Are we inherently good or evil?
CNN contributor Will Cain postulates that the majority of use are ethical human beings. He then argues that if we were all evil, we would have wiped each other off this earth. Though I agree with his thesis, I find his arguments vague and unconvincing. First, I would argue that we have certain innate moral intuitions about what is good and what is evil. However, these innate intuitions are not the only things that shape our morality. Socialization together with our previous experiences also shape our morality. For instance, children self-construct morality based on the idea that harm is wrong by playing with each other. As a result, all cultures agree that suffering is wrong, but cultures have varying definitions of suffering.
Notably, most psychologically normal human beings are born with good moral intuitions. Inherently good men such as Martin Luther King Jr, Mahatma Gandhi, and …show more content…
These evil outliers oppress the general population. To expand, our history shows us that ethical people usually triumph in conversations and wars. For instance, today we all agree that slavery is wrong because ethical people started conversations and war. Another example is the allied victory in WW2 and the formation of institutions such as the U.N which attempt to prevent human suffering.
Modernity has extended the sphere of our moral community. Today, we are eliminating us vs them narratives such as nationalism, racism and religious extremism that cause evil, making humanity a more ethical place. In our modern age, many ethical people have identified moral obligations such as vegetarianism and preventing climate change for our future generations. Lastly, the good have outnumbered the evil in the sense that war and terror have been
CNN contributor Will Cain postulates that the majority of use are ethical human beings. He then argues that if we were all evil, we would have wiped each other off this earth. Though I agree with his thesis, I find his arguments vague and unconvincing. First, I would argue that we have certain innate moral intuitions about what is good and what is evil. However, these innate intuitions are not the only things that shape our morality. Socialization together with our previous experiences also shape our morality. For instance, children self-construct morality based on the idea that harm is wrong by playing with each other. As a result, all cultures agree that suffering is wrong, but cultures have varying definitions of suffering.
Notably, most psychologically normal human beings are born with good moral intuitions. Inherently good men such as Martin Luther King Jr, Mahatma Gandhi, and …show more content…
These evil outliers oppress the general population. To expand, our history shows us that ethical people usually triumph in conversations and wars. For instance, today we all agree that slavery is wrong because ethical people started conversations and war. Another example is the allied victory in WW2 and the formation of institutions such as the U.N which attempt to prevent human suffering.
Modernity has extended the sphere of our moral community. Today, we are eliminating us vs them narratives such as nationalism, racism and religious extremism that cause evil, making humanity a more ethical place. In our modern age, many ethical people have identified moral obligations such as vegetarianism and preventing climate change for our future generations. Lastly, the good have outnumbered the evil in the sense that war and terror have been