Are humans inherently good or evil or neither?

Just a general query that seems to be worth discussing....again.

Surely, many here were raised with the ideathat people are all mostly good, with the very rare exception.

Growing up, at some point a person may realize, every person and institution around them is corrupt and evil.

I'm not saying I feel that way, although I have had some negative experiences with bad neighbours, I still think people all want the same basic things.

Also, I've had some pretty charming experiences with tough people in tough situations....so, I'm never ready to paint anyone else as a bad guy, just because of race or background. Unfortunately, some people are indeed brought up in a hateful environment, and are influenced by that.

I think the average member here is pretty smart, and has it pretty good, but I'm not sure I'd trust them inherently.

I saw a survey-researchy-thing that indicated the cultural value of telling "the truth", and outside of a few countries, back in the Olde Country...it was OK to be dishonest! I have little need to lie, mostly because I don't do things I need to lie about.

What I'm talking about is deeper than just lies or exploitation. I wonder what has kept "society" together to this point, if people are inherently evil. I put the old graph of warmongers and total megadeaths on the other side of the scale. What has mankind to say for itself? Epic literature tells us many tales....

a reply to: FlyingFox

Most people want to be good. We try, but most of us don't recognize when we're bad; at least not until it's entirely too late.

I think everyone has the capability to be either but we choose our own paths.

Anyone can make a mistake and still be a good person. A mistake repeated is a choice.

There is no such thing as good or evil. So the question itself is a false start.

Humans are a social animal, so they want to do what they can to stay with others they identify with.
Sometimes that leads to great things, sometimes not so great things.

a reply to: FlyingFox

There was a time when a major world religion considered it a sin, hence evil, to eat fish on Friday. Then they changed it, which says that in the end it was really relative, rather than absolute.
When people around me say good and evil I think good and bad, or right and wrong instead of evil. I think that these rights and wrongs or good and bad are relative in relationship to the culture or society in which the action or lack of is taking place. How does this action benefit the society as a whole or detract from it. How does it effect the people around you. To their betterment or to their diminishment.

a reply to: FlyingFox

The problem is that everyone (for the most part) consider themselves to be 'good'. I would bet that Hitler, Stalin and even Hilary consider(ed) themselves to be good people. The problem is that for some the definition of good differs.

a reply to: FlyingFox


Good and Evil are relative to the situation and the situation may be very complex. Plato's arguments are a good example of how there are not necessarily simple answers to the simplest of situations. Good and Evil can only appear from a particular point of view. If one is a dispassionate ET looking down upon us, we need not suppose that it would have a morality or philosophy that would or could make judgment calls about our artificial and arbitrary constructs of Good and Evil.


As the old saying goes, "To each his own...."

a reply to: FlyingFox
I suggest reading the Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho. It is a short novel and is based around this question. Very good book.

A very quick synopsis. A man enters a village with 10 or 11 bars of gold which he offers for a task.

I dont think people are either inherently. I think some, through what i will describe as faulty wiring, exhibit what society considers evil, but that is not typical of the masses. There has always been a debate between heredity and environment. I think various social experiments have shown that the proper environment can turn even the most stalwart individual into a criminal. I have not seen as much evidence suggesting that a good environment can turn a criminal into an honest man. But again, is he inherently evil or is he the product of his environment? I think environment. Once learned, some lessons are hard to forget.

Guess having a legal system and police service gives us a good indication of human nature

Humans are neutral. If they were evil all animal life would be dead by now because we have the technology to slaughter everything in our path. If humans were good. Everyone will be living with animals peacefully. We wouldn't be fighting each other on which race is best all the time.

We humans have choice between evil and good. Some of us chose evil. Some choose Good.

originally posted by: makemap
Humans are neutral. If they were evil all animal life would be dead by now because we have the technology to slaughter everything in our path. If humans were good. Everyone will be living with animals peacefully. We wouldn't be fighting each other on which race is best all the time.

We humans have choice between evil and good. Some of us chose evil. Some choose Good.

All animals are just about dead, give us a chance to finish the job, never mind each other off

If demons are evil then many elitists are born evil after their parents willingly allow their unborn child to be put through a blue-blood sacrifice.

Here a demon is summoned and allowed to take over the unborn host body inside its mothers womb whilst crushing the present spirit that occupies the unborn.

Then the elite wage constant wars on innocent civilians in a permanent blood sacrifice to Moloch 24/7. (Iraq : hint-hint, who had nothing to do with 9/11)

originally posted by: FlyingFox
Just a general query that seems to be worth discussing....again.

Surely, many here were raised with the ideathat people are all mostly good, with the very rare exception.

Growing up, at some point a person may realize, every person and institution around them is corrupt and evil.

I'm not saying I feel that way, although I have had some negative experiences with bad neighbours, I still think people all want the same basic things.

Also, I've had some pretty charming experiences with tough people in tough situations....so, I'm never ready to paint anyone else as a bad guy, just because of race or background. Unfortunately, some people are indeed brought up in a hateful environment, and are influenced by that.

I think the average member here is pretty smart, and has it pretty good, but I'm not sure I'd trust them inherently.

I saw a survey-researchy-thing that indicated the cultural value of telling "the truth", and outside of a few countries, back in the Olde Country...it was OK to be dishonest! I have little need to lie, mostly because I don't do things I need to lie about.

What I'm talking about is deeper than just lies or exploitation. I wonder what has kept "society" together to this point, if people are inherently evil. I put the old graph of warmongers and total megadeaths on the other side of the scale. What has mankind to say for itself? Epic literature tells us many tales....

Duality is our nature.

If you got rid of all the supposed good people the bad would recreate them in time. Same if you got rid of all the supposed bad people. The good would recreate them.

Give a man a tortured life and watch him aspire to truth and justice. When given an entitled life he will likely imagine all sorts of evil.

Man has no absolute, only our duality. We can be either depending on our circumstances. This brings to mind the intent of God in man. It is wise to know both good and evil. Consciousness is in the knowing. Crush me and let me only desire to be loved so that I may love all. Exalt me and ruin I will spread to the limits of my ability. Let all other creation speculate.

Humans are innately evil. They practice their evil 24/7/365.

Want evidence? Watch children "playing". We are nasty creatures. When unsocialized, even more so.

"I Am" By Tom Shadyac

I recommend you all watch this if you haven't and maybe this will shed some light on our nature.

We are a perfect mix of both good and evil.
In fact, I doubt it's actually a good half and an evil half. More like different energies that can both have positive effects when in harmony with each other, but that can manifest in damaging ways when they are out of kilter somewhat.

Good and Evil are just ways for our tiny monkey brains to rationalise these concepts we can't quite grasp.

originally posted by: FlyingFox
Are humans inherently good or evil or neither?

No one is 'inherently' 'good' or 'evil'.
Like all 'value', like all 'beauty', like all 'meaning'; ALL 'good', and ALL 'evil', exists in the (vain judgmental) ego (imagination/thoughts) of the beholder!

"We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are!"

True, we are not all Good or Evil.

a reply to: FlyingFox

Are humans inherently good or evil or neither?

We'd have to have some kind of agreed upon definitions of "good" and "evil" in order to attempt a productive discussion on this topic.