Are people GOOD IN NATURE or Bad???

[mechanic]

Everything in existence is in balance perfectly. Equaly. Good and bad exists equaly and generaly all people have an equaly light and dark side to their nature. If this were not true then very quickly the imbalance would cause existence to become saturated one way or the other and the answer would be plain to see.

Let me explain the way I see it another way, if you would.
 
The common human conception of Heaven and Hell is a prime example of us trying to apply absolute to something that has unavoidable equilibrium. The notion that we get one or the other depending if we tip the scales to good or bad over a whole lifetime is ludicrous.

"Well, you said you were sorry for the 45% bad and managed to total 55% good, ok, you're going to eternal paradise."

The idea of what Heaven and Hell represents is probably accurate. The only missconception I see is that we get one or the other, instead of both at the same time, all the time. All good will leave the soul feeling satisfied in an afterlife and all bad will leave a permanent guilt on the soul. The balance is always there. To be 100% light or dark is a violation of Nature.

[Curval]

Everything in existence is in balance perfectly. Equaly. Good and bad exists equaly and generaly all people have an equaly light and dark side to their nature. If this were not true then very quickly the imbalance would cause existence to become saturated one way or the other and the answer would be plain to see.

This is a great response.

But I disagee.

I think the imbalance is evident throughout mankind's existence.  Open up today's newspaper for example....

[FireDrgn]

Ok so you have not defined GOOD and BAD.   It just a bunch of pontification unless you define terms.

[oneway]

Everything in existence is in balance perfectly. Equaly. Good and bad exists equaly and generaly all people have an equaly light and dark side to their nature. If this were not true then very quickly the imbalance would cause existence to become saturated one way or the other and the answer would be plain to see.

This is a great response.

But I disagee.

I think the imbalance is evident throughout mankind's existence.  Open up today's newspaper for example....

Yep....

You raise an interesting observation...because humans in general choose preponderantly to "report" on 'Bad' or 'Evil' over 'Good' does that indicate or implicate human nature at large ?

[Penguin]

You are being pedantic, but okay...

We are not talking about individuals or their personal traits and biases.  It is a philospohical question.  The "man" in this question is not John Smith or Li Long Chow or Henje Cronje.  It is the Platonic representation of man, the essence, the core if you will.

Think of it this way, if all mankind (including women..thank you brother..or sister) could be somehow liquified and distilled, from a massive ocean, to a huge lake, to a small pond and eventually down to a glass-full and then down to a single drop...that drop would represent the "man" I am referring to.  Similarly think of good and bad being distilled (philosophically) to the drop of its respective nature.  Which would mix better with man?  The good drop or the bad one?

If you choose good then explain why.

lol mensa...just joshing.  But good answer.  I'll buy into that when I sit down and strum "cum bay yah" with all my hippie buddies.  Love is not necessary for procreation however...just sex.

Not exactly, having two adults to take care of offspring results in a higher number of offspring reaching sexual maturity.  It doesn't matter how many babies you make, just how many live to make more babies.  Love, is the answer to that problem, by tying both mother and father to the child (and possibly to each other), it ensures a higher chance of survival for the child.

Therefore, a female (who must carry the child to term), would not allow a male that does not love her to inseminate her.  This is because a child is a very energy instenive investment for the female, but not so for the male.  By making the male stay with the child, the female can ensure that the offspring have a better chance at survival.

Therefore, love is not necesscarily the absolutely altruistic idea that has been portrayed thus far, but rather an evolutionary adaptation which allows more offspring to reach sexual maturity.

-Penguin

[Penguin]

Yep....

You raise an interesting observation...because humans in general choose preponderantly to "report" on 'Bad' or 'Evil' over 'Good' does that indicate or implicate human nature at large ?

This is simple to answer, we are more adept at remembering bad things, and have stronger emotional reactions to them.

For example, would your reaction be stronger to this:

Finding a check, addressed to you for $1,000

Or this?:

Having $1,000 in your wallet, and then leaving it at the mall by accident

-Penguin

[FireDrgn]

Everything in existence is in balance perfectly. Equaly. Good and bad exists equaly and generaly all people have an equaly light and dark side to their nature. If this were not true then very quickly the imbalance would cause existence to become saturated one way or the other and the answer would be plain to see.

