is man good or evil?

[Jagger69]

If its instinct then it can not be either good nor evil. As for the last part of your statement, we're never gonna survive long enough to perfect our own species!

I didn't say it was instinct that made us evil....I said it was instinct that encourages us to use our intellect for evil reasons. Maybe "evil" is too stong a word...."evil" defined by Webster is "morally reprehensible, wicked or sinful". That encompasses a whole lot of behaviors and many of them are very subjective in nature as far as their relative "good" or "evil" is concerned.

 

[dick van cock]

There is no such thing as good or evil. Those are terms made up by mankind and used to establish rules for what is acceptable in a civiliced society (or used by the church to frighten people into following the church´s rules and believes). Of course this is my personal belief, if you ask a christian or a muslim you will probably get a completely different answer.

:hatsoff:

All I have to say on the subject can be found in this book:

click!!!

Free yourself from the Judeo-Christian misconceptions about good and evil or die trying!

 

[Will E Worm]

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. Albert Einstein

Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all -- the apathy of human beings. Helen Keller


He who does not punish evil, commands it to be done. Leonardo da Vinci

The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. Plato

Ignorance, the root and the stem of every evil. Plato

One who condones evils is just as guilty as the one who perpetrates it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

A truly evil man...

Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will pledge with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being granted to them by their world government."

- Henry Kissinger in an address to the Bilderberger meeting at Evian, France, May 21, 1992.

(in an address to the Bilderberger organization meeting at Evian, France, on May 21, 1991. As transcribed from a tape recording made by one of the Swiss delegates. )”

 

[Facetious]

^
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVmtbLc4t6M :tongue:



You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.


The good go largely unnoticed -

The bad come in many forms -
From petty thief to completely unfathomable MONSTERS like that incestual maniac "father/ grandfather" sicko bastard mo fo a- ho.

Would a group apology prevent any incoming fire and brimstone we would otherwise normally be experiencing ? :angels:

 

[Facetious]

Is this a GOOD man ? :dunno:







:jester:

 

[senob44]

I think people are born good, but it is society and the fight for survival that can drive them to evil.

That's not exactly what I think, but it's the best I can put it into words....

 

[stainedblueyes]

Personally I think we're ok - in comparison to what little we know about the universe. Although to quote Agent Smith:

"I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had, during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you aren’t actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with its surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply, and multiply until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague, and we... are the cure."

 

[Roughneck]

I grew up thinking about the inherent evil resident in all. Being a combat soldier merely seemed to confirm it - the human species is wretched and disgusting. We're the only homicidal species on the planet who willingly chose to inflict unspeakable cruelty and suffering on each other.

But raising my kids changed me.
Forever.
They taught me that it's not that simple. That even out of the depths of misery and wretchedness, good is possible.

Now, I don't know if it's one or the other but I believe in the goodness of man.


My wife says it's a matter of faith (and she meant not necessarily the 'religious' kind of faith)...

cheers,
R (perhaps the last of the romantics).

 

[titsrock]

Man is inherently evil and only inclined to "good deeds" when it serves his self-interest.

Man finds "goodness" only when confronted with his own mortality.

 

[Shindekudasai]

There is no such thing as good or evil. Those are terms made up by mankind and used to establish rules for what is acceptable in a civiliced society (or used by the church to frighten people into following the church´s rules and believes). Of course this is my personal belief, if you ask a christian or a muslim you will probably get a completely different answer.

All I have to say on the subject can be found in this book:

click!!!

Free yourself from the Judeo-Christian misconceptions about good and evil or die trying!

These questions are hundreds of years old. Is man "good" or "evil"? Do "good" or "evil" even exist or are they abstract concepts created by man? Can someone be trained to be "good"/"evil"? Can someone voluntarily or involuntarily learn to be "good" or "evil"? If you want educated answers you have to compare classics like Hobbes, Locke or Rousseau as well as modern day scientists like Kohlberg or Habermas. Nietzsche alone isn't the answer to that. He makes some very strong points though.

 

[D-rock]

I think all people have the capacity for good and evil within them, but they can choose their own destiny. On a personal level I believe good and evil are both something internal to all people and a comic force within itself. Just as I believe there are fundamental truths I believe the concepts of good and evil exist.

 

[Exocet]

I would say that humans are born inherently amoral - it's just that being "good" involves more work and is less materially beneficial than being selfish. Someone who is selfish never works for the benefit of other people, which when taken to extremes means that people are capable of incredible evil.

 

[Member2019]

It's taught ...

I do not believe in "original sin" and various phrases that people throw around. I believe envy, selfishness and many other aspects of a detrimental nature are taught, even if indirectly and not intentionally.

I also think people confuse such "evil sins" (envy, selfishness, etc...) with "irresponsibility." Yes, children are inherently irresponsible. So while irresponsibility is a problem as well, it's different than the "evil sins" which are learned.

The combination of the two is what is even more deadly. And it's far worse in every generation in the US. From our media just feeding it for a significant percentage of our population (which Paris Hilton and "rich people" have but you don't) to the "super safety nets" that are all around to catch mass irresponsibility.

 

[Devout Pornist]

People are good, when they help others, who suffer greatly. good people are good hearted.
People are evil, when they are selfish and don't care about others. the only one they care about is themselves.

 

[gunslingingbird]

I grew up thinking about the inherent evil resident in all. Being a combat soldier merely seemed to confirm it - the human species is wretched and disgusting. We're the only homicidal species on the planet who willingly chose to inflict unspeakable cruelty and suffering on each other.

But raising my kids changed me.
Forever.
They taught me that it's not that simple. That even out of the depths of misery and wretchedness, good is possible.

Now, I don't know if it's one or the other but I believe in the goodness of man.


My wife says it's a matter of faith (and she meant not necessarily the 'religious' kind of faith)...

cheers,
R (perhaps the last of the romantics).

I haven't had any kids, so I can't see things from your perspective. My own experiences with humans tell me that there are some good people, and a whole lot of bad ones. Like you said, we're the only species who will willingly hurt other members of their species. We use our great intelligence not for creative purposes, but to find ways to cause greater damage to our enemies. We find ways to improve our unimportant, pathetic lives at the expense of others and the environment. We knowingly eradicate our fellow species off the planet in the name of greed. These are only some of the reasons why I think that man, as a whole, is inherently evil.

 

[SBTNW]

like everyone knows, he is good, but society makes him bad.

 

[mongo18]

There should have been a third option, because collectively, man is stupid.

 

[sputnikgirl]

collectively, man is stupid.

yep.

Man is inherently self-destructive, not necessarily good or evil. The self-destructive impulse drives one to do evil things. There is good and evil present in the world, but this paradigm must also include the paradox that what is considered "good" or "bad" for an individual can actually have the opposite effect.

 

[calpoon]

when people do things that they take pride in they say "this is a good thing". that people have the capacity to do good.

when people do things that they are ashamed of they say "it's not my fault. people are inherently bad." But that's just some bad people trying to justify their own actions.

it's all about blame or praise. there is no good or evil, people made it up. it's just things that work well or don't work well depending on a situation.

Can animals be good or evil? of course they are neither. They don't have morals, but they seem to get along just as well, if not better than we do. But some people say "we can have good and evil because we are not animals." once again, people are making shit up and believing their own lies.

 

[Kingfisher]

Not man in the basic sense. But emotions and unclear thoughts, influenced by outside sources, or desires.