Poll: What do you think human nature is like?

I believe people (for the most part) want to be good, but can't. The End.

i hate everybody. everyone is evil. angst. woe. tragedy.

Yep. We love you, too ;-)

Hatin's kind of fun.

I don't really know if people are basically good or basically evil. I would definitely say that humans take the path of least resistance. If they can get something without effort, they will choose that rather than expend the effort to get something.

I think K said it best in MIB:
"A *person* is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.

Jesus. I'm agreeing with Starfox *again*?!

Hold me, I'm scared.

Do you know who I was quoting in the first answer?

anne frank.

Yeah, Anne, Frank.

Poor girl had a first name for a last name.� Sucks when that happens.� Although I realize now that the hell she went through might be worse.� I'm a jerk.

when I was eleven, I was obsessed with her.

i'll write it soon. 'k?

(j/k)

as for the environmental/tabula rasa option, i think yes but that's only half of a dilemma, the other horn being: "their environment is a product of people's actions, thoughts and expectations".

"their environment is a product of people's actions, thoughts and expectations".

What you are really saying is that society is a non-linear system, everyone affects everyone else. Which is exactly what makes things so complicated.

i've lost all faith in mankind after being a charity fundraiser. i've discovered that most people are snobs and couldn't give a fuck about anyone else. [/phat generalisation] fortunately there are some genuinely lovely people out there. what's nice is that you end up forgetting most of the tossers, and it's the exceptionally great people who stick with you for a long time. :)

Hmmm. I'm not sure that A follows from B here.

I mean, just because I don't want to be bothered by someone calling/walking up to me on the street wanting money for some-random-charity-I've-never-heard-of, does that make me evil?

I'm prolly evil for much more interesting reasons than *that*. Heh.

On a similar note, if I give money to a charity, does that make me "good?"� Perhaps a better question here would be, "What makes�a person good?"� or "Can a person be good?"

gosh, that's such a short, easy topic.

What do you do in your fundraising? People aren't at their best when someone has their hand out.

When I take pledges at FUV most of the people are really nice. A few aren't and some are just lonely and want someone to talk to.

I think all people are good at heart. Sometimes it's easier to not be a good person though.

Hmmm.� I'd agree with that up until the "sometimes" part.� It usually is easier to be selfish, rude, etc.

"... I could write a book." 0o.

.oO Everyday I write the book Oo.

I mean, really, what *is* so funny about peace love and understanding? ;-)

Anyone read The Once and Future King by T.H. White? The last chapter covers this topic extensively. I really enjoyed it (both the chapter and the book[story of King Arthur]). I believe that people do things for reasons. This does not make them good or bad, just people with reasons. If someone I know randomly walks up to me and starts punching me in the shoulder (this has happened before) I know he is doing that because he is trying to get me annoyed so that I will snap and beat the living shit out of him, getting me in trouble and entertaining him. Ok, bad example. Whenever I get frustrated at my parents (I'm a teen), I think about why they are acting the way they are. I realize that they are trying to help me or trying to make me feel better by talking about things from what they think my point of view is. They are usually wrong, but I don't feel so bad when I realize that they are just trying to make me happy. I just try to look for motives in every frustrating situation.

-The Philosophical, Magical Bob

I love the Once and Future King. Merlin participate in our forums.

I feel that human nature is... for the most part... at its roots... selfish and selfpreserving with a twinkle of "help thy fellow man" tossed in there.

with a healthy sprig of blatent idiocy

And a dash of body odor.

.oO and a partridge in a pear tree Oo.

No. Wait a sec... That wasn't right...