Why do most people do bad things even though they know it's wrong?

and hurtful to others?

ie Why do (so many) people cheat?

conspire

kill

lie

steal

rape

abuse

hurt

Where is the humanity and altruism and charity in most people today? Very few,,. too few...I don't see it, esp with every generation its worse...

Reply to post by BiggerPicture

I think the generation growing older tends to romanticize how they were, that being said I people do good things they often need a reason to, that is where the problem lies in my opinion.


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reply to post by BiggerPicture


Who is to say whats right and whats wrong?

Are you born with a sense of right and wrong or is it something you learn?

reply to post by BiggerPicture

Paul the Apostle said it like this in his letter to the Romans (7:15-24)...

"I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

The unusual thing about human nature is that it does not describe what we are...
...but describes what we aught to be.
...

i think most people have become disenchanted with this way of life. its not natural.
so they do dumb things without fully realizing the consequenses.
but more and more people are awakening to the truth,and making a change in their life.

Originally posted by troubleshooter
reply to post by BiggerPicture

 

Paul the Apostle said it like this in his letter to the Romans (7:15-24)...

"I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. --- The unusual thing about human nature is that it does not describe what we are...
...but describes what we aught to be.

Hmmm whatever exactly was Paul's THORN IN HIS FLESH, will the world ever know?

Most people could probably relate to how they 'will' to do good, but end up doin bad

I really don't see why human nature isn't second nature, for us each and all.

Are you saying human nature is our ideal rather than tendency? To me thats a huge paradox.

Unusual indeed to say the least =/

Originally posted by BiggerPicture

ie Why do (so many) people cheat?

conspire

kill

lie

steal

rape

abuse

hurt

I think it's because some people are inherently selfish. What they get out of it is worth more to them than what it does to others.

Originally posted by Bixxi3
reply to post by BiggerPicture

 

Who is to say whats right and whats wrong?

Are you born with a sense of right and wrong or is it something you learn?

Ah, the classic nature vs nurture question...

I believe it's touched upon in the couple threads above, one can argue it IS human nature to somewhat decipher what's good (helpful/productive) and bad (harmful/destructive).

Do we really have to learn that killing and raping is bad?

I suppose if we were raised by lions we might mature to see killing (and even rape?!) as productive and 'good' - perish the thought as that reduces the unique, sentient human state to a sometimes cannibalistic carnivore, though.

They clearly don't care that's its perceived as wrong. there's really not anyway you can approach it besides that.Well you caaaaaaaaaan by philosophizing on the human condition and society and what not but its a waste of time. For the most part with the exception of a few insane individuals they know its :wrong" it is just not enough to stop them.

And as the fellow above noted the older generation tends to go on about how the younger generation is degrading in every possible fashion but its a load of hog wash. Theit parents did the same with them and we will do the same with the generation that follows us.

ultimately i don't see humanity particularly evolving or devolving as far as morality as such as concerned.Rather i think we have maintained a steady predictability for much of out existence and little will change either way down the road.

Theres plenty of good people and theres plenty of bad people. If you are on team good then do your daily part to help the cause.Make your interactions with those you encounter in your daily life pleasant,try to gleam something from your interactions with them , go out of your way to to help people, the environment, cute puppies,etc,etc.

It's not gotten worst in the latest generation?

During my parents schooling and even mine, it was UNTHINKABLE to cuss out or smack a teacher or kill them for being mean to you (which teachers often need to do, some discipline). Likewise it was unfathomable for a parent to go ballistic at PTA (parents teachers conference) and defend their child even for bloody murder, complete with death threats and/or physical assaults upon the teacher(s) by the parents.

And overall I do see a world of more overall violence and random killings (ie murders in the family, by strangers) than would happen some 20y ago.

I guess thats just my experience, or perspective, tho and I doubt I'm romanticizing my youth or life, at barely 3yo so far...,

Originally posted by BiggerPicture
It's not gotten worst in the latest generation?

During my parents schooling and even mine, it was UNTHINKABLE to cuss out or smack a teacher or kill them for being mean to you (which teachers often need to do, some discipline). Likewise it was unfathomable for a parent to go ballistic at PTA (parents teachers conference) and defend their child even for bloody murder, complete with death threats and/or physical assaults upon the teacher(s) by the parents.

And overall I do see a world of more overall violence and random killings (ie murders in the family, by strangers) than would happen some 20y ago.

I guess thats just my experience, or perspective, tho and I doubt I'm romanticizing my youth or life, at barely 3yo so far...,

I think violence in societies rises and falls. The world was a much more violent place a thousand years ago than it is today, but it was less violent 50 years ago.

Originally posted by BiggerPicture

Originally posted by troubleshooter
reply to post by BiggerPicture

 

Paul the Apostle said it like this in his letter to the Romans (7:15-24)...

"I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. --- The unusual thing about human nature is that it does not describe what we are...
...but describes what we aught to be.

Hmmm whatever exactly was Paul's THORN IN HIS FLESH, will the world ever know?

I know what mine is, don't you?

Are you saying human nature is our ideal rather than tendency? To me thats a huge paradox.

Paradox or disconnect.

All animals act in a way that is primarily beneficial to themselves.
It is an important survival instinct.
No one judges a lion for killing it's prey, or even killing the offspring of a competing male.
Because human beings have intelligence bordering on insanity, many primal instincts become distorted as to their motives.

