Please answer the poll and explain your answer.
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Most people are good, and therefore we don't need a government..
Most people are evil, and therefore we need a government to keep them in line.
Most people are good, but we need a government to keep the evil minority in line.
Even if most people are good, the evil ones will gravitate to power. Hence, gov't can't work.
Please answer the poll and explain your answer.
I don't see a poll?
I think most people are neither one, but their actions can be one or the other. Evil and good people tend to be innovative and intelligent, and the majority of people are neither one. There have been very few genuinely good people or evil people in history, and those are just folks whose actions are far more often one than the other, and in ways which most people who matter can agree upon.
The average person on the street isn't evil, but more likely ignorant, or just does one or two really bad things. They also do a few really good things. Actions, not the people.
I believe most people are good, and there are a minority of evil people who gravitate towards positions of power and want to rule over others. This is why government as a concept fails completely, because it consists of the worst of the worst. If most people are evil, then government is evil so it can't be anything good.
Either stance actually supports the idea of voluntaryism or no rulers.
I guess it depends on the definition of "good". Few people are completely good or evil. I voted for option #4, however, because I do think power attracts the most evil and corrupt among us, who wish to rule over their fellow man.
“If you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” -CS Lewis
The use of force to impose morality is itself immoral, and generosity with others' money is still theft.
If our society were a forum, congress would be the illiterate troll that somehow got a hold of the only ban hammer.
if modern agriculture continues to follow the path it's on now, it's finished. The food-growing situation may seem to be in good shape today, but that's just an illusion based on the current availability of petroleum fuels. All the wheat, corn, and other crops that are produced on big American farms may be alive and growing, but they're not products of real nature or real agriculture. They're manufactured rather than grown. The earth isn't producing those things.. petroleum is! -Masanobu Fukuoka
I think "most" people adapt to their situation as they perceive to offer the least path of resistance and to what extent the nature/nurture debate enters into the good/evil argument I do not know. But the institution of government whereas it has a monopoly of force will most likely attract those who are of questionable morality and ethics and corrupt those whose ethics are weak.
I think most people have an inaccurate view of what constitutes good and evil.
None of the above to the poll options.
People are naturally evil and must overcome that to be good. Good people are the strong who overcame their basic selfish and narcissistic desires. They are rare.
That however does not mean we need a government.
"Even if most people are good, the evil ones will gravitate to power. Hence, gov't can't work."
People that would wish to be in control generally have a desire to have there own selfish agenda meet be for the will of the people.
Those that would hold there own needs before others when in a position maintain peace and order are evil and corrupt.
Evil will always gravitate to power, hence we will always have government.
Libertarians - trying to improve the world through ideas and free markets rather than legislation and prisons.
Not if those who are good -- or at least those who want to be free -- are strong and motivated enough to resist it.Originally Posted by Bman
“If you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” -CS Lewis
The use of force to impose morality is itself immoral, and generosity with others' money is still theft.
If our society were a forum, congress would be the illiterate troll that somehow got a hold of the only ban hammer.
I recommend checking out some Ayn Rand books.
people are just people. some choose to do more harm than good.
had they not had the opportunity to do harm, they may have done more good.
rewritten history with armies of their crooks - invented memories, did burn all the books... Mark Knopfler
I don't accept the premise of this question. I think everyone is geared toward their own survival, and is covetous and greedy. I think everyone's survival instincts manifest themselves in different ways, and these different manifestations are what we have arbitrarily labeled with vacuous terms like "good" and "evil".
Define "Good" and "Evil" Please.
Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.
Ron Paul 2004
Registered Ron Paul supporter # 2202
It's all about Freedom
I have a couple, just haven't gotten around to reading them. But if it is something to imply greed or narcissism is good, they won't change my mind on that. Greed and narcissism is what causes many of the ills of society.
Agreed. Ayn Rand's politics are good, but her morals are awful.
“If you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” -CS Lewis
The use of force to impose morality is itself immoral, and generosity with others' money is still theft.
If our society were a forum, congress would be the illiterate troll that somehow got a hold of the only ban hammer.
her morals or her values?
rewritten history with armies of their crooks - invented memories, did burn all the books... Mark Knopfler
No.
Most people are well-intentioned, but also short-sighted and ignorant. We certainly need a government.
Good = What is good for the tribe.
Evil = What is good for you.
(One of the reasons the lefties hate libertarians...)
I think most people will do what they perceive to be in their own best interest. Good or Evil are in the eye of the beholder.
Stupid is not an option....
Evil = irrational
Look at everything we call evil and in it's essence it's just irrational behavior.
Values, I suppose. I would say values are moral goals. So, a person could have good values -- meaning they know what's right -- but bad morals, if they fail to do it.
If a person has bad values, it's hard to imagine they could have good morals. Since I'm critiquing her ideas and not her personal life, however, I probably should have said values.
“If you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” -CS Lewis
The use of force to impose morality is itself immoral, and generosity with others' money is still theft.
If our society were a forum, congress would be the illiterate troll that somehow got a hold of the only ban hammer.
Good=Healthy and constructive for self and others
Evil=Damaging to self or others
Ayn Rand's moral views are evil, because they do not value the well being of others, only self.
Last edited by tremendoustie; 08-17-2009 at 05:03 PM.
“If you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” -CS Lewis
The use of force to impose morality is itself immoral, and generosity with others' money is still theft.
If our society were a forum, congress would be the illiterate troll that somehow got a hold of the only ban hammer.
Whatever the nature of man, a voluntary society will always be best. We should not have government for one because evil men will always seek power over others. A government which is a monopoly on the use of coercive force will attract these evil men.
No, you have to read them to understand.
Greed is always and forever going to be a part of human nature. Having a government (inherently full of greedy people) is the worst way to solve society's problems.
Exactly. But government "officials" rule over us and do what's in THEIR best interest, not ours. Can you see a problem here?
Neither. Every person and animal seeks to do what is in their rational self-interest. Sometimes that involves interdependence, sometimes not. Sometimes we're deluded and ineffective toward actually bettering anything in their life, sometimes not. Sometimes we harm others because we believe benefit outweighs risk, sometimes not.
Most people are stubborn idiots who will ignore their inconsistencies and continue believing they're doing something meaningful without a flinch.
I clicked the first option, mostly because I believe that ultimately most people are decent enough to take care of themselves.
And, if anything, it's not "evil" people who gravitate to power, but people who have an inflated sense of their own "goodness" and stupidly seek to impose that self-defined charitableness on everyone else to ill effect.
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