Do you believe everyone has some good in them? Or are there some purely evil people out there?

[goldgunsgirls]

I'm a strong believer that every single human has at least some good in them. And I feel like that helps me a bit in judging people less, which I feel is a really important thing in life. I often get a lot of hate for saying something like this, but even for people like Hitler or Osama bin Laden, I feel like they have at least some good in them. I'm sure Hitler gave some people hugs haha. I'm sure bin Laden brought joy to some people (and not by harming others).

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Yes, everyone has some good in them, even if the bad far outweighs the good

No, there are some people out there who have no good qualities

Other

Updates

+1 y

Vishna raised a really good point/question in her answer. Is this even an important question? After a certain point, does it really matter whether a person is 99% evil or 100% evil?


I do feel it's a very important question that helps define what humanity is. For all you religious folk out there, if a person exists who is 100% evil, how could that even be possible if he/she came from God? And even unrelated to religion, I feel this is an important question for defining humanity.

[MrMarK]

To begin with I love your question!

there's an old saying that I can remember it goes like this:

Everyone has two animals inside of them a dog, and a wolf, acknowledge that both of them exist and you choose the one to feed, but don't starve one of them!

I don't know much about Bin Laden, Hitler though

Hitler was a soldier(not a good one), and a closet Gaylord.(pardon the pun) lord hahahaha

He murdered German officials, to gain status a seize power thought Germany, many wanted jobs and he gave them, 3.5 million people went to work over 3 years( to be fair) impressive.

In order to maintain his status he murdered Jews, Gays, spies, anyone who didn't conform to hide part of himself away. he chose to not accept himself so he killed others who din't fit what HE thought to superior so he blamed, killed, steal,anything to maintain himself as the ideal German because he felt normal. 50 million people, because of that! What a Dick.

However, if society was more open, we could prevent WW2!

I try not to hate, people like that, just pity them, that way I will never become like that, I accept myself completely and then I can overcome my demon, evil or not :D It's how we grow!

Biologically, is a different story( I don't have enough room for that) lol but everyone has a choice, even though some people have it worse than others, and if others they don't understand, only the person who has done it can... and sometimes that's rough E.G ask any Victoria cross holder.

WE are born good, evil is an effect passed on to us(genetically,chaos theory) from centuries past, to combat it we must understand why, accept, learn then move on.There is a reason for it all.

That the most I have ever typed, hope you like my point of view

[goldgunsgirls]

Hahahah, I like your answer. Lots of good insight there.

[MrMarK]

Any more thought you are willing to provide, do you agree?

[goldgunsgirls]

I agreed with most of what you said. But I have two points to offer.

1) I don't think society was the reason Hitler did what he did. First off, according to Wikipedia, there's no evidence of his being a closet homosexual. But second, even if he was, his actions were sparked by more than just the societal pressure not to be gay.

2) I'm not sure we're born good. We have to teach children how to be good most of the time, and children can be incredibly mean and selfish. In fact, I've...

[goldgunsgirls]

...grown a bit and developed my opinions more since I asked this question, and now I actually think that all this "good vs. evil" stuff is pretty vague and very relative. There's no universal moral code - we just go by what benefits us most, which is why we say stealing and murder are bad. But in the end, we don't care if we slaughter millions of cows a year. So I don't know if we're born good or not, but I also wouldn't say we're born evil. We're just born, haha, at least in my opinion.

[goldgunsgirls]

But I do really agree that everyone has good and bad in them and that, as you said really well, "to combat it we must understand why, accept, learn then move on". Although, again, "good" and "bad" are relative and vague. But it's best not to think of that stuff and just go through life anyway trying to help others as much as possible and lead a "good" life, whatever that means :)

[MrMarK]

To be alive is a miracle, act of love(whatever you want to call it) that's why we have two parents.

If you study all the religions of earth, they all teach a basic tenant...don't judge others, because in doing so you are judging yourself.

Growing up we need to be taught pain, fear, to create balance within ourselves to help us grow and help us overcome and understand what consequences will happen to us if we act in a certain way.We must lead a good life, so when were old we can look back and :)

[Distant]

That depends on your definition of "good". Most of the "evil" people in the world do one thing that others don't agree with and they're considered a demon. If Hitler was evil then so were the millions of Germans that supported him. Bin Laden wanted American influence out of the Middle East. They all have their reasons. That's why I'm not so quick to judge.

