"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" – Shakespeare
I remembered this quote from the play hamlet and thought that I could maybe I could relate it to some of the discussion in class and some of the ideas of Aristotle. Although it’s a widespread question that has been asked many times, do we know good from bad from birth? Or is there even a “good” and “bad” at all? In today’s world we like to think that there is a general set of human morals or a general idea of what is “good” and what is “bad”.
My question is; if we humans already know good and bad from birth then why would anybody ever do something bad? Why do we have laws? The truth is so clear and the answer to the question isn’t so simple as you have consider the whole spectrum of human emotion. If we look at Aristotle’s views, he believed that humans are born with bad character traits and good character traits and our actions can be traced back to these traits. Although this theory makes sense, does this mean that we are condemned to commit bad acts from birth? I put that Shakespeare quote at the top as it proposes an idea that we live in a world with no good or bad, the idea of good and bad are completely thoughts of man. Although this may scare many as it somewhat implies that there is no higher power watching our actions it is hard to argue against as what may seem good to one may be bad to another…
While I don't agree with Shakespeare, I do agree with some of your thoughts on this quote and idea that one thing may be "bad" to someone, but not someone else. I think everyone has certain standards of right and wrong... this is dangerous, as there are some crazy people out there who don't think murder or theft is necessarily bad... enter, law and what is legal. I think laws are good for the most part, as they punish people for committing serious crimes that are detrimental to society. But obviously not everyone agrees on right and wrong, what is legal and what is not... that's why we are always debating with each other and causing political scenes. People have different standards for good and bad... some follow the Bible and the Ten Commandments, others do what they feel is best for society as a whole, and a lot of people make decisions based on what is most advantageous to them individually. I would think most people follow what they were raised believing... often times change is too scary in itself.
ReplyDeleteI think this whole idea of good versus bad can be viewed as an unnatural thought process. A process that is instilled in everyone as they grow up. I think it can be considered unnatural because if it wasn't for your parents and other adults telling you what is good and bad as you grow you would have no concept of the two. If it was left to nature as it is in every other species on Earth murder would simply be classified as survival. Many species kill their own such as snakes and bears and it isn't considered bad, it's simply survival. So i believe at birth we are simply filled with natural ideas and it is simply how others help mold these ideas in kids which determines how each person expresses their natural instincts.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is necessarily a good or bad, but only what benefits us. Ages ago people realized that laws created order and structure, making it easier to survive. Laws made life simpler and more enjoyable. Overall laws benefited most people. Same with murder. It can be viewed as bad if done within a certain society, but if that certain society goes to war against another society, it becomes good since it benefits the first society for whatever reason. The Iraq war is an example here. Whatever benefits us is good, whatever doesn't is bad.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading your post I was reminded again of my sociology class (I recommend Soc. 001 with Sam Richards- it’s an awesome class). Laws or ‘rules’ were created among society as a way of creating order. Rules among humans range from concrete laws, such as laws against homicide, thievery, etc. But then there are also smaller laws which can be deemed rules, which living in a community of people inevitably produces. Rules like wearing clothes; speaking in a moderate volume; being respectful; are all put in place by us to reinforce the notions of good and bad. I disagree with Aristotle in that humans are born with bad traits and good traits- we don’t remember much of our early years so how could this be? I believe we are, to quote Professor Richards, “shaped largely by factors and forces completely outside of our control.” Interactions and relationships we have with other people and the natural world around us shape who we are every minute of every day, and I think it’s both unfair and untrue for Aristotle to say humans are born either bad, good, or both.
ReplyDeleteI think we are born with good and bad and we have to accept this about ourselves. There is no absence of it in the world - there are weeds and vines that choke out plants, just like some bad decisions choke out other things that are good. So then why would we want to, as humans, choke out others? Why would we do bad things? I think we do because it is easier to and we feel we can justify it because it may be "bettering" ourselves. It would indeed be a different world if we all did good things. Unfortunately, we cannot even fathom what that would look like.
ReplyDeleteWhen one is born, one cannot conceive of what is good, nor what is bad. One is can say that a new mind is pure and uncorrupt. Through out life one learns what is good and what is bad from outside source just as one were to learn calculus or biology. The fact that there is no good or bad at all is false. There are in a society a set of moral laws in order for the society to thrive, prosper and live on. When one was to infringe on that societies future one would be doing something bad, ie going around killing people or tearing down buildings. Another point I would like to make is that the idea of there is no supreme being is also one that can be deemed false. Not to get to religious but after doing extensive research, one can conclude that there is a Supreme Being and supreme law (I would not be a Christian today if I did not do the research). Interesting perspective.
ReplyDeleteThe idea surround what constitutes as good and bad are man-made constructs that are viewed differently across cultures and time. For example, some actions that I may perceive as bad today, may have once been highly praised by nomads during the old kingdom. Opinions of these two extremes may be best accessed by one's contemporary environment. While I understand why Aristotle felt that we are born with both good and bad character traits, this could be best in a different fashion. Above all else we're born with the capability to engage in good or bad behavior. It is ultimately up to us to learn our boundaries by becoming aware of what will and will not be tolerate.
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