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| Are people inherently Good or Bad? |
| Good |
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57% |
[ 8 ] |
| Bad |
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42% |
[ 6 ] |
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| Total Votes : 14 |
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Altoid
Lieutenant
Joined: Mar 22, 2003
Member#: 413
Posts: 125
Location: In jail. IM me instead :)
    
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 Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 8:14 am Post subject: Are people inherently Good or Bad? |
 
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Are people inherently Good or Bad?
If you have supporting evidence for your choice, let's get the healthy debate going 
self-reply: I think people are inherently bad. Uncounted years of life in the "jungle" competing for resources with (other) animals and years of life in the "civilized world" competing for resources with each other have made people either stronger or smarter in order to kill or con the competition.
I'll also throw out that if people were inherently good, we wouldn't need laws, religion, etc. to (try to) keep people on the "straight and narrow".
Also, if you want to debate what is "good" and what is "bad", feel free |
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Caray
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Oct 17, 2002
Member#: 243
Posts: 408
Location: France
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Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 9:06 am Post subject: |
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gah, that was my essay subject for my Philosophy exam when I was 17.
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My reality cheque bounced |
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Caliburn
Guest
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Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 9:14 am Post subject: |
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Bored now. |
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 filmgoerjuan
Lieutenant
Joined: Jul 08, 2004
Member#: 7220
Posts: 226
Location: Vancouver, B.C.
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Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 10:14 am Post subject: Re: Are people inherently Good or Bad? |
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| Altoid wrote: |
| Are people inherently Good or Bad? |
Could you clarify: do you mean people who continually post polls to the forums and the chat? Or do you mean normal people?
[former: inherently bad; latter: inherently good]  |
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 thuringwethil
Captain
Joined: Jul 30, 2004
Member#: 7505
Posts: 1871
Location: Deep in the heart of Texas, formerly from the Heart of Dixie
 
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Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 10:30 am Post subject: |
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i wrote an essay on this in college too, but don't remember my stance. It was for English though based on a short story.
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'He looked at her, and being a man whom pity deeply stirred, it seemed to him that her loveliness amid her grief would pierce his heart.' —Faramir's thoughts on Éowyn |
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 mellowman
Captain
Joined: Sep 02, 2003
Member#: 2939
Posts: 1119
Location: UK
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Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 10:33 am Post subject: Re: Are people inherently Good or Bad? |
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| Altoid wrote: |
| Uncounted years of life in the "jungle" competing for resources with (other) animals |
I think you touched on it here, Altoid. People aren't inherently good or bad - they are inherently animals. Those primordal instincts of ours must always linger under the surface and it's a bit of nature and nurture that determines what you do with those instincts.
As a teacher I whole heartedly believe that every person starts life as a blank canvass and their future isn't predisposed. For me, even a troubled childhood can be brought round in later life.
So, my answer: neither. |
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Legolas
Commander
Joined: Aug 08, 2002
Member#: 178
Posts: 857
Location: Drunkest state in USA
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Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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All I know is that I am inherently close to perfect. |
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Obi-son
Captain
Joined: Sep 10, 2002
Member#: 211
Posts: 1897
Location: Winchester,Va, USA
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Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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I think common sense is out the window for most people. Somethings I see or read/hear makes me think if the whole world is getting more stupid with each year. Good or bad? dumb or dumbier?
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If you have it you don't need it. If you need it you don't have it. You need it to get it and you certainly need it to get more of it. Which means you don't have it to begin with people just know. |
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mellowman
Captain
Joined: Sep 02, 2003
Member#: 2939
Posts: 1119
Location: UK
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Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Obi-son wrote: |
| dumb or dumbier? |
I love the way you put it, Obi  |
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gecko
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Mar 02, 2002
Member#: 14
Posts: 394
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Posted:
Thu Aug 05, 2004 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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Hey, you forgot the "good and bad are fabricated human perceptions" option. |
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Altoid
Lieutenant
Joined: Mar 22, 2003
Member#: 413
Posts: 125
Location: In jail. IM me instead :)
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Posted:
Fri Aug 06, 2004 6:17 am Post subject: |
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@gecko, please 'splain to me *scratches head*
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 Tron
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Dec 13, 2003
Member#: 4034
Posts: 319
Location: Belgium
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Posted:
Fri Aug 06, 2004 7:03 am Post subject: Re: Are people inherently Good or Bad? |
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| mellowman wrote: |
I think you touched on it here, Altoid. People aren't inherently good or bad - they are inherently animals. Those primordal instincts of ours must always linger under the surface and it's a bit of nature and nurture that determines what you do with those instincts.
As a teacher I whole heartedly believe that every person starts life as a blank canvass and their future isn't predisposed. For me, even a troubled childhood can be brought round in later life.
So, my answer: neither. |
Yes, I agree. People aren't inherently good or bad. But they are very vulnerable to certain things like pressure. Making the able to do what the SS did in WOII or the Rwanda people, slaughtering their neighbours with big knife's. In these cases you can see the animal surface in those people. Trying to survive in the jungle of todays world.
But there are enough good people too, Some acting so just for their own good. because people are inherently egocentric. |
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Tjoe
Commander
Joined: Apr 30, 2004
Member#: 6471
Posts: 553
Location: Second City
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Posted:
Fri Aug 06, 2004 12:25 pm Post subject: |
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I believe that the majority of people, raised in non-war torn areas, are inherently good. I think that people can be too easily influenced one way or another (that's why I often vote before reading the comments), but that the good is there to begin with. Sure, there are twisted people that just come out all evil, and there are plenty that are taught to be evil, but I feel that most are good. If not, I think that with the powers of the human brain, we would have wiped ourselves off the planet long ago. It's the majority of good that has saved us.
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gecko
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Mar 02, 2002
Member#: 14
Posts: 394
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Posted:
Sat Aug 07, 2004 9:52 am Post subject: |
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| Altoid wrote: |
| @gecko, please 'splain to me *scratches head* |
Would good and bad still exist if humanity ceased to exist? |
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 Istagi
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: May 15, 2004
Member#: 6652
Posts: 303
Location: ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
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Posted:
Sat Aug 07, 2004 10:54 am Post subject: |
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People are inherently people, capable of great beauty and horror. I can say that the greatest force on the majority of humanity is self preservation.
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Try SCE to AUX! |
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