[goldgunsgirls]

Agreed.

[vishna]

I'm on the fence..some people are so I'm going with Mr. Plant 'it makes me wonder' is there any good in them? But we are all human and should be capable of good things as well as bad.

Some people are evil, bad, malicious, and seem to be void of good but there are times when they show their vulnerabilities, that however does not make them good or even show good.

Even if someone like Hitler did have some friends and was good (to some people) it doesn't make up for his actions and he was evil and shouldn't be given the benefit.

Ex) I had a friend who after doing some research read that Hitler had a thing for dogs and helped some child who was later found to be Jewish (not sure if this is 100 true) and she wanted to do a report on him, my teacher said no 'Hitler is evil and we should forget about him completely' and I don't blame her because it would seem to be uplifting a villain.

I guess I'm trying to say does it really even matter after a certain point? There are situations in which there is no turning back so even if we are all capable of holding good in ourselves our bad has overtaken that.

[Folklore]

yes. every decision someone makes matters. every time someone somewhere is affected by someone else. that matters. anything anyone does matters. to throw evil actions in the dark to be ignored doesn't mean it's not there. in a sense, it kind of condones it imo.

[vishna]

No, I'm not saying the evil actions should be ignored I'm saying there is a point of no return in which any good couldn't possibly hold any weight to the character of the person. That, in the end an evil person could have done some good but it doesn't matter. Lets say the old example Hitler saved a puppy from getting hit by a car, that doesn't make up for anything because of his later actions. I agree every action matters but not when it comes to the question asked, a little good doesn't make a

[vishna]

make up for a lot of bad

:/

[dodgersmom11]

Yes they do. All people are born with the capabilities for good and evil. It just depends on many factors and choices, which route they end up pursing.

These people were not "evil" as children and probably really sweet and had lots of friends, somewhere along the way, things changed and they "snapped". Sometimes kids do commit horrible crimes but babies never do... so for them its somewhere between being a baby and the age they committed the crime where things changed.

It can be anything from bad parenting, or lack of parenting, to being horribly bullied, a severe lack of friends, a curiosity for something like killing that turns into obsession...

I also try not to judge people. I try to love and accept everyone but I do believe there are people like the two you named, who just went "too far" down the evil road, a second chance for them to be good was not needed. I don't think anyone is actually horribly sad they are both dead.

[Distant]

Could babies not committing crime have something to do with the fact that they're not able to do so? Or to have cognitive thoughts?

[goldgunsgirls]

But what about even after they "snapped"? I'm saying that even after that point I think people still have some good in them.

[Tamikaze]

I have read several case studies on serial killers that do not describe happy children. In fact, they were described as anti-social and cruel as children and started out torturing animals in their youths before moving on to people.

[goldgunsgirls]

@Tamikaze: I think dodgersmom11 is talking about how something snapped between being an infant and being a child.

[Anonymous]

Someone told me that everyone wants what is good, but everyone has their own opinion of what is good- some people only consider what's good for themselves and that leads to selfishness and people doing bad things.

I think this view seems quite valid. Hitler clearly believed that it would be good for there to be one race. If he knew it was bad, he wouldn't have done it. Binladin was obviously brainwashed and believed it was good to kill Christians and Jews.

Although, everyone has a conscience. I don't know how much it would affect those types of people. maybe they have a warped conscience, or they ignore it? I'm not sure...

But then when the average person does bad things (such as argue with someone), it is just irrational and usually a spur of the moment. They consider their reactions to be right at that time... I don't know... I'm not a psychologist, but it's a really interesting questions.

[goldgunsgirls]

Yeah that sounds pretty accurate.

Although I'm not a very learned individual on the subject, I'm pretty sure bin Laden's objective wasn't to kill Christians and Jews. I think it was more of getting back at America in general for its involvement in the Middle East. It wasn't really a religious attack.

I'd go with they have warped consciences.

[Opinion Owner]

I thought it was simply the Christians and Jews because he called it Jihad.

It could be political though. I wish they would care more about countries such as North Korea who would oppress everyone. I don't think that ethics are their motivation though.

