elfpirate Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 In your opinion, are humans inherently good or evil and why? I'll give you my opinion... but first, I want to see some of your thoughts on the subject. :angel: / :devil: Edit: I asked about INHERENT good or evil- in other words, by design, are we good or evil...or, for you religious-type people who believe that god created humans, did he create them to be good or evil by nature (not by the choices they make)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 [QUOTE=elfpirate]In your opinion, are humans inherently good or evil and why? I'll give you my opinion... but first, I want to see some of your thoughts on the subject. :angel: / :devil:[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1] This post seems a bit short and blank. Maybe you should try and make it look a bit...fuller? But anyways. Good Question I suppose. I think its up to the person to be good or evil, and based on your deeds. Or so it says in the Bible from what I know of. We all start off as good when we're born, but as we make our decisions in life I believe that can change. I'm not quite sure what else you mean, so thats the best anwser I can give you. My name might be Pumpkin but I happen to be evil muhaha. Or am I? Hmmm guess we will never know. [/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaisha Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 It is a good question. Well I think it really depends on what kind of people you have grown up around and who your around now. I have seen enough evil around me to say that I think people have a natural inclination to act evil, but most of the time they strive to be and act good because thats how they were taught to act. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceWolfEyes Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 --------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kenboiluva Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Hi everyone. anyone here. I'm a newbie so i'm knida lost. Well I'm always lost when it comes to forums*he he* :rotflmao: [size=1][color=#4b4b79]Welcome to OB. You need to read our [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?]rules[/url] and [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?]FAQ[/url] before you continue posting. In particular, we ask that all posts in a given thread relate to the topic at hand. -Lore[/color][/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 [color=#4b4b79]While the definitive concepts of GOOD and EVIL seem a bit dodgy when applied to the inherent nature of humans... "Despite everything, I still believe that people really are good at heart." loquacious to a fault, Sara[/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icexfire Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 i would have to go with nuetral..because where there is light there is dark no matter what..i heard that from somewhere but anyways..i would have to be nuetral...my soul will never be wholly good or evil..it must stay balanced..well yeah that is it i guess..see ya later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adahn Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 I believe that everyone knows the difference between right (good) and wrong (evil), and that inherently gives us the potential to be good (do what's right). The only thing that makes people bad (evil) is when they choose not to do (or believe in) what is right (good). There are no broad definitions necessary, and the knowledge of what's right and wrong (good and evil) have been, are, and always will be the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icexfire Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 [quote name='Adahn']I believe that everyone knows the difference between right (good) and wrong (evil), and that inherently gives us the potential to be good (do what's right). The only thing that makes people bad (evil) is when they choose not to do (or believe in) what is right (good). There are no broad definitions necessary, and the knowledge of what's right and wrong (good and evil) have been, are, and always will be the same.[/quote] *nodds*yes..you really narrow things down you know that Adahn?..anyways people have choices that effect what they do in later life...but either way if you choose one side over the other then you tip the balance of both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziopheth Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 ok Im " one of those people who believe God created us " , & what Iv to say about that is that God created us for the soul purpose of loving & worshiping Him , but He didnt want robots or pupets He just controled into loving Him , He wanted people to choose Him over other beleifs or things . So He created humans , who have a will to believe in Him or not . & if you think about it , even if you beleive in God , & say your just praising Him to get to Heaven , & have everything perfect , when you get there that disire & feeling of want is gone , & really you wont get to Heaven cause you praise Him for wrong reasons like that , but eventually you wouldent feel a want for that paradise any more . So you really wouldent have any point for being there . & if your one of those people