The Turning Point
Life is a mystery. There is so much that we do not understand and so much we have yet to learn. Many questions we ponder frequently involve human nature. We often ask why people do certain things and why we act the way we do. Most of these highly debated topics will never be answered. We can only contemplate why everything occurs. One issue that is consistently brought up is that of good and evil. For centuries this subject has been disputed and countless theories have been created to try and solve this difficult puzzle. Are humans good or evil? That is the perplexing question that has stumped philosophers and writers for a very long time. There are certainly good people in this world, but at the same time there will always be those who are evil. So the question is not whether we are good or evil, but what makes a person good or what pushes someone to be evil. The answer is best described through Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s infamous quote, “Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains” (Kishlansky 564). The famous philosopher was trying to say that humans are born good, but society can alter them into becoming something that is evil. In every person’s life there seems to be a turning point that decides if they are to turn out good or evil. It all depends on how a person is raised, what they have gone through in their life, and what has influenced them. Under the right circumstances, anyone can become cruel and unfair. People are inherently born good, but the events in their lifetime and society can corrupt them.
Every moment of a person’s life shapes them into who they will become. It is often said that a childhood is the most important part of someone’s existence because it is the foundation for a p...
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...periences there is a turning point that ultimately decides what kind of person they will be. Are you good or evil?
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It is the contention of this paper that humans are born neutral, and if we are raised to be good, we will mature into good human beings. Once the element of evil is introduced into our minds, through socialization and the media, we then have the potential to do bad things. As a person grows up, they are ideally taught to be good and to do good things, but it is possible that the concept of evil can be presented to us. When this happens, we subconsciously choose whether or not to accept this evil. This is where the theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke become interesting as both men differed in the way they believed human nature to be.
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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.