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Norms and values in society
Values and norms as a social problem
The meaning of good and evil
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Recommended: Norms and values in society
In my opinion, what is considered “good” and what is considered “evil” is almost entirely subjective, though heavily shaped and molded by the society in which an individual lives. The established rules and norms to which every society adheres tend to be cultural and will obviously differ between respective cultures accordingly. One culture’s interpretation of “good” can very well be another culture’s interpretation of “evil” and so on. This is even true between individuals within the confines of the same society or culture—obviously not everyone thinks the same or holds the general rules and norms of their culture in high esteem. Another important influence on the way in which people perceive and regard what is “good” and what is “evil” is …show more content…
In my opinion, people are not born inherently evil—it is a learned behavior that is influenced by their experiences, their choices, their circumstances, and even the interests and thoughts that they choose to entertain. An “evil” person is incapable of empathizing with others—he routinely dismisses other people’s emotions and feelings and instead receives pleasure from wronging and harming others. This makes him unapologetically selfish, egotistical, and disdainful in his words, actions, and behavior. If he appreciates the needs or desires of others in any respect, it is only to further his own interests and desires, which is ultimately stripping them of their humanity and objectifying them by making them no more than a means to an end—serial murders and rapists would be prime examples of people who I would personally consider to be evil. Again, however, it is important to note that even the evilest of people can still likely have good qualities, especially to those who love them, such as their parents—it is often black and white from an outside perspective, but not so much so for those who care for the
Evil can be a scary thing many things can influence on why a person may be considered evil or do evil things.People do things because they were influenced by others or by their own selfish desires,
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur into many shades of grey allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being. Man is not inherently good or evil but they are born innocent without any values or sense of morality until people impart their philosophies of life to them. In the words of John Locke:
Good and evil make the world we are living in today. However evil stands out more than good and people tend to focus on the evil behavior of humans more often. Human nature tends to decide that if someone looks evil they will be evil. The good and the bad make up the goodness in life. It is impossible to always be good or evil but there are things that can make us better or worse as a person. For one to be free, one must live in a world of evil and good.
People are not just born evil. There are certain factors that contribute to this type of outcome in a person. There is a usually history of abuse or neglect. They felt unloved, or even unworthy of love. There is also the possibility of there being a chemical imbalance, causing abnormal brain functions, thus, making someone incapable of certain human emotions such as empathy, compassion, or pity. Other things that can cause someone to ‘snap’ could be sexual inadequacy, maternal smothering, paternal abuse, and narcissistic borderline personality disorder (a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy).
...good nor bad feels wrong to us. This is because, as the centre of our ethical system, God represents perfection and what humanity is meant to achieve. People simply wish to be good, and to be good means to become more like God, a central idea in a number of religions.
“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” (Eleanor Roosevelt). This is just one of the infinite examples of how human nature has been explored by so many different people. Each and every human is born with the capability of making their own choices. The decisions that they will make in the future will determine how evil they are viewed by others. Although one’s nature and nurture do affect their life, it is their own free will that determines whether or not they are evil.
In the world of the living, evil is not inherent and can change or influence a person’s aspect of the world based on the community they are in. Evil is the force of things that are morally wrong and the matter of suffering, wrongdoing and misfortune (Merriam Webster). Evil is not inherent because an evil community can change or influence a person’s way of thinking, can consume people the more they are relinquished to it, and can mold a person when a person has power or feel a certain way. Furthermore, evil can be claim as not inherent from reading about Josef Mengele, Stanley Milgram, and the Stanford Prison Experiment. I will persuade my point that evil is not inherent from the sources that depicts the claim of evil.
All humans are capable for evil just as all humans are capable of good. The capacity for evil does not make a person bad just as the capacity for good does not necessarily make a person good. We all are capable of evil but that does not mean we do evil things. It would be ludicrous to assume that there is a person who is not capable of evil because we are capable of evil through just by existing. Anyone could pull the trigger of a gun and kill someone but not many people would. It is going against inclinations and choosing to not use that capacity for evil that determines whether we are good or
Are humans naturally good or evil? This age-old question dates back to as early as the Chinese Dynasty and is still being argued to this day. Thomas Hobbes believed that all humans were born cruel, that they began cheating others to benefit themselves. Whereas, John Locke believes that humans are born good and pure, but become evil based on experiences and obstacles in life. In my opinion, all humans are born good and become cruel based on their experiences. I feel this way because when you look at a new born baby, they are seeing the world for the first time, and although they are screaming and crying, they are pure. They do not want to do anyone any harm, and you do not wish to cause them any harm. The same goes for young, growing children
Since the dawn of modern civilization the terms good and evil have been used to describe the world and the various things within it. Things ranging from the concepts of the Devil, to the kid the cut in front you in the lunch line in the third grade, evil can be defined in many ways, however, evil is generally defined as something that goes against a single set of moral principles that society has defined. This is not true because evil is something that an individual perceives that they believe will cause them harm and goes against their individual moral beliefs, not some universal concept accepted by everyone.
“Morality is doing right, no matter what you are told, religion is doing what you are told, no matter what is right”(Mencken). What makes a person evil? What makes a society evil? Is it their looks? The way they sound? The way they think? My parents used to tell me there was a devil on one of my shoulders, and an angel on the other. I always have thought that was a ridiculous thing to think. I mean if they’re there, why can’t I see them? Every single person on this earth has made a mistake at least once. Most of which are from either trying to do the right thing, or thinking of nothing but ourselves. During world war two we have seen many examples of this, the appeasement made by Chamberlain was in an effort to try and protect his own people.
Some people are mostly good, some are mostly bad, but none are good or evil.
Macbeth is a play, written by Shakespeare, about a soldier who is overtaken by ambition. The soldier, Macbeth, starts out as a loyal soldier who fights for Scotland. As the play progresses, Macbeth becomes more and more evil, killing whoever is a threat to him. Evil overtakes good for Macbeth.
What draws the line between good and evil? Individuals have the power to choose either one in their actions. Do factors such as a situation, the environment, or a learned behavior have an influence on human behavior? Individuals are influenced by situations which make them behave differently than normal. Individuals have the need to be accepted in society. What causes individuals to have the feeling of being accepted in society in order to fit in? The hypothesis suggests everyone is influenced by their environment and by certain situations. Society has painted the image that individuals need to be accepted by others and are willing to forget themselves in order to get accepted.
Are human beings born to be good? Or are we naturally born to be evil? A person’s nature or essence is a trait that is inherent and lasting in an individual. To be a good person is someone who thinks of others before themselves, shows kindness to one another, and makes good choices in life that can lead to a path of becoming a good moral person. To be a bad person rebels against something or someone thinking only of them and not caring about the consequences of their actions. Rousseau assumed, “that man is good by nature (as it is bequeathed to him), but good in a negative way: that is, he is not evil of his own accord and on purpose, but only in danger of being contaminated and corrupted by evil or inept guides and examples (Immanuel Kant 123).” In other words, the human is exposed to the depraved society by incompetent guardians or influences that is not of one’s free will in the view of the fact that it is passed on. My position is humans are not by nature evil. Instead, they are good but influenced by the environment and societies to act in evil ways to either harm others or themself.