26 Sep 2002
Good by nature? Bad by nature?
It seems to me that Americans, and maybe other people, are divided on a fundamental question.
Are people good until corrupted by society? Or does society tame our immoral (or amoral) natures?
Here’s an example of what I mean:
Some people say that racism is learned. It’s society and her institutions that teaches people to discriminate against people who look different.
Other people say that racism is innate: people fear people who look different, but society teaches us not to be racists. (Imperfectly, of course.)
So: where are you on this question?
How does your viewpoint affect your actions?
Is one outlook inherently immoral?