who just flat out dont beleive in him , you still know that you will eventually die , right ? So everything you lived aimelessly for is gone & whats next ? Were do you go ? What do you do ? In order to have nothing after death , you must have no soul , no spirit while living . Which dosent give you a reason to really keep living . Or to Die . So really for all you know you , you & the world around you arent really real. You may think things on earth are so awseme & so cool , & that even when your friends accidentally hurts you emotionly or what ever , there still the best , but what good dose it do you to trust something yuor stilll questioning is good or evil ? & if you do believe in Him , & for the right reasons , & you rally think about it , there isent muchto living or ding no matter what . But God has made you for a purpose . So what is it ? All you can really do in life thats really worth it , is what God made you for , so when you figure it out youll know all He wanted was people who would love & worship Him . So thats what you do , & you believe that He was honest when He says you cant imagine how wonderful Heaven is , so when you get there ... you find out , & mabey its more orth it than you thought . Now that thats settled , there really wasent a " humans : good or evil ?" It was just that you , a human , would choose good or evil , & in the after life ,( if you know there is one ) , will give you your result from choosing the one you have choosen . But now a days everyone is asking , is it possible were evil , or are we the good little spirits in s univrse that of evil wich well leave behind ? I belive that people today really dont know about good any more . humans arent evil , but too many evil things on an evil earth distract us to much from acting & knowing good . So I perfer to die believing in God , & knowing that if He really is real ( for those who still question) that Ill atleast be doing something worth while on earth , & Ill live an even better life when I die , than to not believe Him , & have such a nothingness existence on earth that I never reallly find the happiness I thought I had , & die to figure out I dont have a cause , because Iv wased my first life , that wasent real to begin with & just suffer for it . Yep!!!! Thats just the way things are & I think Iv managed to cope with life quit well , actually . & aspecaily with Him that few souls balieve in any more , on such a blank , dry , demonic earth . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icexfire Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 lol..i love my pic..he is so cute..lol anyways i know god and satan exist but i dont believe in either of them...i rely on myself to find the right path..no one should be able to decide my fate..i will live and die how i want to..no one will pull my strings to make me do what they want me to do..i refuse to be a puppet...:flaming: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfpirate Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 Alright- I said I would eventually give my opinion, so here goes- After being around many children as they grow and form their personalities, I would have to say that we are designed in a perfect balance of good and evil. For example, a small child or infant has the capacity to love deeply without instruction...but also has the capacity to hurt others without remorse when they are angry. Both seem to be instinctual in nature... and, yeah, environment will shape a person's personality and rid the person of that balance for better or worse, but I do believe that we are designed to be both good and evil... I believe that a child that grows up in isolation from all people will retain that balance... I also believe that it is unhealthy to refuse to acknowledge either trait within ourselves...because there is some of both in all of us...no matter how hard some people try to rid themselves of one side or the other. You can find evil within the most good-natured and you can find good within the most evil...you just have to know how to look for it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxas Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 I agree with elfpirate on this fully. But there is still one more way a person can grow up and retain that balance. If they grow up around an equal amount of both good and evil. The posibilty of that happening however is very slim so it may or may not happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patronus Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Everyone, from birth, has the ability to be either good or evil. Their actions determine what they are. And good isn't the hero that always wins and saves the girl --- good is goodwill towards man, that kind of thing. Evil isn't a demon coming at you saying I WILL TAKE YOO 2 PURGATORRY!!!! or whatever. Evil is common hatred towards fellow man, like Bin Laden (sp?