Are People Born Good?|5 Minute Video
In our universities, newspapers, and television shows, it is a given that external forces are the cause of crime. If not for murder, rape and poverty would be much lower. If not for bigotry, America’s inner cities would be far wealthier. So on and so on. At the core of this belief is that people are basically great, and it is society that makes them bad. This concept is just not true. As Dennis Prager discusses in this video, humanity is not generally excellent. It is not, though, basically bad. People are born more or less neutral. And it is incumbent upon moms and dads, instructors, and yes, society, to turn children into great grownups. It doesn’t happen on its own.
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Script:
There are 2 important– undoubtedly, basic– concerns you need to address in life:
The very first is: Is there is a God– particularly an ethical and evaluating Creator. The second is: Are people basically great?
Your answer to the 2nd concern will shape just about all of your ethical, social, and political views– much more than whether you believe in God. That’s why a follower and an atheist who have the very same views about human nature usually have the very same social and political views.
Let me give you some examples:
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Poverty triggers crime.” You are most likely to think that poverty or bigotry or some other outdoors force causes individuals to commit violent criminal offense if you think that individuals are generally great. That’s the only way you can make sense of the fact that some individuals devote criminal offenses despite their essentially great nature– something drove them to it. However if you don’t think people are generally excellent, you are even more likely to blame the lawbreakers themselves, not outside forces, for their actions.
Another example: in a society where it is thought that individuals are essentially excellent, moms and dads and society do not devote fantastic efforts toward making great people. If we are born good, why do you have to teach goodness? On the other hand, those who do not think we are born all that excellent understand that moms and dads and society have to undertake significant efforts to make children into great adults.
Ok, then, are people basically great? As I will reveal, given humanity’s history, the response must be apparent. Of course, human nature isn’t essentially great.
Now, this doesn’t imply that people are basically bad. We are born with genuine possible to do excellent. We are not essentially great.
Take infants. Infants are innocent and adorable, however they are bad: They are totally self-indulgent– as they need to be in order to endure. “I want mommy; I want milk; I want to be held; I wish to be comforted, and if you do not do all these things immediately, I will ruin your life!” That’s not goodness; that’s narcissism.
We are born narcissists, preoccupied with “primary:” ourselves. And if you’ve ever dealt with kids, you know how harsh, how bullying, they can be.
And do not parents have to tell their child tens of thousands times “Say thank you”? Now, why is that? If we are naturally good, wouldn’t feeling and revealing gratitude come naturally?
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source
If you believe that individuals are essentially great, you are most likely to believe that poverty or bigotry or some other outdoors force triggers people to commit violent criminal activity. That’s the only method you can make sense of the reality that some people commit criminal offenses despite their basically good nature– something drove them to it. If you do not think individuals are essentially great, you are far more most likely to blame the wrongdoers themselves, not outdoors forces, for their actions.
One more example: in a society where it is believed that individuals are essentially good, parents and society do not devote excellent efforts towards making great individuals. On the other hand, those who do not think we are born all that good understand that moms and dads and society have to carry out significant efforts to make children into great adults.
