The Nature of Man, good or bad? Options

[dancerellie714]

sorry if this is already a topic.


Okay. The question presented here is "what is the nature of man?", which basically means...do you think that all mankind is mostly evil or good? Also, are you born good/bad or do your surroundings mold who you are?

good luck with this one

[Heewee]

First of all, we are all born without having the knowledge of good and bad. It is a natural instinct for us, however, to do what we can to survive. If we are screaming at the top of our lungs at 2 AM, we aren't aware that our parents won't be very happy. However, we do learn that we will get food or have our diapers changed. As we grow older and learn the difference between good and evil, it is up to us to decide what to do when certain occasions arise. For example, if we have a bag of M&Ms for a snack and our friend forgot their snack, the "good" thing (in many people's eyes) would be to share. However, if we know that our parents are going through hard financial times at home and we know that that bag of M&Ms is the only thing we'll have to eat all week long, is it still considered "evil" or selfish not to share them? What if we do share them? Would we be considered stupid for lacking common sense of our own good? Of course, there are many unjustifiable things that happen in this world that, without a doubt, should be considered evil. All of mankind, except those who are mentally impaired or those who aren't old enough yet, should know the consequences of their actions. Whether they are "good" or "evil" depends upon their judgements and decisions.

[Spirited Away]

First of all, we are all born without having the knowledge of good and bad. It is a natural instinct for us, however, to do what we can to survive.

then my question to you is must we have knowledge of good and evil to be good or evil?

[Heewee]

then my question to you is must we have knowledge of good and evil to be good or evil?

I guess that through somebody's eyes, yes you can be good or evil without knowing it because, as I said before, everybody has different opinions on what they consider to be good and evil. However, I do not really truly believe that you can be good or evil unless you are conciously know that you are being good or evil.

[Spirited Away]

However, I do not really truly believe that you can be good or evil unless you are conciously know that you are being good or evil.

in my opinion, you don't have to know that you're doing a good thing to do a good thing, the same with evil.

if a child is drowning in a calm river (and i know how to swim), instinctively i would, and so would many others, jump in to save the child. consciously, i would not be thinking that saving the child is a good thing to do, i would do it because if i didn't save her, she would die. that saving the child's life is a good thing will click right after the rush of the save is over. this is how many people think and i know you would be doing the same for the child. consciousness of doing good/evil, or being aware of doing good/evil, isn't necessarily a must in order for a person to do good/evil.

[Heewee]

in my opinion, you don't have to know that you're doing a good thing to do a good thing, the same with evil.

if a child is drowning in a calm river (and i know how to swim), instinctively i would, and so would many others, jump in to save the child. consciously, i would not be thinking that saving the child is a good thing to do, i would do it because if i didn't save her, she would die. that saving the child's life is a good thing will click right after the rush of the save is over. this is how many people think and i know you would be doing the same for the child. consciousness of doing good/evil, or being aware of doing good/evil, isn't necessarily a must in order for a person to do good/evil.

No, you don't need to know that you're doing a good thing to do a good thing, but if you're doing something portrayed as "evil" you usually know it first. If it is unintentional, it's very hard to argue that it is evil. That's why murder cases, pleading insanity is a touchy subject because if you don't know that you're killing somebody (unintentionally), then you shouldn't suffer the consequences of doing it (or so some people argue).

When you see a child drowning, you might not say to yourself "Oh, no! A child is drowning! I want to be good and save it!" However, you do know that it is a bad thing that the child is drowning and you want to make things good, and save the child.

[Spirited Away]

No, you don't need to know that you're doing a good thing to do a good thing, but if you're doing something portrayed as "evil" you usually know it first. If it is unintentional, it's very hard to argue that it is evil. That's why murder cases, pleading insanity is a touchy subject because if you don't know that you're killing somebody (unintentionally), then you shouldn't suffer the consequences of doing it (or so some people argue).

well, it finally comes to this:
there you go! that's my point! that's one of the reasons why i think people are born good instead of neutral!

When you see a child drowning, you might not say to yourself "Oh, no! A child is drowning! I want to be good and save it!" However, you do know that it is a bad thing that the child is drowning and you want to make things good, and save the child.

do you think this "knowing" is conscious or unconscious?