Is man inherently evil?

[Magno]

The Cristian faith teaches us that man is born with sin and therefore must be baptized to remove the first sin which resides in all from birth. It also states that this is a result from Adam and Eve's eating from the forbidden fruit condenming all future generations of man to have sin in their soul and cast out of the Garded of Eden. I ask those whom wish to answer that: Do you agree? Do you disagree? explain why.

Also a man from the age of enlightment I believe wrote a book on the subject but i can' t seem to recall his name.

[Thanatos]

You mean Voltaire's Candide?

[Chaigidel]

human beings are human beings; good and evil dont apply when you speak from a objective perception; but if your asking if a baby is born to do wrong; what is wrong? if a child is raised to kill it will kill; morality is pure design of the teacher.


but that being said yes humans are disturbingly capable of horrors, and the only thing we have produced of any value whatsoever is the scientific method.

[Thanatos]

human beings are human beings; good and evil dont apply when you speak from a objective perception; but if your asking if a baby is born to do wrong; what is wrong? if a child is raised to kill it will kill; morality is pure design of the teacher.


but that being said yes humans are disturbingly capable of horrors, and the only thing they have produced of any value whatsoever is the scientific method.

The scientific method is merely a means to an end. It is a tool, nothing more.

[Chaigidel]

a tool which will unfold the universe before us. the means is the end.

[Thanatos]

a tool which will unfold the universe before us. the means is the end.

So everything else is worthless?

[gambit]

When just born, man is no different than animal or any other. So by all definitions of 'evil' yes they are. So is all life.

[Thanatos]

When just born, man is no different than animal or any other. So by all definitions of 'evil' yes they are. So is all life.

Elaborate, please?

[gambit]

Elaborate, please?

When we are just born, we 'live' completely by nature. The only evil thoughts are inherent in genes and instinct. So, depending on how you describe 'evil', nature and all life is inherently evil.

well I think if I may, that gambit may be referencing the fact that all life must feed on other life to survive, all life is designed to be basically selfish, all life is designed only to fulfill its own needs.

this is what we call evil.

Yup.

Personally, I see evil as doing these selfish acts when you dont need to do it to survive and you know you are forcing others to suffer for your own comfort. With knowledge comes the responsiblity of morality, thats why animals are free of that responsibility.

[Chaigidel]

yes everything is absolutely worthless.

it is a great thing.

well I think if I may, that gambit may be referencing the fact that all life must feed on other life to survive, all life is designed to be basically selfish, all life is designed only to fulfill its own needs.

this is what we call evil.

[Dayman]

No one is born with anything wrong with them or some "evil" about them. Be realistic.

Life isn't KotOR, we don't have light and dark side meters.

I ask those whom wish to answer that: Do you agree? Do you disagree? explain why

I disagree. I don't believe in God and if I did I would still take everything from the Bible with several grains of salt. In my eyes there is nothing more innocent than a newborn.

[Thanatos]

No one is born with any black marks upon them.

Life isn't KotOR, we don't have light and dark side meters.

Children are taught to hate.

[Dayman]

Children are taught to hate.

Being taught and having an inherent black mark upon them because of the sins of their ancestors 10,000 generations back are two different things.

isnt being good resisting our natural evil

What about us naturally "evil"?

[Thanatos]

Being taught and having an inherent black mark upon them because of the sins of their ancestors 10,000 generations back are two different things.

I never said they were the same thing.

[Dayman]

I never said they were the same thing.

The OP asks whether or not man is inherently evil, and obviously the idea of original sin comes in. I would figure you would be on topic

[The Colonel]

isnt being good RESISTING the evil within us? so isnt being good resisting our natural evil? is so, we are naturally evil.

[favre4ever]

good is not resisting evil. it is always good vs. evil. When you see an old lady at the corner (sad hypothetical) you think i should help her (good) or i wont (lazy) You dont think....push her in front of a bus (evil)

[Chaigidel]

lazy qualifies as evil on my personal scale

[favre4ever]

lazy qualifies as evil on my personal scale

i was going to put evil after the lazy paranthesis. Idle hands are the gloves into which the devil...

[bushbush]

Confucius seemed to believe that. For example i remember he said giving a baby the choices of two colors, red and white, he would almost always pick red, that's the inherent trait of lust for menkind right there. Confucius believed that a good person is molded out of education by his or her parents and by others.