Morality is not absolute, and it is only in the context of society that we are judged.
Even modern humans mainly act out of instinct, with their intellect playing catchup to justify behavior.

I feel, that once we accept people for the self serving @#$%2s they are, we can forgive them and have honest relationships which are not based on fantasy.

When I encounter people who emanate bunny hugging selflessness, my instinct is not to trust them

“Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual.”
Friedrich Nietzsche

To give answers to you question that are purely animalistic :

cheat : to gain competitive advantage
conspire : to gain competitive advantage
kill : to gain competitive advantage and for some, to get food
lie : to manipulate group perception to gain advantage
steal : to get free stuff
rape : to spread seed and to express dominance
abuse : to express dominance
hurt : to express dominance

Please note, I personally do not glorify these human(animal) traits, but it is what it is.

I do not believe that these aspect of humanity are getting worse,
If anything, modern ethics, arising from the age of enlightenment, are far more just than in previous times in history.

It's a matter of perspective. Our moral standards are our creation, and stem from our inherent goodness. We're all good inside, deep inside for others, but when ego takes centre stage we forget about that goodness. Things would be a lot less "bad" if we just forgave each other and moved on, but instead we hold on and become attached to our own selfishness. The thing is, even morals need to change or the morals become selfish and that selfishness creates resistance and pain. Biblical law and Sharia law are examples of selfish morality - we'd be still stoning each other otherwise, concepts which seem absurd (wrong) in today's world.

"...those who exalt themselves through the good opinion of their superiors, do so chiefly by deferring to the judgement of same rather than relying upon their own. Good reputation - or public virtue - can reasonably be perceived as being rooted in applied flattery, personal vanity and self-interest.

"Man's primal instinct is to obtain as much pleasure from life as possible, whether by self-sacrifice or the sacrifice of others. Whether termed good or bad by external moral and legal criteria, every action a person commits is determined by the amount of personal pleasure it gives.

"Random acts of kindness or cruelty, which seem on the surface from the individual of their own volition, often result from a clash between our personal beliefs and the artificiality of subconscious social conditioning.

"Unfortunately, many people sleepwalk through life without conscious awareness of their own system, if they have one at all, and are therefore susceptible to external notions of right and wrong imposed by others, particularly members of the eminently unqualified upper class and their support system, mass media.

"Laws and morals based on honour are superior to those rooted in social expediency."

P35 The Gates of Janus, by Ian Brady ('The Moors Murderer')

In short, because people need an incentive to do what's right. People will not do what's right without any kind of incentive to encourage them.

The Milgram Experiments are a great example of showing this.

We live in a society which, up to this point, has been designed by the psychopathic/STS 5% of the population. They have taught the non-psychopathic 95% to believe that being like them is a positive thing; and to listen primarily to their sense of logic, (which can be manipulated) rather than their emotion/intuition. (Which can't be, anywhere near as easily)

If someone tries to appeal to your logic, though, they can make a seemingly "rational," argument as to why it's fine to pre-emptively bomb Iraq, for example. They can also make a rational argument as to why, in some cases, if you steal or defraud others, you're not doing something self-defeating, but that you're "getting ahead of the competition."

If people become isolated from their emotion and intuition, though; if all they know is seemingly mechanistic logic, then manipulating them becomes extremely easy. You can't manipulate someone who is empathic, because their emotion provides direct, immediate feedback as to what will happen if they hurt either themselves, or another person. Logic, on the other hand, can be used to make someone think that hurting people is actually a great idea.

many people do not care one way or the other, they are so wrapped up in their own self worth and expect nothing less, honestly. Even when confronted with a situation that may lead others to see the error of their ways, most people I've met, kinda just keep to themselves in the most serious of ways.

Simply put, they only care about themselves, and what they did meant that you or another was in the way of their want.

i just got home from work and was anxious to log in and read the new replies. (THANKS!)

I am grateful for every input as this had been on/in the back of my mind all day. And to top it off, on my way home in the metro a woman appeared to brush up against another and the offended woman went ballistic screaming at the top of her lungs as if she was stepped on in pain but I witnessed it and she was not stepped on from my vantage. She just felt like blowing up and was cussing with young kids around and abound and shoved the elderly lady who didn't do anything wrong down to the ground but it was a crowded car so we braced her before she fell and got her back up and a couple guys got inbetween them and told the ballistic woman down. she had long/fake nail and was lashing out.

After I got off the metro I stopped at the corner store for a coconut soda (With this warm sunny weather i felt like something tropical) and the guy in front of me was short exactly 15 cents. The cashier wouldnt let any slack and I had gone back to the aisle for a bag of chips while I waited for them to 'resolve' this grand dilemma. It was a teen and he mumbled maan what happened to you (i have a few stiches on my cheek from a scar revision from a botched mugging last year ago) and frowned like a look of disgust but then warped that face into a puppydog face and asked if I had a quarter.(lol and he didnt need a whole quarter) I didnt have a corner but i happened to have the dimes and nickels so i gave him 15cent and he did say thank you but then fixated on my mere stiches in apparent disgust.

and that, that was a relatively quiet evening for me, in the suburbs!

I really dont know whats wrong with people being so bipolar and maniac-depressive =/ and irrational and so these days but really is this how people have ALWAYS been? what a bloody shame...