When concerning moral dispositions, the ongoing debate remains: are people inherently good or evil? Through various readings, many heated discussions, and several informing documentaries and movies, one thing has remained clear—that anyone can be a terrorist, and anyone can be an altruist. There is no biological makeup that urges terrorists to act with violence nor is there a secret mantra altruists recite daily that motivates them to act with goodness. Life does not provide a clear and distinct outline of how we should live; rather, it allows us to define it ourselves. When I think of my future and the way I want to live the rest of my life, I consider myself no different than the people who totally abandoned their humanity or the people who completely embraced it. …show more content…
As Zimbardo states, “We can learn to become good or evil regardless of our genetic inheritance, personality, or family legacy” (Zimbardo 2007, 7). The class, Politics of Good and Evil has led me to greatly reflect upon the kind of person I aspire to be. When I am older and reminisce on the life I have lived, I want to I want to know that I impacted the world in a way that I can leave it better than I found it. When I take everything learned in class into consideration I strive to live a life where I can value all humanity, where I can remember my identity is not limited, where I can always control myself in uncontrollable situations; and then, to take what I have learned and apply it to my family, my friends, and
There are many theories why people could do evil things. Is it because they were abused or had a rough childhood? What if the society isn’t to blame at all for their behavior? (Olivia Goldhill “Are Some Humans born evil?”) People say people are born evil or people who are born good turn evil. This topic has been studied for many years and many people have different opinions about it. A person may say they don’t believe that people are born evil. Another person may think that people are born evil or good people turn evil. An example is babies aren’t born evil. Their minds are wonderful. Their minds are innocent and they don’t know much. A person can’t possibly be born evil. It really depends sometimes how a person is raised or what that person experiences in life.
A new born baby is not born with sinful thoughts. Babies are axiomation of purity and innocence . Experiences such as a bad childhood, neglect by parents, abuse, power changes humans into being evil. How someone is nurtured also determines if they will become good or evil. Ego, lust, jealousy, betrayal, failure, and greed are some causes of evil.One is not born evil.
Are humans inherently good or evil? The simple question has been asked many times, even though the answer isn't so simple. In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, he further explores the concept. His novel is viewed through young boys trapped on a deserted island, striving to survive. In The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell investigates influences and integrity. In non-fiction texts, like "Why Boys Become Vicious" also by William Golding, the author defends his position and gives specific examples to support his stance. In other non-fiction works, authors have given their own views of human's natural behavior. Although some authors believe humans are good and others believe they are inherently evil, based on the evidence humans are born balance with both good and evil. Different situations however, shape their behavior and cause them to be either more good or evil.
Since the beginning of time there has been confusion about every aspect of life and with confusion comes a number of questions we cannot completely answer or forget. How did we transform from one creature to another? Why are people so violent? Are we inherently good or evil? These are questions that have been asked for centuries, and have taken ever longer to possibly answer. It might be numerous decades from now before they finally answer these questions but, nevertheless many people are trying by using evidence, theories, faith, and science to answer these questions as accurately as possible. Mainly the question about whether we are innately innocent or not. Most people, say humans are inherently evil, that there is evil in all of us. That could be the reason why kids enjoy watching ants succumb when they burn them with reflected rays of sunlight. However, many believe that we are born good with a clean slate and that it is society of whom changes that. I believe that we are born sinful/evil and that society influence us to be good. The facts have proven humans to be innately evil through genetics, control, and mistreatment.
The debate of whether man is born entirely good or evil is a universal discussion that never seems to resolve. Even though a human is a complex individual who cannot be defined by a simple assessment, the people of today are convinced that there is a straightforward explanation as to why acts of wickedness exist. Some believe negative influences taint the naturally innocent heart of man, while others suppose evil men are born with an unavoidable capacity for darkness. This however, suggests that the wicked are created from birth without morals or the ability to be considered righteous. Despite the theories that exist, good and evil are not always separate. Man typically is neither solely good or bad, but a combination of the both. In the
It is a very arguable subject on whether or not people are born with good intentions, and therefore taught by others the ‘evil’ side of their personality. Whether it is the absence of ethical conduct in human nature, or just the way one perceives a situation, evil seems to be prominent in our everyday lives. Humans seem to have a moral code that follows them with every decision they make, yet despite the laws of morality and society, people of this world still seem to behave inhumanely because of the act of self-preservation, human interest, and who exactly the authority figure is at the time.
From looking at the world now, it is ridiculous to say that we are naturally good. However, if one person believes that stealing is evil, another might believe that stealing is good if it's for a good purpose. So it depends on the person’s views. When a newborn is brought into this world you tend to see purity and simplicity in his eyes. For instance if a child executed a man, we cannot judge nor blame the child since the child knows nothing in life yet. In fact for quite a long time, many philosophers, as well as most individuals, have contemplated on the question “ Is human nature good or bad?”