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retribution Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 I don't think humans are inherintly good or evil. Some philsopher said that there are two extremes to operate on. Those being absolute love, and absolute hate. He/she said that humans can't operate on the level of absolute love as a whole, nor absolute hate. We tend towards the middle of the spectrum. Justice. While I don't think that the middle between love and hate is justice, it is the same principle. Humans as a whole aren't completely good or completely evil. We tend to go more toward the middle. Personally, I think we tend towards the good half, but ever-so-slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doukeshi Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 [COLOR=DimGray][SIZE=1]There is no such thing as a [B]good[/B] person, neither is there such thing as an [B]evil [/B] person. There are no evil or good people just evil and good actions. Let me explain. We are people, just people. We are capable of anything, whether that be good evil, naughty, nice, boring...whatever. These are just the things we do, the actions we take. Sure they might form us into a person that is more likely to take specific choices i.e someone who does good things a lot will be more likely to do a good thing rather than someone who does bad things a lot. But this does not categorise people into the slots of [b][good][/b] and [b][evil][/b]. For example: [B]Mahatma Gandhi [/B] was not a good man, he just did a good thing. [B]Adolf Hitler [/B] was not an evil man, he just did evil things. Anyone is capable of good and bad. Someone you might think is a 'good man' is perfectly capable of doing bad things, just like a 'bad man' is capable of doing good things. Such things only determine the likelyhood of such events. Now doesn't that sound all mathematical children ^_~ [/SIZE] [/COLOR] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icexfire Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 *nodds* true...people cannot possibly be inherently good or evil they just act....that is all it is is an act...thats why i still say that i am not good or evil i refuse to have strong feelings and bury them deep inside and forget about them...oh well:confused: please dont try to make sense of my ramblings^_^ i tend to not make sense. omg i am watching american idol..i think i will need some asprin soon..these ppl suck^_^ haha...well anyways..pm me or comment on my site and dont forget to sign my guestbook... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfpirate Posted January 24, 2005 Author Share Posted January 24, 2005 [QUOTE=doukeshi03 [B]Adolf Hitler [/B] was not an evil man, he just did evil things. *Ahem*-- I'm sorry, but if Hitler wasn't evil, then "good" and "evil" do not exist... or, at least, good and evil no longer have any relavent meaning, because Hitler's deeds were evil, yes- but his deeds were determined by his will and his desires... and by who he was--EVIL. Is there a more prime example of evil than someone such as Adolph Hitler? I mean, have you ever seen evil incarnate itself more distinctly than was seen in Hitler? I think it's not only crazy to claim that he wasn't evil, but also disrespectful to the victims and families of the Holocaust. I think that if I could transport you through time and send you to the center of Dachau or Auscwitz (sorry 'bout the spelling) ,or any of the other camps,so you could see, smell, and hear the horrors of Hitler first-hand, you would see where I'm coming from on this. Hitler was evil- and I don't think anyone can sway me from that opinion. I'm deeply offended by the claim that he was not. "Stripped of our culture- Robbed of our names Raped of our freedom And thrown into the flames... Torn from our families Taken from our homes Torn from our god And burned of our bones- Never again... ...baby clenched tight to her chest, cryin' who would have guessed-dyin' another life lost to count the cost another body gassed, burned and tossed in the Holocaust never again..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vampire: Ed Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 [quote name='elfpirate']In your opinion, are humans inherently good or evil and why?[/quote] [COLOR=Red][FONT=Comic Sans MS]No one is inherently good or evil. It depends on how you are raised that could determine that, but even then it is uncertain whether you could be good or evil in the long run. Everyone has the power in them to do either, so I don't think anyone is inherently good or evil. I mean what about those stories of the ex-convict who turned his/her life around, they were once "evil" but now are "good." There is no real way to define things when someone could be either good or evil at any moment.[/FONT][/COLOR] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfpirate Posted January 24, 2005 Author Share Posted January 24, 2005 OK- this topic is getting muddied, I admit. The question was referring to the entirety of the human race- no single culture, religion, race, or individual-- and it was posed as inherent human traits... so, individual examples are unnecessary, and I should have PMed my response about Hitler instead of posting it here. My bad... So... here's another way of looking at the question- if aliens were trying to decide whether or not we as humans were good or evil as a whole, and they were going to destroy us if we were deemed to be evil by our very nature and spared if we were decidedly good by nature, would we be annihilated or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I agree with TVE (It's great