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how does culture affect morality essay
human nature is fundamentally evil
notions of good and evil
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Buddha once said that “it is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways”. In my opinion man is inherently evil, who succumbs to the corruption of the human society. I believe that Man have the ability to distinct good, from evil based on factors they have learned from surrounding others. From the dawn of time man has accumulated power through communities, parties, villages etc. We can infer that man was evil throughout history due many congregations, rituals, and basically the overall culture that was prominent before the times of Christ. You may read in many books of the Puritan era where witches were burned due to the simple version of today’s autocracy. Man would accuse them of witchcraft and have them murdered. A prime example would be the Salem Witch Trials. During these trials, it was easy to believe that in 1692, with an Indian war raging less than 70 miles away, that the devil was close at hand (Linder). As we progress through time we continue to see these occurrences through genocides, and massacres. An example would be Hitler’s reign, and his genocide of the Jewish people. They learn the ways of good and bad through association of what their family has done. Also that parent’s have the upmost influence on their children, and children imitate what they see, hear, or accomplish. I believe that Man is born evil, but he is taught the way of right from wrong from his parents. Man today has the opportunity to choose from good, or evil. Unfortunately, in today’s era, we have built nations that have the will to supersede others, which clouds their judgment on what is good or bad. This has led to the great famines of man. Man is inherently evil because of war, avarice, and envy.
War has created controver...
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Are humans naturally good, or evil? Many people argue both ways. It has been argued for centuries, and many authors have written about it. One example of this is Samuel Clemens's, more commonly known as Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The book follows a young boy, named Huckleberry, and a runaway slave, named Jim, as they both run away. Huck runs away to escape being civilized, while Jim runs away from slavery. Together, they talk about life, philosophy, and friends. As they travel down the Mississippi River, both Huck and Jim learn various life lessons. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck witnesses the depravity of human nature on his journey on the Mississippi River.
Hera was one of the daughters to Cronos. She was called the queen of the gods. She was the sister of Zeus, but also his wife. Hera sent disease on all women Zeus had relationships with. She mothered Ares and Hephaestus. Hera was the god of women. She protected all women and punished men who cheated and beat their wives
In the article "Frivolity of Evil" Theodore Dalrymple, psychiatrist Anthony Daniels narrates his fourteen years in the prison hospital. Daniels says that man is intrinsically evil and the rest of the society is not evil. New evils are met and older evils are disappeared, with the outbreak of every evil. Man will act normal until a new evil is raised and catches on. More a person performs well and is supposed as being good, they are supposed to be less evil.
...all begins to stir. Evidence supporting this was found from the Jonestown massacre, Abu Ghraib, The Stanford Prison Experiment, Jack Merridew, and The Beast. So I have come to the conclusion that yes, humans are essentially evil. But that evil is squashed deep down inside of us by society, only coming out when temptation for power lures us into dreadful situations.
“Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other” (Eric Burdon). People do not think they are doing good or evil, they just think that they are doing the right thing. Evil comes from within each one of us. You just need to something to bring it out.
“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” (Eleanor Roosevelt). This is just one of the infinite examples of how human nature has been explored by so many different people. Each and every human is born with the capability of making their own choices. The decisions that they will make in the future will determine how evil they are viewed by others. Although one’s nature and nurture do affect their life, it is their own free will that determines whether or not they are evil.
The difference in the way humans perceive things is part of the complexity of mankind. What is thought of as evil to one person can be seen as good to another, and vice versa. The issue of good and evil is brought up in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, when innocent boys are set on an island to bear the weight of society on their backs. What happens to them? How do past influences effect them? Are their actions good or evil? The actions of the boys were not a matter of being good or evil, but were actions for survival. A man’s environment does not influence him towards good or evil, nor is he born with it inside. Man has instincts and inner drives that are not matters of good and evil, but of survival.
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.
