Evil: Choice or Instinct

[darkmage099]

Question: Are humans inherently evil or is it a choice (by free will)?

 

 

 

Religion has nothing to do with this so dont throw any "The Bible said..." crap.

 

 

 

Humans are evil:

 

 

 

Emotions dictate our life but what are these emotions? They are predominantly greed and hatred. While humans may also be inherently good, evil finds its way to the top. Our environment controls us to act this way, and acting otherwise can lead to the end of your life. As the saying goes, "survival of the fittest". Is evil and hatred the way humans survive? So does this, therefore, lead humans to be evil by instinct?

 

 

 

Humans have a choice:

 

 

 

The definition of free will is that man has sense and a rational thought process that governs him. By this definition, man has no instinct that he cannot control. Therefore, it is a choice for man to be evil because his rational though can lead him to act 'good'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit: Defining evil and good

 

Evil refers to violations of an empathetic ideal which manifests as morally or ethically objectionable thought, speech, or action; behavior or thought which is hateful, cruel, violent, or devoid of conscience. (yes, it's wiki)

 

 

 

The good is whatever entails reverence towards either life, continuity, happiness, or human flourishing (as a society).

[Lionheart_0]

There is no evil. Only hatred and love. There is no one i can think of in the world that is evil, in all of history, not one person i can think of.

[Bubsa]

Question: Are humans inherently evil or is it a choice (by free will)?

 

 

 

Religion has nothing to do with this so dont throw any "The Bible said..." crap.

 

 

 

To be honest mate, with a subject as contentious as this, someone's religion might have everything to do with it.

 

 

 

It's certainly neither mine nor your place to decide that.

[Wisp]

the only evil exsists where the person doing it believe it is evil.

 

Lets say your some random american citizen. you think what happened on 9/11 was evil, but the people who did it think it was justified.

 

I don't believe in good or evil.

 

You may try to help someone less fortunate then you in trying to do good, but offend them instead.

[Tbfgraphx14]

Depends on how you define evil.

 

 

 

I'd say that humans just aren't that intellegent.

[darkmage099]

Question: Are humans inherently evil or is it a choice (by free will)?

 

 

 

Religion has nothing to do with this so dont throw any "The Bible said..." crap.

 

 

 

To be honest mate, with a subject as contentious as this, someone's religion might have everything to do with it.

 

 

 

It's certainly neither mine nor your place to decide that.

 

 

 

There has to be rational thought that applies to everyone not just a certain group of people. The reasoning must have some basis.

 

 

 

It's like saying "God said gays are bad so they are...bad". You have to put some evidence into that by saying something like "it's unnatural *blah blah blah*".

 

 

 

I would appreciate it if Carlin posted...I need a laugh.

[Ginger_Warrior]

Define 'evil'. It's very much dependant on a person's personality and faith what they deem as 'evil'.

 

 

 

You're getting into too much of a general topic here.

[Nom]

Define evil.

 

 

 

Those two words speak volumes. I'm sure that pretty much everyone would define it differently. Evil is a concept invented by humans. There is no "inherent evil", only what we humans see as evil as decided by our own moral codes, which are also contrived by humans. And it just so happens that our educated minds have deemed many of our natural instincts as evil. Have you ever seen an evil animal? Well, no, because we don't generally classify animals as good or evil. Why? Because animals are not as sophisticated or advanced in mind, and know only their instincts. Therefore for them, there is no good or evil. Which serves nicely to illustrate the point that good and evil are human conceptions. As are honor, friendship, chivalry, and all those other nouns that fall under the fourth category, "Ideas".

[Sartre]

To argue that we are evil by instinct would be to argue that we are evil in essence. It is that point that troubles me as first you have to understand what exactly that essence is. The essence of the human being isnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t necessarily one thatÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s inherited, it is one that is defined historically and so can change at any time as the present and the future will be past and therefore history. What makes humans evil, or good, or moral is what we have been taught. We always have the choice to go against what we have been taught, and so we are not thrown into the world with a pre-built mode of evil because we are human, as humans we are condemned to choose. Even to not choose is a choice we make; we can not escape our freedom, to say that it is in our nature to be evil is an escape and denial of us being human beings, and simply becoming a thing. We are palming our freedom away, just like a person who says ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬ÅIt is not my fault I did X, It is just the way I amÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

[fakeitormakeit]

I, being a freshman of high school, joined the debate club at my team since I wish to be a politicain anyway. Anyway, the topic setence was:

 

 

 

"Should a just society ought use the death penalty?"

 

 

 

(or something like that)

 

 

 

And then we had to choice the important words out of that setence, which are underlined. True the death penalty is what the debate is about, but you must define your view of a just society before you can answer that question. You can't really say what good & evil when the definition can be distorted, and change from person to person.

