What is the basic nature of people : Good v. Evil
People are inherently good. This can be seen in the nature of young children, who have net yet been greatly influenced by the world around them, and are nothing but curious, innocent and good. It is circumstance which influences people to make bad choices and become dubbed as 'evil'. Under the influence of ignorance and confusion, humans act in ways that are deemed evil, but they will strive to be the greatest, kindest, and fairest possible.
This can be seen by Huck's actions and decisions in Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Huck's personal sense of justice and truth come into conflict with societies views and 'morally acceptable' practices - slavery. Huck, being a semi-improvised white child, has some prejudices against slaves but they aren't nearly as strong in him as in others. Thus, his moral dilemma is such that he is uncertain whether he should help Jim escape with him as he is heading down the Mississippi. Society tells him that he is aided a criminal, and his prejudices tell him he should turn Jim over. However, his own moral beliefs argue against this, and Huck decides several times to help Jim out and not turn him over to the authorities or slave catchers.Thus, he goes against societal views and relies on his own inner good to guide him to the right course of action. This is also witnessed in Huck's attempt to foil the duke's and dauphin's plan of scamming some naive sisters. He tells Mary Jane, one of the sisters, about the swindler's plan to steal the sisters' inheritance, and gives her instructions on how to get their money back. This decision shows Huck's growing maturity and innate moral goodness as he acts on his conscience and takes concrete steps to thwart evil intentions.
Aside from Huck's actions, people in history have also believed in the inherent goodness of people. The transcendentalists, led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, were among the largest group of such people. They emphasized spiritual well-being over all others, and stressed the innate goodness that existed in humans. Despite this, there is much evil in the world, which is evident from the records of history - can all of it be attributed to circumstance?
You bring up some great points in this post, Larry. I too believe in the inherent goodness that all humans contain. There is a diagram in which it shows an infant with the biggest heart, but as the baby matures into an adult, only the body grows, the heart does not. This accentuates your point that as children mature into adults, their innocence fades as they have been exposed to the harsh realities of life. You bring bring a great point with Huck and his moral dilemma with Jim, and how he looks within his inherent goodness to do what he believes is right and innately good. I do believe that all humans are good, and that the evil that occurs throughout the world is indeed due to varying amounts with life's influences on the individual and how one's experiences shape who they become.
ReplyDeleteThe way that you have portrayed the basic nature of humans has many convincing arguments, Larry. I strongly agree with you on the point that as children, we all contain an innocence and curiosity, and that it is the influence of ignorance and confusion that causes humans to act evil. Also, Jason's diagram of the infant and the heart is a very good example of your belief. The question that you end with has a great effect of making me think more in depth about your argument. It made me realize that even the worst people this world has seen, have only done the things they have done because they believed that they were doing right. It's amazing to think about how much they must have been influenced by the ignorance and confusion of the world. After analyzing your question, I agree with both you and the transcendentalists, there is an innate goodness in everyone.
ReplyDeleteAlthough your points make a lot of sense, I don't fully agree with your thesis. I personally believe that humans aren't innately good; instead, we learn to be good through our environment. If children weren't bombarded with lessons on sharing and being kind to others, would they turn out the same way? The selfish nature of babies makes me wonder if we still have the primal urge to survive at all costs. I enjoyed your post, however, as it made me think.
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point, but I think I have to agree with Newton on the thesis. We aren't good to begin with, but it's taught to us. If we were raised up, being taught that the good things were bad, and vice versa, we would have no choice but to learn in that way, because as children we don't have the knowledge to make those judgments on our own. This was interesting to read.
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