Are we inherently good or evil? William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies suggests that we as humans have the potential to become good or evil. William Golding’s novel suggest that society shapes the way us as humans act, and when the children were taken away from humanity, the actions of the boys reflect how us as humans would act if we were taken away from society. Throughout the novel there are many times where the boys become savage and allow the beast that is inside of them to take over, for example in chapter nine the boys are having a gathering on the beach and then they get taken away by the excitement and mistake Simon as being the beast, this leads the boys to clawing him into pieces and eventually killing him. At this point the
On a study of this controversy of nature versus nurture, Ulysses Handy was observed. He was a normal child raised in a religious home with his single mother. He was active in boy scouts and was an honor student. Although he had a great childhood, Handy felt extremely lonely and misunderstood. He feels as though the pain he felt couldn’t compare to others, so he resulted in killing people so they could get a taste of what he feels like on a daily basis (Wallace 1). Feeling lonely as a child can lead to many problems in adulthood, and leans towards the side of nurture. Handy’s family was normal and so was he, until he started feeling lonely, which grew into his rage to hurt others so they could feel his pain. He was nurtured into becoming evil by the lack of parental attentiveness. The feelings of children can explain their actions, and when not treated right away can develop into deeper problems that cannot be fixed. Children who are nurtured evil have
Thousands upon thousands of years ago, human beings fought in catastrophic wars, tortured prisoners, raped, and murdered. Sure enough, just turn on any news channel, and the headline will display a very similar horrific event that has happened. This generation and past generations live in a time where people open fire in crowded places, riots occur, and helpless teens are shot down by the police. Taking a good look at the world around us, it would be demented to every believe that people are naturally good. Although humanity has come along way from being complete savages, humans are naturally evil and To Kill a Mockingbird is an excellent example of the true nature of humans.
The question “What makes us who we are?” has perplexed many scholars, scientists, and theorists over the years. This is a question that we still may have not found an answer to. There are theories that people are born “good”, “evil”, and as “blank slates”, but it is hard to prove any of these theories consistently. There have been countless cases of people who have grown up in “good” homes with loving parents, yet their destiny was to inflict destruction on others. On the other hand, there have been just as many cases of people who grew up on the streets without the guidance of a parental figure, but they chose to make a bad situation into a good one by growing up to do something
It is dangerously naive to believe that some people are innately ‘good’ while others are innately ‘evil’ or ‘bad’. In today’s society, ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are relative - one person’s ‘good’ is another’s ‘evil’. These qualities are also flexible. For example, people who chose to behave in a cruel manor can display ‘good’ qualities such as kindness or empathy. Moreover, a supposedly ‘good’ individual can act out due to anger or annoyance.
In today’s society, it’s incredibly easy to find bad news. Reports of the wrongdoings of humanity are constantly circling through the media. “Three women were kidnapped and held captive for ten years, a teenager shot up an elementary school, and a teenage girl was shot for wanting to go to school.” Many believe that mankind is born with a special form of evil and we do what we please with it. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible says otherwise.
What makes a person good or evil? Why are some people labeled as good and some evil? Why do some people have traits or characteristics of both good and evil? Are people truly evil or do they just make bad choices? Throughout our lives we are faced with making decisions about our lives and often the choices we make can determine the path we follow. Depending on our life choices we can be labeled as either good or evil. Good and evil are relative; one person can be good while another evil. Some people can possess a combination of both good and bad traits. But even those who are considered bad can be rehabilitated to display good qualities such as empathy or kindness.
The atrocity of acts committed by mankind throughout history demonstrates the dangerous results when society is unable to restrain the natural evil present in human beings. The words ‘humane’, and ‘civilized’, both come from roots that describe society. Their positive connotations associate humankind with an inherent morality. But it is hard to have faith in our race when throughout history; we have brutalized each other in such barbaric ways. How can independently thinking, emotionally compassionate beings take part in massacres like the killings at Columbine or in the terrorist attacks in 2001? The September 11th bombings took thousands of innocent lives, and struck fear into the hearts of millions. What shocked the observing world though, was not the number of dead. It was the senselessness of the cause, the raw savagery of the attacks, the utter lack of humanity. It begged the question: what happens when the moderating hand of society fails to restrain a group of radicals? The answer was simple. We saw the innate evil present in each one of us, in its undistilled, uncensored form. The Columbine killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were disillusioned bullies- torn away from society’s expectations through a combination of violence tendencies and psychosis. Their horrific acts were a result of their innate evil nature breaking through the wall of societal structure. Golding’s contention was that in most cases, rules were forced