to see you back posting on the boards Ed!) that there is no way to say if someone is good or evil. It is all based on what you were raised with as being the standard for good and evil. Even using the situation of an alien culture judging us, it would still depend on what their definition of good and evil. Let's say that this alien culture believes that men and women should never mingle since it is morally wrong and evil. If this alien culture were to view our humble little planet they would think we were all evil since men and women live together! Good and evil is very subjective. It all depends on ones opinion as to what they believe defines good and evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxas Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 Well I think Ed means that the alien's evil is the same as our evil in meaning. Putting it that way we wouldn't be alive. Total I think that is more eil on our planet than good. Also that actualy almost happened on my Megaman Battle network 4: Red sun game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doukeshi Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 [COLOR=DimGray][SIZE=1][QUOTE=elfpirate][QUOTE=doukeshi03 [B]Adolf Hitler [/B] was not an evil man, he just did evil things. *Ahem*-- I'm sorry, but if Hitler wasn't evil, then "good" and "evil" do not exist... or, at least, good and evil no longer have any relavent meaning, because Hitler's deeds were evil, yes- but his deeds were determined by his will and his desires... and by who he was--EVIL. Is there a more prime example of evil than someone such as Adolph Hitler? I mean, have you ever seen evil incarnate itself more distinctly than was seen in Hitler? I think it's not only crazy to claim that he wasn't evil, but also disrespectful to the victims and families of the Holocaust. I think that if I could transport you through time and send you to the center of Dachau or Auscwitz (sorry 'bout the spelling) ,or any of the other camps,so you could see, smell, and hear the horrors of Hitler first-hand, you would see where I'm coming from on this. Hitler was evil- and I don't think anyone can sway me from that opinion. I'm deeply offended by the claim that he was not. [/QUOTE] Okay, I am in no way condoning what happened during WW2, nor during the Holocaust, it was a terrible thing. Saying, however, that this was all the product of one evil man is ill informed. Hitler had some very good ideas, and some not so good ones, true quite a few were products of deep seated predjudice. Auschwitz and the like were products of eager to please subordinates and consequences of mass numbers, predjududice and last ditch last ditch attempts to solve a problem that simply got out of hand. Evil to me conjures up the ideas of demons and things of an otherworldly nature. Just like God is the only one who can be truly good (and even that is debatable) so too is Satan the only one who is truly evil (again debatable). Hitler loved children and dogs, he created plans for the Volkswagen and Mercedes. Point, he got a bit carried away and his plans were, to a degree, manipulated by the overzealous. You can't say he's evil, I would argue that even to the victims of the holocaust themselves, I don't believe evil to be a tangible thing, its just a twisted sense of morality. You have to look at reasons for actions. Why does someone do horrendous acts of violence and abuse? They weren't born that way, and even if they were, there must be something mental that creates these impulses. To simply pidgeon-hole someone as evil, is just like calling someone crazy in the 19th and 18th centuries and locking them up for eternity and forgetting they even existed. Everything is a shade of grey, Evil and Good are just the product of fairytales and childrens books. Grow up. [/SIZE][/COLOR] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alchemist Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 Good & Evil are both relative. It depends on your nurturant. My friend thinks rap is the most vile thing on earth next to Ann Coulter. I like rap alot(but still hate Ann coulter) Are either of us wrong, no, Are either of us right no(except about Ann Coulter). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vampire: Ed Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 [quote name='Phayt']Well I think Ed means that the alien's evil is the same as our evil in meaning.[/quote] [COLOR=Red][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Ed didn't say nuttin' 'bout no aliens sucka! Anyway, yeah, Panda got what I was saying. It's not really possible to define good or evil, because what you might think of as good or evil might be the opposite to someone else. As far as I know Hitler probably thought he was doing good by "cleansing" the races and all, but that's in the eyes of he and his followers. In our eyes he was evil, a monstrous man murdering the innocent. Yeah, I believe he was evil, but he didn't. To him people of "unclean" blood were evil, and he was good. It's all subjective and varies with different people's opinion of the meaning of good and evil. So this applies even with humanity as an overall.[/FONT][/COLOR] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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