[goldgunsgirls]

Well obviously ethics aren't their motivation LOL. But revenge I think is at least a factor in it.

To be honest I don't hear much about North Korea in the news as to how it interacts with other countries. I thought the government only oppressed their own people? (Not other countries?) Which is still a problem, but not as big of one.

[Opinion Owner]

They really oppress their own people, and China has been giving them nuclear weapon supplies.

Someone who managed to escape said that every day you see someone die in public from starvation. If the Taliban are so fond of their religion, they would attack North Korea, because they send anyone who practices a faith to a camp where religious people are tortured and experimented on.

[goldgunsgirls]

True, but again I feel like the Taliban is more worried about protecting their people from the United States than saving the world from a lack of faith (although I'm sure both are important to them... and "protecting" their people could very well also be, in their mind, a way of saving their homeland from a lack of faith).

[EvilCookies]

I think that some people feel they have some sort of justification for their actions.

By that their motives aren't without a certain cause. Every side has their story call it whatever you like but frustration would override someone's thought process and in the end be the cause of violence.

The point being is that the spark that ignites the fire is what sets everything ablaze.

I think about every recent shooting incident that's happened in the US was for a specific reason. Mainly because these people didn't choose to be "evil" but more so they felt that they were or they had to be. They were "rejects" or "victims" themselves to the society around them. Who's really at fault here? who's really evil then? I think people act a certain to way the world and society makes them feel.

It makes them try to return the favor, even the odds..etc.

Make it fair for their own "suffering". They see justification for their behavior and I think everybody at some point feels that way but rarely ever act upon it.

but sadly enough nobody should ever resort to such causes.

[Tamikaze]

There is a difference between someone who may have been benign to those around them or, through no effort of their own, made someone else feel good, and actually having good in you.

Read some case studies of serial killers. These are people that have no ability to empathize or recognize someone else's suffering. They have no conscience.

I believe Hitler and any other leader who requires genocide to be purely evil. Even if Hitler brought happiness to some in his life, he was a ruthless murderer and even those close to him feared him and knew he could turn on them as well. Just because a murderer smiles at you and skips you over for death, but kills the one next to you, hardly qualifies as "good". Evil people can be perverse and enjoy the thrill of toying with those around them, giving an appearance of "good".

[goldgunsgirls]

Hitler loved dogs... I think that's a good side to him, even if there are way more bad sides to him than there are good sides.

[Tamikaze]

How do you know he loved dogs? Just because you saw him pat a dog on the head or heard stories about how he treated dogs, you cannot assume he "loved" the dogs.

[Tamikaze]

I agree with part of your update, what does it matter if someone pats dogs on their heads and takes care of them well if that person is the mastermind and feared instigator behind mass murder? Regardless, some people are 100% without conscience and unable to consider other people at all. They are dangerous. Not really of value to ponder how evil they are, but it is important to consider their potential for bringing harm to others.

[goldgunsgirls]

Well, I think both are important - considering their potential to harm others, and figuring out whether they're 100% without conscience or not. The former is important for protecting society, but the latter is important for the sorts of things you try to examine in things like literature, like what makes us human.

[Tamikaze]

Recognizing that there are psychopaths that lack what makes you human is important. Psychopaths are 100% evil.

[TheGodEmperorLeto]

lol, I think you need to be pointed to sociopaths, my friend. Sociopaths (clinically those who have Antisocial Personality Disorders) are, by definition, not good.

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So no, not everyone has good. I'd say the majority of the people on the planet are good, yes, but there are those who have no good in them at all and don't care about society or others or anything but themselves and their own happiness/life. And even then those people might not care about themselves.

Also, fun fact, CEOs/Executives are more likely to be sociopaths/psychopaths than the average population :D

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[goldgunsgirls]

Even sociopaths, I believe, have done some good things in their lives, and not purely for selfish reasons (so sucking up to someone wouldn't count - it would have to be genuine). Even something as simple and not-that-great as walking around enjoying nature. Although obviously I wouldn't be able to prove that.

[TheGodEmperorLeto]

You're being very naive.

[goldgunsgirls]

Maybe yeah. But meh I still do feel this way.

