Is evil an inborn trait of mankind.

[DarkeWolf]

While I do agree that "evil" is a subjective term.... My answer is yes. It is.

Manhkind has some incredibly destructive traits. We destroy not only our own ecology, but that of all the living things around us. Our human neighbors, and those that are a part of nature. We take, and we dont stop taking. And when something impedes that course of action, many of us jump to destructive means in order to resume that action.

History, past and modern is filled with instances of our crimes as humanity as a whole. And as our numbers rise, the worse it gets. As we gain more power, the worse it gets. We are, a destructive and violent animal.... as a whole.

Thats not to say that ALL of us are, but humanity, as a whole? Yes.

 

Why so? This is my reasoning. In nature, there is always a control factor. Animals predate on other animals, and help keep their numbers down to levels that their environment can sustain. Herbivores keep plantlife from overruning what its surroundings can sustain.

People? Well... we've established ourselves pretty high up on the food chain, and made ourselves into so pretty nasty predators. In nature, with our advantages, there's not a lot that can mess with us on a large scale. So what does that leave to control us? Others of our own kind. Other predators with the same advantages and weaknesses to control our populations.

 

Think about it. What happens when towns/cities become too crowded? Violent crime comes up on the rise. What happened not so long ago when a country couldnt sustain it's needs? They went to war with their neighbors. Death. Population control.

 

Thats my thinking. That we have this violent, aggressive, competitive, and dark natures to us, because we are the only predators left that can affect us on a large scale. That can keep our numbers in check, to thin the herd when it becomes necessary. Thats why I believe that humanity has that darker nature.

 

And what happens when our numbers get too big to thin via fang and claw? We create methods to kill in large scale. To decrease the population in larger numbers more efficiently. I mean, we could literally kill almost all life on the planet and just sit by as a computer just keeps up the genocide.

 

So there it is, my answer is that yes, as a whole, evil is an intrinsic part of our natures. And honestly, my opinion is that it needs to remain so. Albeit, with temperance.

[TheCalliton]

id have to say evil is not inborn, we grow up in a world already corrupted, and we become corrupt to fit in

[Balagor]

@Darky

Those are sombre words indeed, but true. I fully agree with you.

However, we have got one tiny little, but deadly dangerous enemy that you left out; the virus. This and our own stupidity has created what is known as resistant vira, due to our exagerated use of antibiotica in food.

This is a greater issue in western countries than in for examp. developing countries. In that way, without thinking about it, without any evil thoughts, we might end up, being the controllers of the herd ourselves. Perhaps Nemsis exists after all.

[SunnySummers]

The term 'evil' is as subjective as it is elusive, it is purely dependent on a person perspective hence it is difficult to make a generalised statement regarding what qualifies as evil.As human beings , we are born with the virtue of rational/irrational thought and the ability to recognize (if not feel) emotion therefore the attributes such as planning, plotting, sabotage, pride, jealousy, egotism mercy, persuasion, coercion and the likes are peculiar to human civilizations.The ability to think combined with our socio-economic structure lays down our moral code which in turn determines our perception of an event, person or circumstance and thus opinions differ. What may be an act of kindness for one person could be evil for another person.Say for an example, A man (x) steals some money from another man (y) . The act would be considered as a crime against law and labelled as an evil deed. simple. But what if This evil deed would earn him some money to feed his children who would have died of hunger otherwise, since he had no other way to feed them.Now would that be an evil deed .There could be a lot of other variables involved but the point here is that evil cannot be defined .

But aside from existential debates ,abstract theories and literal definitions, when we look at the general understanding of the term evil, even then, I don't think that evil is an inborn trait of mankind.A newborn can be compared to soft clay which could be moulded into any form.When a person is born, he is ignorant of any codes of moral conduct, all he is aware of is his physiological needs -hunger,thirst,sleep-that too, not consciously.He is neither good nor evil (common understanding of the words implied) As he grows, he starts absorbing and learning from what he sees around himself (whether good or evil) and builds up his essential character and psycho-intellectual platform.A child's up-bringing, his socio-economic structure, his cultural background and circumstantial obligations gradually determine his moral code ,conduct and his definition of good and evil.

That is why evil is not an inborn trait of mankind but a by-product of his interactions with the socio-economic structure.