Are Humans Naturally Good Or Evil?

Whether or not humans are instinctively good or evil has been a much talked about debate for many years and is known as an unanswerable question. Determinists, such as Thomas Hobbs, have come to the conclusion that humans are naturally evil and it is within our basic instincts to be greedy, selfish and otherwise drawn to chaos. Hobbs states that “our true nature arises in times of strife and it is within us, when threatened, to self preserve.” I on the other hand disagree with this famous philosophers take on human nature. In this short essay, I will argue that human beings are born with the instinct to be good and to love one another, as well as to be loved. Contrary to what Thomas Hobbs believes, a chinese philosopher by the name of Mencius, shares my beliefs. Mencius is most famous for his claim that humans are naturally born good. That we are born with the instinct to love one another, and hurting another person is an act against human nature. Children are a prime example in this instance. From a young age, children love their parents unconditionally, even when a
Mencius calls this the “heart-mind” concept. The idea of the “heart and mind” is the same as that of an auto response. Say a child is drowning in the neighbor's pool, the reaction would be to run out and save it, not for the sake of winning praise or reward, but to simply save the child’s life. This auto affective cognitive response to the child’s suffering is proof that sympathy appeals to the “heart-mind” concept. Saving a child from drowning leaves no opportunity to think about any form of consequence. Perhaps there is a large dog in the backyard of the neighbors house, or the mother of the child attacks you due to trespassing, or the guilt and sadness you could potentially feel for not being able to revive the child. There would be no time to consider oneself in this moment of panic, the good within us knows only to hurry and save the