Are we born good or bad?
Our lives are not blank slates or stories to be penned by our own hand entirely. They are a collaborative effort, the product of a multitude of people and experiences. Even before we leave the womb, a genetic code, which plays an important role in the way we conceptualize ourselves and interact with the world, has been permanently imprinted upon us. So at the moment of birth, the pivotal opening act of our recorded narrative, what is inscribed and what remains unwritten?
Throughout history, philosophers have struggled to develop a unified theory of humanness. In other words, what qualities or traits can be said to define us all, what common values do we share? Competing conceptions often draw on our inclination toward virtue and vice. Much of Western thought is based on the founding myth of Original Sin, which places the blame for mortality and pain squarely on our shoulders.
But perhaps it is time to acknowledge that the universal experiences we all share—life and death, pleasure and pain—are conditions that existed before we did, not guided by conscious choice or a rational force. To live virtuously, we must strike a balance, what Aristotle called the “golden mean”, between accepting that there is great suffering in the world and recognizing our immense capacity for good. Between reckless confidence and paralyzing fear. Between joy and melancholy. So here’s the question: How do we find this balance in our own lives?
People are born good. Society pushes them towards evil. Often times, bad acts can be explained by the positive results for that person. However, guilt is largely unexplainable and I think it indicates that humans have an innate sense of good
People are born bad with a proclivity to be good. Everyone wants to please themselves in some form of another and are willing to compromise the well-being of others for their advancement. As children, many of us are mischievous wanting to cause trouble. We learn rules and manners as we grow up which help shape our bad into good deeds. Through learning the beauty of giving, we learn to be good rather than bad. Our experiences shape us into wanting to help others and become good.
people are born withasa blank slate with the inclination and instinct to do good. nature drives humans toward good, and nurture can go take them either way. there is an innate drive in people to help one another, expressed by altruism and in the commonality between cultures and religions to do service toward the greater good.
I believe that human beings are born good, and that our experiences and our enhanced knowledge can lead us astray. Indeed, an individual’s genetic code may predispose he or she to evil, but at birth we are all given a blank slate with the potential for goodness.
I don’t think humans are born good or bad. The concepts of good and bad only exist in relation to each other, so I don’t think that we can say that we’re only one or the other. But I don’t think this is constrictive. It’s very freeing, because it means that each individual has the power to shape his or her life. There’s no playbook, no predetermination. Just life, to be lived.
I think that being “nurtured” in the sense of being influenced by your environment is something that goes on for your entire life. If this is the case, if there’s no endpoint at which one can definitely say that nurture has ended, then there may not be basis for evaluation in the first place. I’m not sure the nature vs. nurture debate can be resolved conclusively one way or the other. Certainly both play a role in shaping a person.
I think all humans are born good. For me, this is the only option to look at or else things get too depressing. I like to think that everyone has the capacity to do good, and it is only those who CHOOSE bad paths that end up astray.
I was born good…I don’t know about the rest of you.
No, in all seriousness, I don’t think we can really say either without an understanding of how we arrive at classifications of good and bad. Because good and bad are based on social norms, being born good would mean living up to society’s standards. I don’t know if that is definitively what good is. If I were to define good as not perfect but having the potential to be perfect/pure/holy, I would say, yes, we all are born good. And I truly believe that we are.
Everyone is born good. It is society, enviorment and the parents of the child that determine what road in life is taken. most of the time, not all the time, children are a product of the family they live with. Everyone can be who they want to be. All they need is good support.
You know. Perhaps Ask Big Questions should really include some reading that participants are suggested to do before they comment. To us philosophy majors, this question has been asked and answered by various famous thinkers. The current discussion then, starts from there. After we’ve really explored the subject and the thoughts that have already expressed on this subject. 6therwise, people are really just going to think at the very basic level.
Hey Anon—
we actually are starting to do that… this was an older question, and the site just launched so we don’t have all the “ABQ Recs” up yet—they should be up by the end of the week—but if you check out newer questions like, “What is the value of our education” you will see that we have suggested reading and images to help facilitate discussion!
Great suggestion though!
