A Look at Human Nature

There is an ongoing debate about human nature.  Some believe people to be inherently good, while others believe the opposite, and everything in between.  So let me give you my take.  Regardless how life originated, we can all agree that people need guidance, training, education to develop into productive members of society.  We have all been potty trained, given direction in manners and customs common to our everyday lives, and told what is right and what is wrong.  This is all good and well, but there is a lot of disagreement, especially from culture to culture, how these things are determined.

In my assessment, people are consistently self serving, and take the path of least resistance.  This is neither good nor bad, morality doesn't even enter into it.  It is biology and physics.  Our primary goal, once born, is to stay alive.  Our secondary goal is to procreate, and after that, the next goal is to make all that easier and more enjoyable.  These goals/objectives are hardwired into us.  That is to say, it's natural.  We need to be potty trained not because we're naturally bad, or want everything covered in filth, but because nature dictates we must eliminate waste, and without direction and standards we will just relieve ourselves wherever, like any wild animal.

No, morality really has nothing to do with it.  People are neither naturally good or bad.  People naturally want to live, and live easy.  Society has decided that in order for the most people to live and live easy, we all need to agree on some basic rules, like no violence, no theft, and be polite.  Of course, some people didn't take to that early training, and decided that they deserve easy life at any cost.  This produces injustice, crime, and generally poor behaviour per social standards.  These people are not inherently bad, though, they just don't understand how to mesh nature with structure.  Some are hopelessly lost, and need to be removed from society because of this, and some can be taught to integrate.

I suppose, in the end, as long as we all understand that everyone has the right to live and pursue their own accommodation, then there is no need for debate over human nature.  But there will always be debate because people seldom look at it through the eyes of science and logic.  All I ask is that we respect life, and take responsibility for all consequences linked to us.  Good journey.