This document explores the nature of humanity, debating whether humans are born evil or good, incorporating perspectives from philosophers like Rousseau and Adam Smith, as well as real-world examples like Mother Teresa and serial killers. It argues that nurturing influences shape individuals, suggesting that environment can corrupt innate goodness, while also asserting that humanity has an inherent tendency towards caring for others. The analysis is supplemented by quotes from literary works such as 'Lord of the Flies' and examines interviews regarding views on human nature.

1. By: Victoria Wong

2. INTRODUCTION
For hundreds of years, going back centuries or more, countless numbers of
philosophers have debated over the nature of mankind, whether humans are
born evil or good.
Numerous books and thinkers have argued over this topic such as the renown
Lord of the Flies and the members of the Enlightenment Salon, about
mankind’s nature with different concepts and interpretations.
In this presentation, you’ll find quotes and analyzes of them from well know
people and Lord of the Flies, and examples. Past and current news and my
personal ideas on human nature will also be described in detail.

3. Nature Vs. Nurture
Nature Nurture
If we’re naturally good or If it is society that makes us
evil good or evil
I believe that nurture can corrupt an individual eventually. Babies aren't born evil, its
only as they grow up, the environment and influence around them that effects what
they do.
FAMILY/ FRIENDS
It depends on their family and friends too. For example, if a
person had a bad family history, with their parents being
murderers or gangsters, and friends who stole and made
trouble, they’d most likely copy them because that’s what
they’ve been seeing since a young age.
CITY
Also, it depends on which places they live in, like if they live in a poor part in a city and has a lot
of shooting, gangsters, bullying and murders and such, then they will most likely be affected by
that. If you live in a bad city it is because of the 'survival of the fittest' nature that you’d naturally
become a gangster to save yourself, whereas in a good city with more police enforcement, you’d
be much less likely to do the wrong things.

5. Mother Teresa: Brief Biography
Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not
enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to
love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.
- Mother Teresa
• Who is Mother Teresa? She spent all of her life helping the poor people in
India, visiting and helping those who lived in slums and in poverty, giving her
life to helping those who were sick and suffering.
• What does she represent? Considered a saint, she represents the goodness
in human nature, who willingly gave up her own needs and comfortable life
to benefit and change thousands of others lives.
WHY?
• Founder of the Missionaries of Charity, where they opened schools, and
various centers to treat the blind, the aged, lepers, the disabled, and the
dying.
• She also found the Nirmal Hriday (“Place for the Pure of Heart”), a caring
home where the seriously ill could die with honor.

6. Mother Teresa: Human Nature
• “When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take
care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that
person what he or she needed.”
- Mother Teresa
• I believe that Mother Teresa has stated here, in an indirect way, of how human
nature may work.
• If we see a poor hungry man or woman, slowly withering away, it isn’t because they
did any sin for god to punish them, in fact they could be living comfortably right
now.
• It is because we don’t care for them, that we’d just glance or avoid looking at them
at all and just pass by. We’re much too selfish to care about their problems as we
don’t get anything back from helping, we’d rather save our money for ourselves,
even though they need it much more than us.
• If we do help them, it would only be giving them a coin which isn’t enough to help
them. Even if it’s a child, we are too selfish to take them into the warmth of our
house and feed them, even if its during winter and freezing cold, with the person
close to dying of coldness.

7. Mother Teresa
your love everywhere you go.” $
• “Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough,
money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread
- Mother Teresa
• Money isn't everything, giving money doesn’t means giving your love or
caring. It doesn’t bring happiness, as those can’t be bought.
EXAMPLE: If there was a beggar squatting outside your door, or shivering
beside your building, the most a person would do would be giving them
several coins, barely enough for them to buy a proper meal. If humans
showed morality, we would at least try to help them to the best of our
abilities, to find them a job or a possible way to live in better conditions.

8. Rousseau
• In the Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality, he
pointed out that it is natural in humans to be good
• He believed that civilization corrupts humans nature and that it is
not a wonderful thing as all of the people of his time had thought, but
a terrible monster that would eventually destroy and claw away all of
humans “born goodness” into shreds.
• Rousseau explains that it is the influence by our daily lives that is
affecting us and clouding our vision, growing the natural sin within us.
He expresses that we, humans, aren’t born naturally evil, (because
babies can’t be sinful,) but it is our surrounding environment that
corrupts our thoughts and feelings.
• “Man is naturally good, loving justice, and order”
• It is in mankind’s nature to be good, independent and compassionate
• He felt that feeling is more important than reason. Just do what you
feel like, no matter the sensible reasoning for the task.

