Is Man Naturally Good or an Animal of Corruption?

Naturally, man as a form of animal is not self-sufficient, thus, he tends to participate with his environment. This participation between man and his environment tends to create other complex relationships among other constituents of the society.

Man is naturally neutral, unbound to the concept of good and evil because man is naturally bounded to his participation with the environment. As participation means acting accordingly depending on the stimulus, man’s action depends on the nature of his surrounding. Therefore, his nature can be justified using the existence of the concept of good and evil within his environment and the society he belongs.

So what is really the nature of man’s environment? We say that man’s environment is naturally good for it was made for its constituent. The environment tends to provide those who belongs to it their needs. From the basics of living to the maintenance of a society, the environment we call nature supplies. So, since nature is naturally good, man tends to be naturally good also.

Moreover, man is naturally good for man aims for preservation and peace. As there exist competitions in the state of nature, he usually creates associations with other to preserve life. But this action of creating alliances and associations does not imply humans being aware of their evil deeds but rather this implies humans acting against this existing competition by avoiding turmoil. This perception reveals the aim of human to avoid evil deeds as he knows that evil is against their existence.

Since man is not self-sufficient, these associations provide ways of improving life based on common interest and common good. The commonality between these social animals indicates the aim of achieving higher form of order and peace. With this, humans are good for they are not contented on temporary peace provided by the state of nature. This opens the opportunity for the achievement of the eternal peace which is the best for preserving life.

Next, man is naturally good for man acts because of reason. No one will act according to appetite alone. This implies that man tends to base his actions not just on animal instincts but rather on the purpose of living. Through reason man is capable of differentiating good and evil. From this, he can judge and base his judgment on goodness and therefore, through his action, he can define justice. As justice was promulgated according to the benefit of the society and as man aims preservation, justice therefore was made to preserve life.

Lastly, man is naturally good for man being part of nature was designed for goodness and not for evil. He may possess evil but still he has goodness as evil would not exist without goodness. But, since there exist goodness without evil, man from the start was designed to possess goodness as part of an association exhibiting goodness.

Man was naturally good; he was good for he was a man of reason and not just an animal of corruption.