[TheGodEmperorLeto]

Feel as much as you want, just so long as you won't ignore logic and facts.

[goldgunsgirls]

I don't think it's a fact that sociopaths have no good in them. Sure, by definition they're not good people. The bad outweighs the good. That doesn't mean there's no good.

[TheGodEmperorLeto]

Clinically, having no empathy, care, or concern for others. That is generally considered bad. And having NONE means they are all bad.

[goldgunsgirls]

Sure, but do sociopaths really have NO empathy, care, or concern for others? Or is it just a "pervasive pattern" of it (from the Wikipedia link)?

[TheGodEmperorLeto]

All evidence so far and the people we've seen? Yep. Most of the time they claim to have empathy like saying they feel sorry, they really aren't. Time and time again it's found they only fake empathy to get something for themselves. Granted, like most things in psychology, there are levels of a disorder and how much someone has it, but those who are full blown sociopaths/anti-social? They have no empathy at all.

[goldgunsgirls]

Well, like you said, in most things in psychology there's a sort of scale. But I don't believe people ever reach the full extremes of any scale, be it autism, sexuality, or anything else. For example, nobody's ever 100% straight or 100% gay. Likewise, I doubt anyone's ever 100% sociopathic.

[Tamikaze]

QA, how is walking around in nature being good? The only walking around in nature I have heard of with serial killers was hunting for animals to harm. They cannot empathize, they have no conscience. Without a conscience, you cannot do unselfish deeds. By definition all you can do is fulfill your own needs. You need the ability to think of others to be unselfish.

[TheGodEmperorLeto]

There are those who reach the extremes of the spectrum. They aren't the majority, but there are definitely those people.

[HardAppleCider]

"Good" is only applicable subjectively from one objective/perspective to another. It is relative through and through, much like most things in this universe.

If observing from the perspective of "humanity" and the goal is "to benefit humanity" then no, not every person has good in them... well... unless those people are placed into very specific situations. For example, if douche-bag that shot up those people at the Dark Knight Rises opening night were running away from zombies, a shot in the leg would make him "good" for whoever else was running away with him. Other than that, he's not really "good" from this perspective at all.

[goldgunsgirls]

Lol I think you know that's not what I meant. I mean innate goodness, not benefiting humanity against your will. Some "good" things don't have to benefit humanity. For example, if someone was able to appreciate beauty in art and maybe even make some art him or herself, even if the artwork was never shown to anyone else, I would still label that as a "good" trait of theirs.

[HardAppleCider]

Again, this has to do with the relative nature of "good." Simply change perspectives and objectives and yes everybody can be seen as "good."

Goodness is only innate in that "there is something that any one thing can be useful for."

The Colorado shooter has innate goodness in him, if you're trying to find something to feed to a Lion.

[animalwithin]

I want to say yes but the past 12 years of my life tell me otherwise. I grew up with a very evil and mentally sick older sibling who was abusive to me, my younger sister, and my mom for all these years. This person is also very hurtful to others, hates people in general, obtains joy in making others miserable and hurt, and is even hurtful towards animals. After living with her during 12 incredibly difficult years, I really don't think she has any good in her.

To your religious point, I would say that Satan was created by God and was an angel before he turned 100% evil, or so the religious books say. I'm not one for religious conversations as they messy so I'll leave it at that haha.

[Anonymous]

I thin there is but the bad that exists in some people is brought out by how poorly they are treated or how misunderstood they are. The more intelligent you are I think the more susceptible you are to bad tendencies. That is why having good parents is so important. Parents think they are doing a good job but most of the time they are just really stupid and self and not understanding. If a person is hurt so badly whether it be from a parent's or friend's rude and hurtful comment to being sent away or who knows what else, then they retract into themselves and create conclusions and thoughts and feelings and assumptions that don't necessarily exist and they start to lose their grip on reality and create a small slightly skewed world of their own that determines their decision making. it's all about how we treat one another, it's pretty simple, humans are very social creatures

[pr3ttybr0wn]

No, everyone does not have good in them. And some people have more good in them than others do. There are some people who are just pure evil walking this earth. There are even some children who have no good in them, they are just pure evil. I think people who think everyone has good in them are being idealistic because they do not want to believe the truth about the dark side of human nature.

