If man is inherently good or evil

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If Man is Inherently Good or Evil
Throughout history, one fundamental question that has repeatedly been asked by a majority of people is if human beings are naturally good or evil. Philosophers have for years debated the topic with some saying that human beings are good, but their good morals are only corrupted by the society. Others debated that human beings are naturally evil all that the society does is affirm their evil nature (Ellens 231). This paper is going to analyze critically the inherent nature of man if it is evil or good.
Two philosophers John Locke and Thomas Hobbes have contradicting view on the issue. Hobbes believed that human beings are inherently evil. He said that people are selfish and always act in their best interest. He believed that the major purpose of the government is to control the evil nature of people through setting standards and laws. He said the main purpose of setting these laws and standards is to put the evil nature of human beings in check. These laws set by the governments are necessary for protecting people from themselves. Hobbies argued and asked one important question. He asked that if human beings argue that they are good, why then do people lock their doors at night when they retire to bed? This act only unconsciously recognizes that people are naturally evil.
The base mentality of human beings is evil. Throughout history, people fought wars with one another that were not necessary.

They tortured people who were held captives and were made to be prisoners (Hendrick, 141). They raped such people and even went an extra mile of murdering them. All these evils are also reflected in the world today through various things that people do. Radicalized individuals set bombs into buildings that result in killing hundreds of people (Ellens 237). Some even open firearms into crowds killing people in the process. As much as there is a process that helps in keeping human beings in check, naturally there are evil.
To support the arguments of Thomas Hobbes, another philosopher by the name Hsun Tzu argued and said that human is inherently born evil. He believed that human beings are born evil, but then they are kept under education system through a teacher to try and eradicate the evil nature of man (Schneewind 335). He argues that even using the education system, it is hard to curb human beings evil nature and that is why a lot of evil things still happen all over the world.
On the other hand, John Locke argues that human beings are inherently good. Locke believed that human beings are social animals and have the power to identify what is good and what is bad. He believed that if only people followed good morals, the world would be a peaceful place. He believed that the main role of the government is to people’s protect the rights and liberties. He said that human beings have the power to govern themselves because they know the difference between right and wrong and are able to make the right decision. Locke’s ideologies were supported by other philosophers such as Mencius who was a Chinese philosopher (Hendrick 148). Mencius said that human beings are naturally good only that their nature is corrupted by various circumstances. The nature that an individual is born in can influence him or her to portray bad behavior.
In conclusions, human beings are inherently evil mainly because of the base mentality. This is a part of human beings that cannot be changed through education or any other instructions. The evil nature is mainly influenced by what surrounds people and the culture they are brought up in.
Works Cited
Ellens, J H. Explaining Evil. ABC-CLIO, 2011.
Hendrick, Clyde. Perspectives on Social Psychology. Psychology Press, 2015.
Schneewind, Jerome B. Moral Philosophy from Montaigne to Kant. Cambridge University Press, 2003.