Night Socratic Seminar Questions During our reading of Lord of the Flies, we asked the question: Are humans innately evil? In an interview, Golding stated, “Lord of the Flies was simply what it seemed sensible for me to write after the war, when everybody was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. And I’d seen enough and thought enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis.”…
There is no distinct difference between being considered good and being considered evil. Every person falls somewhere in between the spectrum. An evil person would be considered someone who is immoral. An evil person puts their life above everyone else’s, and will stop at nothing to get what they want.…
No one is innately 'good' or 'evil', human nature is much more complex at its core. When the opportunity presents itself, one must decide whether or not to listen to the angel, a symbol of purity and hope, hovering over an individual's right shoulder, or the devious, conspiring devil on the left. However, one can make a bad decision, and remain pure. It is not the act itself that defines an individual as good or evil, it is the feelings that follow it. Therefore,…
2. In your opinion, what do you think about Holmes claiming he was the Devil? Can people be inherently evil (are people born serial killers)?…
Can someone be entirely evil or be purely good? In the autobiography An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina, Paul tells his story of being an ordinary man who becomes a hero during the Rwandan genocide and how he just did his job and saved countless lives. Within the story, Paul explains how human nature truly is. Man is neither inherently good nor evil.…
When you are posed with the question if human beings are inherently good or bad, you often find yourself floundered to find an answer. It is a fundamental question with no definite answer, only your conception of situations and human beings. People often look for the bad in the world, they point out the negative things instead of the positive because that’s what people want to hear about. The positive things are overlooked, which concludes with people believing that humans are inherently bad. Unfortunately, they do not recognize the many positive actions of others.…
Hannah Arendt went out in search of answers to this question, can one do evil without actually being evil? While studying people who have committed evil crimes she found that some of them were “terrifyingly normal”. Hannah Arendt found that some of them never realized what they were doing and lacked cognitive ability and claimed he did his evil crimes to “fit in”. Some people thought that though someone claimed to lack consciousness or remorse they are still considered a monster compared to “normal people”. I don’t personally believe every evildoer is an evil person.…
Even though this person knows the good and evil, there is still the possibility that these evil thoughts might enter the mind. Most often though, a person will choose to be good instead of evil, knowing the benefits of having a moral…
It seems that it is the mind and intelligence, the ability of a human to learn to be proper, that separates Humanity from the Animal Kingdom. It is interesting to think that humans wish that they were inherently good, which is why when most would answer the question if they believe they are good or evil inherently, they would likely suggest that they are good. however, it does not seem to be a bad thing to be inherently evil. It seems to be that of something that is righteous that Society has been able to overcome the barbaric…
Often times, in the court of law, and in society, murderers and crime offenders are often viewed as “hateful, malicious, and vicious” by the general public; and honestly, it’s easy to view them as such. You had said so yourself early this week about a certain case that occurred in which you asked, “What would make someone turn so evil?” However, I believe that our society has caused us to highlight and view criminals’ bad nature, rather than looking at the root of what caused them to go awry. At times, their crimes overshadow the fact that they are still human. I used this thought that we had discussed earlier and applied it to a rather strong central theme that is present within Frankenstein: What caused Frankenstein’s creation to go awry?…
So if someone is evil or bad it doesn't mean they are not capable of being good. Philosopher Kao Tzu views differ on human nature. He believed, “humans are neither … good nor ... evil, [he states], The nature of things is like swirling water”(Mencius 94-95). Water takes the shape of whatever it's put in. You put it in a jar, a bowl, a glass, a bucket it will take that shape.…
Hi Rochelle, excellent post this week. I do agree with you and that you made an excellent point on your post. As indicated in the biosocial theory anyone has the potential of being criminal. What we know that there are many factors that lead to criminality, and this true as we have already seen throughout this class. Although the biosocial theory probably has some merit to a certain extent but I don’t believe this concept is true for everyone.…
In my opinion, people are naturally good. People are born good, but their experiences in life can change their actions and perspective on things. We are all innocent as a child. During our childhood, we learn from our parents and surroundings. When we learn about things in life, it makes up our personality and the way we look at the world.…
In order to be considered good, the actions of the human race must be considered to possess or display moral virtue or showing kindness. And to be considered evil, humankind must be considered profoundly immoral and malevolent. Some people may say that…
Each individual has a different understanding of what the word “bad” or “evil” mean. If one person believes that stealing is bad, another person might believe that stealing is a good thing if it serves the greater good, for example, Robin Hood. The words “bad” and “good” are subjective and can vary in people’s views. Yet, by looking at the world today, it is difficult to say that humans are naturally good. However, when a child is brought into this world, one tends to associate them with purity and innocence.…