Human Nature
Good or Bad?

Whether human beings are instinctually good or evil in an elementary natural state is a question that has been boggling the minds of even the greatest philosophers. There is a spectrum of theories that support both good and evil within the human race, each with valid points that explains the range of our interests, being either for ourselves or for others. However, my personal stance is the sensible theory of Altruism. Past experiences and observations allow me to take the stance, and support the argument that humans are caring and genuinely good individuals and have the will and desire to help those around them. Philosophers such as Mengzi (4th Century BCE) also known as Mencius in the West, explains
That conscience is the key to making moral choices – and making moral choices is integral to human nature.” 1 This, therefore; supports the idea that one must perform acts of kindness and good in order to soothe the conscience. This conscience must be heeded in order to fully experience human nature that is driven by good deeds.

One of the largest impacts of human nature is the environment that shapes it. John Locke (1632-1704) characterized a new human mind as a, “blank sheet of paper and a clean slate.” 4 His theory stating that human nature is not predisposed to good or bad, but is dependant upon and is influenced by the environment that the individual was raised and lives in. Which is similar to the behaviorism theory of B.F Skinner, who claims that people’s behavior is completely controlled by their given environment. Essentially, both theories depend on the surrounding environment to determine how the individual will fall into society on a spectrum of good and bad. An example of the influence of environment is easily displayed with the illustration of two dogs. If one dog is brought into a family with loving and caring owners another is brought into abuse and torture, which dog is going to be good and which one evil? The answer is obvious, with the evil one being the negative and destructive environment.
If the dog is raised with torture, neglect and shown no endearment how is good