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Why are we greedy?

Thu, 2008-01-17 01:07 — Encrypt
Question:: 
Why are humans the most self-destructive species on the planet if there was no 'original sin' or corrupting power such as satan to incite the evil? How did so much evil enter human society?
Atheist Answer: 

A quick point first: humans are also the most helpful species on the planet. We're the only species which deliberately makes entirely altruistic donations to people and creatures we'll never meet or be connected to in any way. Even if there are exceptions (I know of none), we do it a lot more than any other creature.

You assume that without some external influence, humans would be entirely good. That means you probably believe that humans were created by a god, in a better state than they are now.

With those two assumptions, yes, you can presuppose some malevolent counter-influence such as original sin and/or Satan in order to make evil possible in a world created and run by an omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent being. It's one possible solution to the age-old Problem of Evil, but one with its own pile of logical problems and without any evidence behind it.

On the other hand, you don't need these hypothetical influences to explain anything if you don't assume humans were created in the image of a god, or deliberately created at all.

If we have developed in response to our environment, being rewarded at different times by selfish acts and altruistic acts alike, and if we have risen above other animals in intelligence and ability to affect our environment, then without assuming anything else it makes perfect sense that we are collectively capable of and willing to commit the greatest acts of both what we call good and what we call evil. There is, in contrast to creation, mountains of evidence for this gradual development.

It seems like there's a disproportionate amount of evil in society because it's a worldwide and therefore HUGE society, and the news mostly jumps on negative stories. It's really a better world than that. Don't worry too much.

- SmartLX

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Thu, 2008-01-17 21:15 — SmartLX

(No subject)

Tue, 2008-01-22 12:38 — Encrypt

It is a good point that

It is a good point that there are people that do good for the sake of doing good but there are also a lot of people who do good (donate money to charity for example) to justify their own excesses (spending thousands of dollars on a new TV that could have fed many starving people for weeks). It can be argued that these supposedly altruistic acts are done for selfish reasons - to relieve one's own guilt (whether is is caused by divine influence or by good people in the media).

I am aware that the media portrays society in a very unflattering way and that most of the major problems are caused by those with mental illness or those who have had a harsh upbringing, however this does not explain the less major things that don't appear on the media. It may be a silly reference but if you consider the observation in "The Matrix" about human behavior being like a virus it is strange how human behavior is driven by greed and not survival. Especially in Western culture people are driven by the aquisition of excessive amounts of wealth. Why do humans make it their goal to 'get as much as they can' when every other organism has to goal of 'getting as much as they need'?

I'm trying not to worry about it but maybe that is why we are lacking solutions. People don't like what they see on the news so they eat up other entertainment in order to dispell what they see. Instead of finding a solution they find new ways of ignoring the problem. This may make one feel better in the short term but in reality is it just prolonging the issues.

Tue, 2008-01-22 17:57 — SmartLX

Yep, some are selfish.

Yes, some people are outwardly altruistic but inwardly selfish. It's obvious. But you're not going to tell us that no act in the recent history of humankind has been purely altruistic. True altruism does exist.

The more I read the more I'm with you, Encrypt. There is a lot of greed in the world, it's causing terrible trouble and we need solutions. And if demons or sin or Satan have caused the greed, then the solution is prayer and belief in God. However, I just don't think that's true. There's a lot of prayer and belief already happening, and where can they be shown to have made a difference in and of themselves?

Just because religions offer answers to the big questions doesn't mean those answers are right, I'm afraid.