suggest it.
 
people are inherently good.

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Another stupid thread. Do your homework.

Assignments like this allow you so much room. You could say yes, no maybe as long as you back it up. They want to know what you feel, not what I think.

Seriously kids, do your homework, it's not that hard.
 
Ah. Stopped reading at research assignment for school. Too many people posting similar stuff like "do my homework cause I'm a bitch".

Maybe make some kind of a poll depending on how much data you need.
 
inherently good.

a newborn baby is one of the most pure examples of innocence that this world has to offer. the reason there is bad people in the world is because people develop feelings of hatred, greed and what not.
 
good and evil are constructs that do not exist in nature. People develop good or bad strategies for survival based on their situation.
 
humans are social animals that would live in groups of 10 to 40-50 people or so (early settlements were a bit bigger).

so from that i would say that they are inherently "good" so that they help each other and form a system that is more than the sum of its part. but protecting himself or this system might lead him to do stuff which may be considered "bad".

this is just talking about a stone-age scenario. but in the end "good" and "bad" are just constructs and definitely varying over time and from situation to situation.
 
Since you have to argue both sides and this is for school, I'll try and give you a less common one for each side. Of course you'll have to expand on these hopefully they'll just start you thinking.

If one believes what is detailed in the book of Genesis, it could be argued that, we are inherently bad. As we have knowledge of what is sin, yet we continue to do it.

Since we were created in God's image we are essentially good. This is why 'bad' actions are noticed because they go against the trait of mankind that is being 'good'. Although individuals may be tempted to follow the 'bad' examples of others, we are only following an example and thus are not truly bad. We are inclined to follow and adapt our behavior to mirror the example of those who are deemed to be 'surviving', and that behavior may be 'bad' because it bends societal rules. Hence the individuals who are leading 'bad' lives or are thought to be 'bad' are merely a product of our environment. Suggesting humans are malleable, and in fact it is not us but the nature of our society which is inherently bad.
 
man is inherently good. The thought of it being negative is only possible if man is there having intellectual thought in the first place. Man is positive because humans are here to appreciate the universe and it's wonders. It is possible mankind is supposed to build to an excessive level, just to be destroyed. It is what drives us as a positive going species.
 
so much of this. when the mind is empty we are good. its only when thoughts arise, which are simply thoughts, that bad comes into play.
 
this /thread

but as far grown up people, i think were inherently good but many of us dont see/understand/acknowledge/do anything about it and its slowly dwindling away. We must help everyone like the Buddhas!
 
just because he is looking for a critical creative debate on the subject does not mean he will not come up with his own idea, it means he is seeking stimulation to produce argument for his beliefs which are just uncertain reasons in his mind right now that withhold his conclusions.

..if that makes sense?
 
but isnt the assignment meant to determine if man is 'good' or 'bad' in light of the definitions we have given to the words? ie. ex: good would help people, bad would hurt people, etc?thats how i would approach it, your answer seems to avoid the questions and throw a lot of hocus pocus at it instead
 
Good and bad aren't words that really work to describe mankind. We are shaped by our surroundings and environment. A question like this doesn't have a straight forward answer, so look to the middle ground.
 
Yo, if you disrespect Mankind again, I'm gonna have to go all mandible claw on your ass. You ain't got shit on Mr. Socko, motherfucker.
 
Humankind is good. Every animal's main goal in life is to survive and procreate. Humans are very good at this. When we are bored and not desperate for survival our primitive urge to keep what is ours and share only with who we care about (the rest of our family) is considered bad, but that is by our own standards. Really though we have the capacity to love and care for one another and thats kept us alive so I'd say we're doing ok.
 
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree, like Rody said earlier, I think that baby's are born neutral, not necessarily making them good. Innocence doesn't equal good.

It's childhood that forms the basis of our morality, so a baby who hasn't experienced something isn't necessarily good. They develop these morales when there parents tell them stealing is bad, and what not.
 
You can probably steal a bunch of "facts" from the community episode where they debated this. watch it, at least you'll have a laugh.
 
Mankind is inherently bad. So much fucked up shit has happened over the millennia. Just look at slavery for example. A few good apples don't make up for the inherent selfish and greedy tendencies of people. And the "good" people that strive for change are often murdered or persecuted by the inherently bad (ie: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, etc).

I really don't see an argument for mankind as a whole being inherently good. Everyone is more concerned with their own self-interests even if they won't admit it publicly.
 
obviously bad. i'd much rather overcome my human nature than embrace it, and i don't like people who are content with humanity.
 
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