[goldgunsgirls]

I don't think I'm being idealistic. It's not that I don't want to believe the truth about the dark side of human nature. It's that I'm basing my belief on the fact that most things in psychology are measured on scale of some sorts (e.g. sexuality, autism, etc.), and I don't believe this is an exception. And for these scales, I don't believe anyone ever reaches the true ends of them. I.e., nobody is ever 100% straight, 100% autistic, or 100% good or bad.

[ThatPinkGuy]

I voted A, because no one is fully evil, its like that episode of the Justice League Christmas special where Flash is trying to deliver a toy for some orphaned kids but has to deal with Ultra-Humanite who falls on the toy and breaks it, after Flash being disappointed in himself, UH knocks out Flash, rebuilds the toy, and lets Flash take him in... So after destroying a museum and breaking the last remaining toy of the kind, he still helped Flash... (I sound really nerdy right now)

[NicholasHalden]

Good is there after someone has gone through a horrific circumstance. Evil is there when someone is not paying attention to the repercussions of their actions say a week or ten years from now. Until then good is nurtured and evil is transition into life as you pass a certain age.

[kmhco]

I think people always have a reason for doing what they do. It seems to me, people who do horrible things are labeled as being pure evil long before anyone tries to figure out why they did what they did. There might be a few truly evil people, I don't know, but I think its a lot fewer than the number of people who are labeled by society as pure evil.

[CrazyCherryBlossom]

Every human was born a baby. Small, innocent and a completely clean slate. Babies are born good. But as time goes by, the good can either stay or hit the hills. I believe that even the most evil person has an once of good in them. I'm sure Hitler had feelings for his family or friends, and he was doing what he thought was right... I guess.

Even if your a bad apple, there will always be the tiny bit of you that is a little good

[calialltheway1993]

To answer your question title, I believe so. Everybody has two sides- the good and the bad. Some times, the good side is on, and some times, the bad side is on. It depends who they're socializing with, and what they're doing at the moment. The people you mentioned as examples... they are some suporters out there. I Think Osama Bin Laden is more of an evil person for plotting everything he plotted for distrubing reasons.

[caligirl3]

i think people do have a soft spot for someone, hitler for an example loved his dog. But I'm not even sure hitler was the cruelest man ever lived, he had a lot of insane plans but he was sick and he didn't actually do the killing himself.

[BellaBella12]

He ordered for the killing though and was the cause of it. He didn't have to do the killing himself because he commanded thousands of others to do it for him.

I don't believe he was the worst though. I would say he was the second worst and Nero was the worst.

[caligirl3]

i don't like or want hitler's name cleared, I couldn't care less about him. But I mean I think its easier to order someone to kill someone rather then do the killing. When you hand out the orders you don't hear the people scream, watching them fighting for their lives or pulling the trigger. I don't think either one of hitler, nero, caligula or any other was the worst. I think the "normal" people that kill someone for fun or money

[goldgunsgirls]

Agreed. There are much worse people out there than Hitler. Which says a hell of a lot. Hitler's just famous because he had the leadership and other political skills to rise to such heights of power and be able to carry out his evil plans.

[caligirl3]

watch the show deadly women, some of the worst people are in that show and they didn't seem to love much or care about anyone

[Aizou]

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=Ypp1y9zfAv8&feature=related

^-^

[goldgunsgirls]

I lol'd at NPH in the background at 1:50.

[happy_drifter]

I believe all have good in them, but I voted C because I think certain bad actions can make any good lose its value.

[Folklore]

Imo, everyone is born good AND capable of evil conclusions

[Anonymous]

I have met people who are very nasty to their parents despite the care that their parents have always given them. This speaks a lot about the amount of evilness in them. However, at some points in conversations they may become honest and bear a little of their hearts out. I am touched by that honesty and reflection.

My point is that there is a good side in most people. However nasty they may seem, they have certain soft spots in their hearts which can lead them to more goodness.

[apple24]

Yes I do believe but I also believe that I annoy gonna search for a person kindness just because!!!

[Anonymous]

Yes of course

everyone has some good in them

but good is also subjective and some people might see it as obligatory while others see it as good

[Anonymous]

They may start out with good, but then stop using it.