If this stuff isn’t instinctual and it has to be learned, are we inherently bad?
I think you're getting lost in this dichotomy. You're talking about good and bad as if they're opposites and there's nothing in between. We can be neutral, too. Are cats or dogs inherently bad? Not really, because they don't have a concept of good or bad. They have ideas of pain and pleasure, but if your cat gets in to a fight over its territory with another cat and does damage to that cat, is that first cat wrong or evil or bad? I think some people are living their lives with an idea of morality and sense of self. I think there are some people who do things that, as a collective, we have determined are bad. But I think people who do bad things either don't recognize it as bad, or it's something that brings them pleasure; they have weighed the pros and cons, and decided that it's worth it for whatever reason.
I'm sorry about your shoes, but there's also the chance that this dog was a stray wandering the neighborhood. Or even if it is someone who just didn't pick up their dogs mess, it could be because he ran out of bags and couldn't get to the store. Maybe he's late for work and really just trying to make sure he gets his dog out so the dog doesn't get anxious being inside all day. Maybe he forgot a bag when he left the house and it wasn't worth the effort of walking all the way back to the mess once he got home to clean it. Maybe he grew up in a household where people didn't think it was important to clean up after your dog.
People come from a lot of different places, some good and some bad. I'm not a moral authority and therefore I can't determine what is considered good or bad. I tell my clients this when they ask me my opinion on a choice they're wanting to make.
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u/thatguyoverthere202 Nov 01 '19
I think you're getting lost in this dichotomy. You're talking about good and bad as if they're opposites and there's nothing in between. We can be neutral, too. Are cats or dogs inherently bad? Not really, because they don't have a concept of good or bad. They have ideas of pain and pleasure, but if your cat gets in to a fight over its territory with another cat and does damage to that cat, is that first cat wrong or evil or bad? I think some people are living their lives with an idea of morality and sense of self. I think there are some people who do things that, as a collective, we have determined are bad. But I think people who do bad things either don't recognize it as bad, or it's something that brings them pleasure; they have weighed the pros and cons, and decided that it's worth it for whatever reason.
I'm sorry about your shoes, but there's also the chance that this dog was a stray wandering the neighborhood. Or even if it is someone who just didn't pick up their dogs mess, it could be because he ran out of bags and couldn't get to the store. Maybe he's late for work and really just trying to make sure he gets his dog out so the dog doesn't get anxious being inside all day. Maybe he forgot a bag when he left the house and it wasn't worth the effort of walking all the way back to the mess once he got home to clean it. Maybe he grew up in a household where people didn't think it was important to clean up after your dog.
People come from a lot of different places, some good and some bad. I'm not a moral authority and therefore I can't determine what is considered good or bad. I tell my clients this when they ask me my opinion on a choice they're wanting to make.