Is human nature basically good or not?

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   Kate Mc Brideposted 10 years ago

   Is human nature basically good or not?
   
   It is clear to me that there are good folk in the world but is it true as well that some people are just plain bad or else they are just indulging in bad behavior that has become a habit for them. Most of the time, this is an abuse of power but even some people who seem ok can be basically awkward or is that badness as well? What do you think?

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   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   Human nature is neither good nor bad, it is simply survival. Killing is bad because it directly affects our survival. In the same way that feeding the hungry increases our survival (so we view it as good). Smaller instances of morality, that don't relate directly to survival, are all in the eye of the beholder and the experiences they've had.

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3. 91

   Kathleen Odenthalposted 10 years ago

   I would like to think yes, but unfortunately I have a hard time saying that these days. There is a lot of evil out there, I just think good is more powerful, even if it is outnumbered.

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      The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with Kathleen.

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      Kate Mc Brideposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Same here.This answer makes a lot of sense

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   Snøwmanposted 10 years ago

   It's human nature to know what good is and that it's better than evil, but we often give into temptation to do evil because it seems more satisfying at the moment.
   
   Everyone that was born on earth is a good person because God cast out all the evil spirits and they were denied bodies.
   
   Why is there still evil in the world? We're all good people, but not perfect.

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   Lady Guinevereposted 10 years ago

   It depends on the individual and what lessons they came to learn about themselves and through others.  You cannot have all good and no bad for what would you compare to know what good and what is bad.  Things that people do not understand are automatically put in the Evil category.  Though the action may seem evil, some good will come of that eventually weather it be to learn to stay away form it or to change a law or rule of some kind.  Those who are in power and abuse it will eventually seal their own fate or the ones who are abused will somehow find that voice within them and speak up.  We are all born good.

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   Chelsey Wallposted 10 years ago

   There is an amazing documentary about whether human beings are born with the sense of 'right' and 'wrong' or not. You'll be very surprised with the outcome of various studies among infants and young children, that provide a lot of insight into human nature. The answer points to the idea that we are born to react positively to things that seem 'fair' and 'right' and negatively to 'wrong' and 'unjust'. Although, as we age, we develop the idea that we can serve ourselves better through things like lies etc.
   
   You should really watch the documentary sometime. It's called Babies: Born To Be Good? It's on the show Nature of Things with David Suzuki. Here's the link: http://www.cbc.ca/player/Shows/Shows/Th … 296544019/

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7. 69

   amiebutchkoposted 10 years ago

   I really want to say that human nature is basically good, however, now that I have had children, I wonder if some basic inclinations are to do wrong and we must be taught to do the right thing, like in sharing and being polite.  Goodness may be naturally more abundant in some and less in others.  I never wanted to believe this, but after living life and encountering more of a cross section of people, I am afraid I have become jaded....

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8. 72

   lone77starposted 10 years ago

   It depends!
   
   Humans are complex creatures. They are much more than mere animals. Besides the Homo sapiens body, we have Egos and we have spiritual selves (children of God or souls).
   
   The body is, in my opinion, neutral. As M.T. Dremer said, we're about survival, if we're talking purely about the animal part.
   
   Ego, however, is pure evil. It is selfishness and separateness. It is the antithesis of Love.
   
   The spiritual self (asleep in most humans) is inherently good, because it comes from God. But Ego comes from God, too. And yet, Ego is a tool used to evolve us from the "will to receive" to the "will to bestow." In other words, God is using Ego to bring us closer to being like Him.
   
   On the subject of power, there is nothing inherently bad about power. It's a tool. You can use a hammer to build a house or to hit someone over the head.
   
   Awkwardness, incompetence, shyness and even suicide are all effects of Ego (the source of all evil). The way to tell is that they are all "self-concerned." Love has no self-concern, so is thus free of any and all limitations.
   
   To learn more about this fascinating subject, I highly recommend the science of spirituality called Kabbalah. They are the ones who wrote the Bible (in code) and have now made their code available to the general public so you, too, can find your way back to God -- to be just like Him: Loving, altruistic, unconditionally and infinitely generous, and Loving.
   
   I was introduced to this by a simple, but powerful video:
   
   http://perceivingreality.com/

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9. 86

   denise.w.andersonposted 10 years ago

   I believe that all people are born with the innate ability to choose the good. Children, in and of themselves, readily recognize good in others, and will follow it, unless the example given them shows otherwise. They readily recognize love and feelings of security, and hang on to these, as their very life depends upon it. When the adults in their world choose behavior that is not in their best interest, they continue to love, in spite of it. Only when they have been hurt to the point that they no longer feel this love, will they abandon it. Adults who choose behavior that is against their innate goodness eventually loose their ability to recognize and embrace it. They become past feeling, unable to change for the better.

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10. 0

    Sri Tposted 10 years ago

    No baby is born evil. He has no concepts. Some parents teach right and wrong, others don't. Good is initially there but it has to be cultivated continuously. There are tendencies like, greed, anger, aggression, revenge, egotism etc. that can easily arise and in most cases does arise in everybody. If allowed to grow, they can become evil. A man frustrated with himself has the desire to attack others. Also, not everyone can maintain the discipline of being good all the time, especially when others are mistreating them for no reason. Sometimes you have to back people off. But if it becomes an extreme habit, it can also turn into a bad attitude or aggression. That person would be fighting all day, every day if they tried to correct all the rude or bad people. That would not be a very pleasant lifestyle.

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       Kate Mc Brideposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I have already selected the best answer but if I hadn't I would prefer this one. Very good wisdom and common sense here.

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    faiq aaaposted 10 years ago

    i think it depends on the person infront of you with whom u r dealing with..

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    Tusitala Tomposted 10 years ago

    I suspect the wording of your question will pull in the answers you'll be expecting.  Perhaps you'd receive different answers if you dropped the word 'nature.'  In other words, 'are human beings basically good or not?'   Once that question is posed, the persons answering would need to ask:  'What is a human being?'
    
    My thoughts:  Yes, all human beings are basically good.  At base, we are goodness itself; infinite love, infinite joy, infinie compassion.  We are sparks of divinity.  We are part of the All Mighty Himself/Herself/Itself.   But a belief or even knowing about it won't necessarily change our behaviour.
    
    But what is a human being?   If you equate the material bodies and thought-forms of humans as who they are, then you bring in egoic identification; belief that we are the content of our minds; our conditioning,
    
    Most conditioning has instilled in us fear.  It is from fear: fear of not having enough, fear of having what we have taken away; fear of not being as good as...the list is endless, that causes people to behave in 'bad' ways.     
    
    Those few human beings who have 'self-realized' knows that they are not their thoughts, emotions, and even their physical bodies.  They recognize and know that they are the Observer, the Witness, the Experiencer, Life Itself, and that all the rest is, basically, something created by ourselves so that we can experience a life in human form.

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    AKChenoweth2014posted 10 years ago

    Ok I believe that we are born in sin and into a fallen world. However, how a child is raised can determine the sort of adult he or she will become.  As parents we have a huge responsibility to teach our children to do the right thing, no matter what it costs. In the bible it teaches us:
    
    'Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.' Proverbs 22:6
    
    This Kate McBride, I for one believe is a truth.

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