Is humankind inherently good or evil?

If humans were inherently good there would be no reason for a perfect god, right? But if they were inherently evil, there would be no search for a god at all… A demon does not search for a way to better his ways, he could care less because he likes that he is evil. This question of whether humans are naturally good or evil is a timeless one that has been continuously grappled with, always to no avail. But inherent does not mean exclusive…can’t there be a gray area? If humans were exclusively good or evil, who would know? Who would care? Philosophical questions such as this only come about because of the comparison of the two; you cannot know one is good without knowing what evil is and vice versa. Can some be born good or evil? Can others choose their own side? Can more still never choose, but continuously bunny hop the invisible divide between the two? Something to ponder: children are selfish by nature, they must be taught to share rather than resort to survival of the fittest methods (stealing); does this mean they are born evil? Are things evil by action or simply from intent?

My independent study novel, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, epitomizes this question absolutely with its struggle of two brothers and their reenactment of Cain and Abel and the first murder. Then there is also Cathy, who throughout the whole novel proves she has had no soul since birth, and will never even attempt to obtain one. Is she an abnormality in society, or simply an extreme case? But then Samuel is so wholly good and has not an evil bone in his body it seems. Where can such two extremes fit on the same scale? And between the opposing poles, of course, the many remaining characters fit in varying degrees.

In Oedipus, the argument can be made that Oedipus himself is inherently evil, for if he was not, he would not have killed that man on the road, though he did not know who he was, and would not have suffered the resulting consequences. But instead, the Sphinx knew he would kill this man, not knowing it to be his father, and in turn marry his mother.


IS HUMANKIND INHERENTLY GOOD OR EVIL?