Are humans naturally good or evil? This age-old question dates back to as early as the Chinese Dynasty and is still being argued to this day. Thomas Hobbes believed that all humans were born cruel, that they began cheating others to benefit themselves. Whereas, John Locke believes that humans are born good and pure, but become evil based on experiences and obstacles in life. In my opinion, all humans are born good and become cruel based on their experiences. I feel this way because when you look at a new born baby, they are seeing the world for the first time, and although they are screaming and crying, they are pure. They do not want to do anyone any harm, and you do not wish to cause them any harm. The same goes for young, growing children
One belief that people live by is that evil is the nature of mankind, yet there are others that feel man has good intentions but those intentions can be overrun by the devil. Nathaniel Hawthorne points out that the former is true of all people in the novel The Scarlet Letter.
Evil is a metaphysical term used to describe the thoughts and actions of humans that are seen as morally wrong or ‘bad’. In extreme cases even a person can be labelled as overall evil, such as Adolf Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer. Previously, it has been thought that a person has the ability to choose between being ‘good’ or ‘evil’ and that they simply make this decision based upon what pleases them. Recently, however, neuroscientists have shed some light upon the physical explanations of human thought and action. In this essay I argue that evil does not exist, and that actions and thoughts previously termed ‘evil’ are in fact malfunctions of the human brain.
In my opinion, people are not born inherently evil—it is a learned behavior that is influenced by their experiences, their choices, their circumstances, and even the interests and thoughts that they choose to entertain. An “evil” person is incapable of empathizing with others—he routinely dismisses other people’s emotions and feelings and instead receives pleasure from wronging and harming others. This makes him unapologetically selfish, egotistical, and disdainful in his words, actions, and behavior. If he appreciates the needs or desires of others in any respect, it is only to further his own interests and desires, which is ultimately stripping them of their humanity and objectifying them by making them no more than a means to an end—serial murders and rapists would be prime examples of people who I would personally consider to be evil. Again, however, it is important to note that even the evilest of people can still likely have good qualities, especially to those who love them, such as their parents—it is often black and white from an outside perspective, but not so much so for those who care for the
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur into many shades of grey allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being. Man is not inherently good or evil but they are born innocent without any values or sense of morality until people impart their philosophies of life to them. In the words of John Locke:
Are human beings born to be good? Or are we naturally born to be evil? A person’s nature or essence is a trait that is inherent and lasting in an individual. To be a good person is someone who thinks of others before themselves, shows kindness to one another, and makes good choices in life that can lead to a path of becoming a good moral person. To be a bad person rebels against something or someone thinking only of them and not caring about the consequences of their actions. Rousseau assumed, “that man is good by nature (as it is bequeathed to him), but good in a negative way: that is, he is not evil of his own accord and on purpose, but only in danger of being contaminated and corrupted by evil or inept guides and examples (Immanuel Kant 123).” In other words, the human is exposed to the depraved society by incompetent guardians or influences that is not of one’s free will in the view of the fact that it is passed on. My position is humans are not by nature evil. Instead, they are good but influenced by the environment and societies to act in evil ways to either harm others or themself.
Whether or not humans are essentially evil or sympathetic is a question that has long left many philosophers in a state of conflict. Through the evaluation of natural human qualities, many different opinions have been formed. The so called “laws” of the world attempt to define a set of uncertain rules which are to govern society in its most raw form, dictate moral rights and wrongs, and create boundaries. Every single action can be separated into any of these three categories, depending upon the action. The Bible states that it is only through baptism that a sin may be removed from the carrier. Non-religious opinions may offer a similar opinion in a sense that humans possess the capability of committing evil acts. Human beings are in constant pursuit of their basic necessities and they are without limits to what they will do to obtain them. Since humans are individualistically driven, the ultimate desires are ones for pleasure, comfort, and contact. These can usually be found in the limits of a community environment. Our desires cross paths, since the desire of sensual experiences and close human contact in the form of community correspond with the desire for individualistic advancement and success. Competition causes holes within society, and gives rise to upper and lower classes. This causes the gap between the rich and those living in means of poverty. A truly selfless society, and one without evil would share the wealth equally, creating a level playing field for all those in the community, yet this is not the case. Friction among the classes of people results in corruption, jealousy, crime, and other small offenses. Living in a community requires trust and faith in the overall nature of others to do the right th...