 

 

 

But in my opinion an evil deed is something that is aimed at harming another human or any living being purposely in a long or short term effect. I also think omission is almost as "evil" as commition. I would define a good deed to something that benefits humanity or living beings (and in some cases to those unborn yet.).

[highlanders]

I don't think being evil is needed for survival at all. There wouldn't be wars and things like that if there wasn't any ego, hatred, and such. If everyone would be friends and love eachothers, there wouldn't be wars, competition, crimes, and everyone would have better chances for survival. I think people who are evil pretty much give up to their impulses, because it's easy, thoughtless, humans don't like to think too much, so they take the easiest path. Wait a few months to get a stable relationship, or rape this girl right away? Work hard for money and buy this thing, or just do a hold up and steal it? In a way, you can tell that doing evil things can be instinctive sometimes (such as rape). But, you still have more chances of survival if everyone is nice and in peace. I also think that the bad instincts are superficial, they are more present on the outside, but on the inside, what people really want is peace, accomplishment, friendship, coorperation, all those goods things.

[InkofDeath]

We aren't evil, nor are we good. We have rational thought as you said.

 

 

 

When we are content with what we have, meaning we're not happy, nor are we sad, we're just 'mellow'. Our rational bar is at '0'. However variables in our life change our rational meter and can cause significant harm on others, or cruel pain to us, or bring great joy to those in need.

 

 

 

Of course there's over a number of variables to why this meter would go forward or backwards, there's also the measure of this meter, is '-1' killing someone, or just punching them, or just acting out behaviorally.

 

 

 

Or is '-100' killing, or emotionally affecting thousands, does how many you affect count how low your meter is? Maybe your meter goes back by the content of which you affect X amount of people.

 

 

 

Going forward, could also be killing someone, '1' could be killing someone because they are infidel, or they are just a bug, we've all killed a bug, ad its made us happy its dead, is this evil or happiness? To us and our meters it would be +1, or +2.

 

 

 

The concept of the variables affect our rational meter levels.

 

 

 

Good things could mean bad things to others, while bad things to use are good things to others.

 

 

 

Religion is a heavy variable that affects the meter and how it operates. Infidel for instance to us is a no no, and is a '-2' or something, while to the offender/good doer it could be '+5'.

 

 

 

Really interesting and it's like a spider web effect, it just keeps branching out, yet it can reach back to the main point.

 

 

 

Hopefully I explained it well. =/

[Zonorhc]

Subjective definition much?

[IGoddessI]

The correct answer is both.

[The Real ET]

As others have been saying, evil is objective and can't really be defined. When you see cartoons with laughing evil geniuses calling themselves evil, it's for children to learn the difference between right and wrong. In reality, most "evil-doers" think that what they're doing is right. Good and evil isn't a black and white subject, there's more grey then anything else and all goes down to your own opinions and beliefs.

[warri0r45]

The correct answer is both.

 

 

 

I would tend to agree.

 

 

 

We are genetically disposed to some things which one would consider evil (and I'd agree, if I were to want a peaceful coexistance with my fellow humans, which I do) yet behavioural patterns of humans are far beyond those of insects. We evaluate things instead of intrinsically following them necessarily as innocuous patterns.

 

 

 

The philosophical side of this whole topic rests on what we define evil as, though. I think a more accurate and productive question would be social dissent or antisocial behaviour: innate or a choice? But evil? It's such an all inclusive term yet it's never applied all inclusively by all people. At least 'social dissent' implies a particular society in mind, usually western society (for most of us, at least).

[dwarfdude3]

er, of course its not inherent in humans, because we all see acts of kindness everyday.

 

 

 

So that means people have a choice of whether or not to be good or to be evil. The question then is, do we give these acts of kindness out of our human heart or out of some hope for reward or some social rule of society.

 

 

 

The book Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys who are stranded on an island. With no sense of community or society or civilization, they can all act however they want, and many evils are done.

 

 

 

Though I disagree with this pretense. People can act kindly toward one another out of their own purity and inner goodness. However, one must acknowledge the power of evil and its temptation. Many, many people fall into this trap, but that does not mean that all men are inherently evil. It just means that all men are very susceptible to evil.

[Sumpta]

Evil is like perfection: it doesn't exist. Good doesn't exist either. People -everybody really- can do (ethically and socially accepted) good things and (ethically and socially unaccepted) bad things. They can do both at the same time, even by the very same act.

