I was going to do all of the assumptions category yesterday, but... as you can see that one got a bit longer than I was anticipating. Looking at the list again I will probably only be able to cover one or two at most.
Today's assumption: People are fundamentally good, but messed up systems make them act poorly.
On the face of it this stance seems generous and accommodating. We all want to at least try to think the best of others and the idea of evil is uncomfortable. Rejecting the concept of evil and saying that "bad" people are just victims of previous offense and/or misunderstood allows us to avoid other unpleasant questions. Like, where does it come from, do I have evil in me, etc.
However, this argument is a rejection of personal responsibility and is in and of itself one of the most evil and insidiously dangerous concepts that exists. It strips away the very foundation of our humanity, our free will.
Either we have free will or we do not. There is no middle ground. If we do not, which is an argument some make, then everything we do is simply the result of a complex series of inputs from our environment. In this scenario ALL morality, ethics, or any other form of behavioral norms mean nothing. I am absolved of all responsibility for my actions. There is no basis for truth or any sort of higher calling.
If there is no free will the only thing of value is what I want now. That undermines the very fabric of decency, morality, law and order, and civilization itself. The propagation of this philosophy in any form is the epitome of chaos and evil.
Phew... I think I made my point rather clear.
Going back to the original statement, even if most bad behavior was a result of poor systems humanity has never succeeded in creating a good one so hoping that we will stumble upon the perfect recipe for utopia seems like a bad bet.
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