The question about if humans are essentially good has been asked for many years. Different philosophers and even scientists have tried to answer it, yet there is no true answer. This topic can be controversial since we are all involved and the nature of us being evil or good is very subjective. It is very important to define the terms I will be discussing, since different people have different opinions. Human nature is the main characteristics shared by all people (Sweeney). Essentially means that it comes within us when we are born, in this case good or evil. According to Stanford University there is two definitions of evil, natural and moral, but for the sake of this essay moral evil is the most important. Moral evil is ‘’Result of the intentions or negligence of mora agents. Murder and lying are examples of moral evil’’ (Calder, 2013). Basically, saying when you do harm to someone is considered evil. On the other hand, good is the opposite which means do not harm anyone. Now that the terms are defined, the main points I’m trying to make is that Humans are not born good or bad, its how different situations shape them towards good or evil. This essay will show different points of view from different philosophers and scientist.
It can be argued that human nature is essentially good. Virtues such as righteousness, benevolence, wisdom, and propriety are within us when we are born, they are inherently given to us. A Chinese philosopher agrees with this statement. Mengzi argued that our inborn are naturally directed towards goodness. He addressed this using an agricultural metaphor. Mengzi describes all the virtues mentioned as sprouts, located in our ‘heart’ which he defines as ‘’cognitive and affective dispositions’’. Mengzi argues that if humans live in a healthy ethical manner, they will cultivate these sprouts. If human beings tend to the predispositions of virtuous and become fully virtuous human nature will become ‘’full fruition’’, humans being will flourish in goodness (Calder,2013). Let’s take a hypothetical scenario. Imagine a baby toddling towards a ravine getting closer to the edge. Anyone firsts reaction is a non-reflective gut reaction of alarm and compassion. According to Mengzi this suggests that everyone has an innate direction towards benevolence. Humans beings by nature are predisposed to respond with alarm and compassion when seeing a defenceless innocent about to face harm. This alarm and compassion allow us to further cultivate our sprout of benevolence, because by this action we have not fully ‘’cultivated’’ the spout we only have the core. But what if some people are instrumentally motivated? Some people will only care about the profit they will be getting, either by getting money from the parent’s child or by gaining fame. However, Mengzi openly rejected this idea by saying that our initial thought of alarm and compassion is totally spontaneous and without any thinking. But this brings up another question, if human nature is good, why do evil things still exist? Mengzi answered by saying ‘’As for the essence of human beings can become good. This is what I mean by calling their nature good. As for their becoming not good. This is not the fault of their potential’’(NewWorld,2018). Basically, saying that all human beings have the sprouts of righteousness, benevolence, wisdom, and propriety but the worthy person never loses it. In Mengzi book he concludes that humans are born with the virtuous mentioned before, but if one is born in a chaotic environment, having narcistic parents, growing up in excess amount of money, and free to run wild with impunity, the virtues mentioned will fail, and therefor the person will become evil.
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One the other point of view we have philosophers that think people are born evil. Let’s take another Chinese philosopher. Xunzi main statement about human’s nature is that they are born evil, with a fondness for profit, with hatred and dislike towards others. He also argues by following our nature we will engage in continuous constant conflict. However, Xunzi believed that through out our intelligence, humans can turn their natural ugly tendencies of chaos and conflict in a world full of peace and harmony (Goldin, 2018). It was believing that in ancient times Sages created a statement that said if humans acted naturally it going to lead to self-destruction. This why they created the idea of wright and wrong which constraints us from only pursuing our own desires and require consideration of others (Elstein). Therefore, the Sages created customs called rituals that trained us, humans to respect others, and be grateful for what we have. The way humans respect other can be seen in ancient indigenous tribes in South America, that still happen until today. I would like to talk about the drinking ceremony. Everyone n the village gathers for a toast in a special occasion but only one cup is used, the drinking order is from oldest to youngest. This drinking ceremony teaches us two main things. First, that the youngest are different from the elderly, and secondly by drinking in one cup means that they are one village as a whole and they all depend from each other for survival. Another example that helps to prove being grateful for what we have in seen in memorials on deceased parents, because our parents gave the gift of our lives and we should be grateful for that. Xunzi, also uses an agricultural metaphor, in which he describes human beings as craftsman. He says that the Sages gave us the tools (ideas of wright and wrong and rituals) to further develop our goodness. But this can be questioned how can se become so good, if we are born evil? There are some natural impulses that strengthened when we express them through rituals. All creatures, with blood and breath, not just humans love members of their own kind. They will greave on the loss of their mates. For example, Elephants. Elephants greave for there dead friends and family, which have been known to stay besides their body for three days. Without moving from the spot (Honeyborne,2013). We as humans have both, good and bad motivations. Good motivations as discussed are developed by rituals, and bad motivations are fought by restraining and crafting us to do no harm.
One can argue that people are not natural born evil, its political systems and class systems turn us into evil, as humans being, we are not hardwired to fit in these. We as humans do not compare to some animals such as bees and ants, in which they all work together for a greater good. Similarly, as Xunzi, Hobbes believed we as humans’ beings are driven by our own self-interest. Humans care about our ‘’reputation, as well as our material wellbeing, and our desire for social standing’’ which drive us to conflict between us. Hobbes argued that as humans being, we need humans’ culture, government and laws to be implemented to control our inner evil (Lloyd, 2002). However, people may argue that these points of view could not be affirmed since Hobbes lived through the horrors of the English civil war, but I disagree with this. Hobbes witnessed a never lasting peace, which luckily some of us never seen. But we cannot forget that throughout human history there has been constant wars, and conflicts that happened until today, and Hobbes speaks through these stages (Williams). About 100 years later the idea of Hobbes was contradicted by another famous philosopher called Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau mainly argued that Hobbes had mistaken that characterises of society, by saying that humans where not always driven by self interest and competitiveness. Rousseau argued that we as human beings became competitive due to modern civilizations and societies. For Rousseau everything started to go downhill after humans’ beings started to perfect the idea of agriculture and industry which led to inequalities within societies (Douglass, 2019). What does inequality bring? It brings social division, which lead us to competitiveness between ach others, leading to constant conflict. One of the most famous quotes of Rousseau is ‘’Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.’’ Meaning that Humans are born freely, able to shape their personality as they choose, but society constricts individuals and corrupts them into making them evil. Poverty and negative life experiences affects the individual and corrupts them. If someone is born good, but has as a difficult life, they may be corrupted and become evil because being good did not work for them.
Additionally it can also be argued that power shapes us the way we perceive things and the way we act.
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