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Moral objectivism
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“It is a sin to believe evil of others, but it is seldom a mistake.”
-H.L Menckens
From the moment they are born, humans have a naturally evil predisposition. Although the term ‘evil’ is difficult to define, there are various views on morality. The most commonly referenced one, Moral Objectivism, holds that moral standards are universally transcendent, and that certain acts are right or wrong independent of human subjectivity. It is by this unspoken moral code that humanity’s acts are judged. There is some debate whether a fundamental human nature exists, as social and environmental influences are present from the moment someone is born. But if we can define human nature, it is beyond doubt, naturally evil. The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, prominent in the 17th century, said of human nature: “during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man" He believed that man had a right to defend his life and liberty against others, and that in his natural state, he was born to do so. He used the term “Bellum omnium contra omnes”, literally translated, “The war of all against all”, to describe this. We often like to believe that our race is naturally ‘good’- it is one of the things that separate us from the thousands of other species of living things. Morality and ethics are the threads that hold together civilization when all else fails, and so we like to think that at the very core, the basic instinct of mankind is to aid one another in distress, to support one another in turbulent times. But in today’s selfish society, that is rarely the case. Through historical events, diverse religious beliefs, and empirica...
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...eing kind no longer benefits us, our basic nature becomes clear: we protect our own interests above all else.
Historical tragedies, religious doctrine, and scientific trial all corroborate the intrinsic evil roots that humanity collectively shares. Society’s rules and the cultural norms that it has developed over time play an important role in providing the regulating hand that restrains evil. It provides incentive for altruism, reward for kindness, a reason for selflessness. But when those same regulations are removed, civilization will inevitably collapse, just as the facsimile of society on Golding’s island eventually dissolved into chaos. But where mankind struggles, we also find hope, and society continues to function, despite the inherently evil nature of humanity. We can only hope that we will be able to do the same when the world around us falls apart.
to believe evil of others, but is seldom a mistake." In this novel he was
In a civilized society, certain aspects of humanity must be adhered to. Qualities such as empathy, respect, compassion, and kindness are key to maintaining order. What happens in society when these qualities disintegrate, and cease to exist altogether? William Golding’s “lord of the Flies” accurately demonstrates that in the absence of humanity, civilized society quickly evolves into one of savagery. Golding shows this evolution through the steady decay of the boy’s morals, values, and laws. The evolution of savagery begins with the individual.
Throughout the past centuries, the concept of instinctive morality has been debated back and forth. One philosophy with a strong viewpoint on this subject is Puritanism, because they believe that since the beginning of the world, people have been born sinners. Puritans felt that Adam and Eve’s temptation by Satan had cursed all of humanity to be born evil. A few decades later, Deists shifted their ideas away from religion and believed that every person could choose whether they were good or bad. Then, Transcendental ideas began the thought that humans were born innately good, and that God and Satan had nothing to do with people’s morality. Throughout the major literary philosophies in the United States, one can see how the innate character of a human progresses from being evil to being innately good.
On The Genealogy of Morals, Essay I refers to the second stage of human morality—the emergence of the concepts of "Good" and "Evil" as categories o...
Original quote: "when bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."
We would like to believe that humans are inherently good at heart, yet with all the tragic and horrific events going on in the world, this thought seems like a childish fantasy or dream. What if it were the opposite of what we would like to believe, and that people are evil inside, and society is just structured to hold the evil in? Without a society, Thomas Hobbes believed there would be “war... of every man against every man,” and that life would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Beck et al, 195). Lord of the Flies suggests that man is inherently evil, and this shows through when society crumbles, just like the conch breaking on the island.
So to better understand the reasoning behind man's need to be in the community it is imperative to look at nature. In the wild and brutal game of life the only measure of true success is whether genes are passed on. Like any other animal this measure of success measures man's success too. For all creatures, to survive is the chance at continuing a gene line, and it is this necessity to continue the line that is innately imbedded in man and all other creatures.
Whether or not humans are instinctively good or evil has been a much talked about debate for many years and is known as an unanswerable question. Determinists, such as Thomas Hobbs, have come to the conclusion that humans are naturally evil and it is within our basic instincts to be greedy, selfish and otherwise drawn to chaos. Hobbs states that “our true nature arises in times of strife and it is within us, when threatened, to self preserve.” I on the other hand disagree with this famous philosophers take on human nature. In this short essay, I will argue that human beings are born with the instinct to be good and to love one another, as well as to be loved.
Phillip Pullman, a British author, once wrote, “I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. And I came to believe that good and evil are names for what people do, not for what they are”(goodreads.com). Pullman’s quotation on the actions of man being the source of good and evil closely relate to morality, principles regarding the distinction of right and wrong or a person’s values. The question of what human morality truly is has been pondered by philosophers, common folk, and writers for thousands of years. However, sometimes a person’s ethics are unclear; he or she are not wholly good or bad but, rather, morally ambiguous.
Consequently, the actions of Adam and Eve have opened the doors for the two types of evil we see today, moral and natural. “Natural evil is the consequence of moral evil” (Elwell,...
“Morality is doing right, no matter what you are told, religion is doing what you are told, no matter what is right”(Mencken). What makes a person evil? What makes a society evil? Is it their looks? The way they sound? The way they think? My parents used to tell me there was a devil on one of my shoulders, and an angel on the other. I always have thought that was a ridiculous thing to think. I mean if they’re there, why can’t I see them? Every single person on this earth has made a mistake at least once. Most of which are from either trying to do the right thing, or thinking of nothing but ourselves. During world war two we have seen many examples of this, the appeasement made by Chamberlain was in an effort to try and protect his own people.
There are many different points of view about human behaviors. Through specific characters mentioned in Fahrenheit 451, “A Very Old Man Enormous Wings”, and “The Lottery”, individual attitudes are exaggerated to the point that their evil motivations behind their behaviors are obvious. Everyday humans attempt to attach the connotation of good to humanity, but it’s just because humans want to look past the fact that we are realistically not good. It is very difficult for us to reflect on our own behaviors. Even though people try to avoid admitting it, we always try to be the best in whatever we do. We naturally make our own survivals the best we can make it. Harming others knowingly and enjoying it is a hallmark of being evil. Good is not only
When anyone thinks of the word “evil” they do not think it is within themselves. In reality, without a structured and well-followed society, people are apt to follow their own corrupt desires and neglect the thought of consequence. In the allegory, Lord of the Flies, William Golding reveals that man’s selfishness and sinful nature will be unmasked when the structure of a society deteriorates.
...ing, it is safe to say that humans are not by nature evil but instead, they are good but easily influenced by the environment and society to act in evil way and do such evil things. You choose the road you want to take; either it’s the bad road or the good road. We are all born to live a life where we will be faced with good and evil things. We were not born to be an evil or bad person, but as you get older you make that choice. What do you want to be remembered as: the good or the bad person? Choose to be good over being bad because the rewards to your family, your friend, and yourself will always outweigh the bad.
In conclusion, human nature is self- preservation and reproduction, which is neither good nor evil. We are later developed by nurture and diverged to behave good or evil. The essence of all human behavior is the desire to survive and pass genes. Self- preservation can also be applied to people around us. As a result, we learn to cooperate and sometimes we sacrifice ourselves to fulfill survival of the species. On the other hand, to survive is not necessarily harming or getting larger share of resources than others. Self- preservation and reproduction as human nature are neutral, without biasing to good or evil.