 

 

 

So the question would be: do people do bad things because they are programmed that way or by free choice... I would say neither and both at the same time. Our behaviour and mind are influenced by so many things: genetics, education, environment in which you grow up etc. We keep evolving in reaction to our surroundings. And even the people who say they acted out of their own free will (e.g. psychopaths) are slave to their psychological aberrations (if I may use that word, sorry, Goddess :wink:)

 

 

 

I think that -given the "right" conditions- even the nicest of people can do horrible things.

[forsaken]

The question is not whether humans are inherently evil or whether they make a choice to be 'evil', but rather if a quintessential, inalienable and unquestionable element of the human condition exists which bonds humans together in a shared conceptualisation of what is indeed moral, or immoral.

 

 

 

So it becomes a question of, for lack of better term, divine or universal morality. Does every human share a fundamental 'moral compass'? That is what you should be asking.

[flying_death_bombs55]

I think evil is just a word, what some people think is evil might be good for others. So I would say you can't answer this question.

[ClareJonsson]

Myself I could initially design evil as pure hate. It's quite a human philosophy as nothing in the animal kingdom can ever be classed as Evil per say.

 

 

 

I feel like spiders are evil as they creep me to death, but they ain't evil really. Spiders are just another species that is so different to my own I find them scary, not Evil.

 

 

 

The Devil is an icon for pure evil, but since that doesn't exist, or not in the form we think it does, that is not applicable either.

 

 

 

I guess if I look at it deeper, evil is all around us in our modern day lives. It's probably a roman invention called money. It's down to the want and desire for money that drugs, slavery, sex trafficking and murder etc is so rife in our world. But where would we be without it? We could barter for goats, wooden items and food I guess.

 

 

 

Go figure.

[BlueLancer]

Question: Are humans inherently evil or is it a choice (by free will)?

 

 

 

Religion has nothing to do with this so dont throw any "The Bible said..." crap.

 

 

 

To be honest mate, with a subject as contentious as this, someone's religion might have everything to do with it.

 

 

 

It's certainly neither mine nor your place to decide that.

 

 

 

Religion isn't a biological trait, when you were born 20 years ago, you were just the same as your or my pagan ancestors thousands of years ago with no real religion (except ritual sacrifices of animals or other stuff they learned from their parents because they thought they'd get more hunting luck or live longer)

 

 

 

A sense of good/bad can be inbuilt, even if you lived in the woods for all your life and never saw many humans, you could know it's wrong to do certain stuff you wouldn't want done to yourself

 

 

 

As his question stood, "Are humans inherently evil"

 

 

 

I'd say yes. You might be, and probably are, different now that you have a safe home, developing society, easy access to food, no need to kill anything or anyone, entertainment, clean water...

 

 

 

But think of all the stuff your ancestors down your family line have done in order for you to live in this moment, they had the capacity to slay animals and eat raw meat, murder other people who were stealing their game/food, abandon your family and reproduce with someone else...

 

 

 

If they could do that, you certainly have that same 'evil' in you that will activate if a day comes survival will be harder (right now surviving in a western country isn't much of an evolutionary challenge)

[kelem_ryu]

'ey Lancer! Long time no see.

 

 

 

 

 

@TE: I think you got the question wrong.

 

 

 

In our culture it's often seen as bad to follow ones urges and desires. It is expected to be respectable and nice. While being loving and altruistic isn't per se a bad thing, it's often overdone. Egoism is seen as bad, wich leads to many people surpressing their wishes, staying unhappy in an attempt not to clash with the people around them. Motivation is often fear, wich imo is "the evil". Fear of not having enough, of not being accepted, of being alone, of being view as i don't know what, of losing what they have.

 

 

 

 

 

Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate - Master Yoda

 

 

 

So you see, my young Padawan, there is evil in the world. It's everywhere you go. Evil just isn't selfishness and greed. They are merely the result.

 

 

 

Ignorance is the root of fear, fear is the kidling of anger - Bad Religion "News from the front".

[meol]

It depends on what you define as evil. For example, my coarse definition of an evil act (something you might not agree with) would be this:

 

An act that willingly causes harm without a greater benefit.

 

IMHO, it comes from the feeling of satisfaction of seeing someone else suffer. If they are suffering, you see them inferior, and thus you become, in comparison, superior.

 

This sadism, the satisfaction on seeing others suffer, is caused on the natural human necessity of feeling better.

[-griefer-]

Question: Are humans inherently evil or is it a choice (by free will)?

 

 

 

Religion has nothing to do with this so dont throw any "The Bible said..." crap.

 

 

 

To be honest mate, with a subject as contentious as this, someone's religion might have everything to do with it.

 

 

 

It's certainly neither mine nor your place to decide that.

 

 

 

Hm exactly..I can't really post anything on it. Because I believe in "The Bible Said.." crap.