Let me explain the way I see it another way, if you would.
 
The common human conception of Heaven and Hell is a prime example of us trying to apply absolute to something that has unavoidable equilibrium. The notion that we get one or the other depending if we tip the scales to good or bad over a whole lifetime is ludicrous.

"Well, you said you were sorry for the 45% bad and managed to total 55% good, ok, you're going to eternal paradise."

The idea of what Heaven and Hell represents is probably accurate. The only missconception I see is that we get one or the other, instead of both at the same time, all the time. All good will leave the soul feeling satisfied in an afterlife and all bad will leave a permanent guilt on the soul. The balance is always there. To be 100% light or dark is a violation of Nature.

So were does personal choice fit in and how do you define each good or bad action by %? Your implying that there is no Personal choice.

So Hitler Murderd lots of peolpe please show his other 50% good that he did.

[oneway]

This is simple to answer, we are more adept at remembering bad things, and have stronger emotional reactions to them.

For example, would your reaction be stronger to this:

Finding a check, addressed to you for $1,000

Or this?:

Having $1,000 in your wallet, and then leaving it at the mall by accident

-Penguin

Fair enough...

But I think the reporters and their editorial directors who are in turn dictated to by their management "choose" to report the bad crap because it sells more copy...

Greed...self interest...Bad ?

[Curval]

lol  

Okay, forget what I said about newspapers.  Read any history book.

[321BAR]

I know for a fact that there are good people in this world. i try my hardest to be one of them. i've met others out there also. some of them actually being in this game too. i also know that out there there are too many bad people to count. others will seem nice but will try anything to get ahead also

[oneway]

Ultimately I think it boils down to this:

If a fellow man asks for help...and you answer his call...do you choose so unconditionally...or do you expect pay back...?

Back to the the original posters question...and re-couching it...

Do you believe the majority of mankind on an individual case by case analysis would assist their fellow man with no expectation of beneficial return or contingent reciprocity ???

Hmmmm

[mechanic]

I think the imbalance is evident throughout mankind's existence.  Open up today's newspaper for example....

Yes Curv! I am right with you on that point. The problem with equilibrium is that it can mean hugely rich people on one scale balanced by many more less rich people on the other scale. The balance is not always obvious but in most cases can be geussed at such as this example. A feeling of imbalance could be blamed on being part of the negative side of the balance, if that makes any sense. Equilibrium defining not equality amoung existence at all, just that existence is a 4 and will always be constructed on a 2:2 format if it intends to continue existing.

[L0nGb0w]

Has someone been reading Lord of the Flies? 

[FireDrgn]

Yes Curv! I am right with you on that point. The problem with equilibrium is that it can mean hugely rich people on one scale balanced by many more less rich people on the other scale. The balance is not always obvious but in most cases can be geussed at such as this example. A feeling of imbalance could be blamed on being part of the negative side of the balance, if that makes any sense. Equilibrium defining not equality amoung existence at all, just that existence is a 4 and will always be constructed on a 2:2 format if it intends to continue existing.

You have already stated that every thing is perfectly balanced and people are 50% 50%  so there is no way you can have equilibrium as some people that are not balanced.

[mechanic]

So were does personal choice fit in and how do you define each good or bad action by %? Your implying that there is no Personal choice.

So Hitler Murderd lots of peolpe please show his other 50% good that he did.

I said people 'generally' are constructed of a rough balance of good and bad. There will always be exceptions to any law of nature. I did not intend to imply we had no choice which parts to exagerate about our nature. I am not sure actualy where you think I implied it. But not mentioning it of course I opened that door way of interpretation for you to walk through. Of course we have choices.

Hitler is a nice choice of study. Does the fact that he has been made an icon of 'evil' by our society not make everything we think we know about him biased? I am sure there were some positive actions in his life. The true evil of what he became is true. But ethnic cleansing happens still today globaly. If you take away the horrors of the concentration camps Hitler was just another capatalist expansionist doing a little better at it than the rest of the world.

As to definition of good and bad? You decide what you can live with yourself about. We are just animals there are no rules when we are dead.