One of the great debates of all time is whether or not humanity is, by nature, good or evil. It is clear that humanity has done many evil things and it is clear that humanity has done many great things. But, in their roots, which side of the scale tips? Are we an evil species? Or are we good?

My answer: both.

But, first off, I have a few issues with the question in general…

1. To generalize humanity as a species is a difficult and unfair thing to do. There are so many different cultures with different mores and priorities. What may be seen as evil in one culture can be completely normal in another. Even within a culture, there can be many different viewpoints.
2. What is evil? Is there anything that can be universally agreed upon as evil? That depends. Do we factor sociopaths and psychopaths into that? They may not understand the moral implications of their actions, but they may genuinely believe that what they do is right. There are certainly things like theft, rape, and murder that most people would agree are bad, but it’s (unfortunately) not universal.
3. What is good? Just like evil, is there anything that can be universally agreed upon as being good? I feel like it’s more likely that something could be universally agreed on as good, such as caring for the poor and elderly, or treating animals well. But, yet again, there are always naysayers.

So, back to the question. Is humanity inherently evil? It’s clear to me that humanity is capable of evil things. Both history and our present world both depict the presence of evil. But what causes such evil things to happen? In my opinion, massive acts of evil are the work of a few humans, and not the whole of humanity. That, however, raises the question of whether or not letting evil happen is also evil…

Is humanity good by nature? I don’t know. I think they are to some extent. Many great things happen and have happened in our world. Individually, the majority of people strive to be good people. But is anyone perfect? No. Not at all. Everyone makes mistakes. But is a mistake necessarily evil? Maybe not.

As individuals, most people strive to be good, but still have some bad in them. It’s a mixture. Nobody is entirely good, nor entirely bad. As a collective human species, the most of us may strive for good, but in the process commit terrible atrocities. People as a group can do terrible things because they fear not fitting in, dissenting with those more powerful than they, and crowd mentality. Is everyone in that crowd evil? Do they all even want to do the terrible act? No, probably not. But do they stop it? No, probably not. Are they evil? Rather, have they done something evil? Good question.

Have I answered the question? No, not really. I don’t know if it can be answered. But it’s an interesting thing to contemplate. I hope I provided you with some food for thought.