9. Adam Smith
The Theory of Moral Sentiments (a book by Adam Smith)
• “How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently
some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of
others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he
derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it.”
- Adam Smith quotes
• Humans are complex, although we’re selfish, something within us
still tugs at us, a desire to care for the welfare of others.
• We wish to make other people happy, and yet we expect nothing in
return, apart from the pleasure of doing it.
• So humans, ARE naturally selfish, but we’re still good in away.
Because we are taught from a young age either directly or indirectly
about morality, we still have some willingness to help others within
us.

10. Lord Of The Flies

11. Evil in Lord of the flies
In William Golding’s novel, the Lord of the Flies, he constantly shows the evilness in our world. Set on an
deserted island where a plane full of school boys crash, representing the miniature version of our world,
this story shows us Golding’s perspective on Human nature.
The Pig’s head on a stake
The Pig’s head on a stake was placed in the forest as
a gift to the “beast” by Jack, the Id in the story.
SIN IN BOYS
Simon, found out while looking at the pig head that
the beast that the boys had imagined isn’t real but
is the sin in human nature, of irrational fear.

12. The action of CRUELLY killing a living sow, a mother
who was feeding her children, shows how …
Jack and his hunters have cast aside their civilized selves
for exchange being wild savages without mercy.
The fact that they had FUN and tortured the pig to
death shows how eventually a civilized and kind
person can naturally turn bloody and ruthless
overtime when left alone

13. Lord of the Flies: Quotes
Before After
“Roger stooped, picked, up a stone, aimed and threw it at “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee;
Henry- threw it to miss.”- Narrator (page 51) the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and
Roger still is civilized enough to miss Henry on purpose. ceased to exist.” – Narrator
The thought of punishment and consequences still
remain more clearly in his mind than the realization of Roger killed Piggy on purpose my shoving a GIANT
being able to do whatever he wants. rock onto him = EVILNESS
1) Roger killed him out of cold blood for no gain at all.
2) Before Roger still had a bit of civilization in him , now
its all gone, he has gone wild, and turned evil,
showing mankind's true nature when finally having
the ability to do it without punishments or
consequences.
Chaos

14. GOLDING’s MESSAGE
William Golding’s message:
Apparently, Golding thought that mankind was naturally EVIL and when left alone,
they create chaos.
Even if the person was previously civilized, if they are thrown in a place where
there are no punishment or consequences for their actions, it’ll eventually dawn
on them that they can do whatever they like, and that is when the monster comes
out in a person.
Golding shows us about this idea by putting a group of boys on a deserted island.
With no laws and punishment for their actions, most of the boys start out from
hesitating to kill a pig, to actually killing Piggy and Simon and attempting to hunt
down Ralph in the end in pure cold blood.
EVIL EVIL

15. INTERVIEWS

16. Interview of other people’s perspective
Video Interview: Sara Pistono Questions for Interview
1. What do you think that human nature is like?
Good, evil, neutral, or half and half? And why?
2. Do you think that man kind is “born” evil or good,
or neither? Why?
3. Does society affect man’s thoughts, does it affect
human nature?
4. Do humans have any “good” qualities in them? Or
all are we completely absorbed in self interest?
5. If you put humans unaffected by society on a
place, say babies were put on an island and they
grew up there (somehow, without outside help).
When they grow up, would they naturally become
savages and destroy the island, or would they be
“noble”, and have peace and harmony prosper?

17. Interview of other people’s perspective
Video Interview: Deanna Pistono Questions for Interview
1) What do you think
2) Do you think that
that human nature is
man kind is “born” evil
like? Good, evil, neutral,
or good, or neither?
or half and half? And
Why?
why?
4) Do humans have any
3) Does society affect “good” qualities in
man’s thoughts, does it them? Or all are we
affect human nature? completely absorbed in
self interest?
5) If you put humans unaffected by
society on a place, say babies were put on
an island and they grew up there
(somehow, without outside help). When
they grow up, would they naturally
become savages and destroy the island, or
would they be “noble”, and have peace
and harmony prosper?

19. Current News: Serial Killers
Charles Manson Andrei Chikatilo
• He had a terrible life, his mother having him as an • When he was young, World War II started and as the
illegitimate son at age 16
USSR went against Germany, famine spread to his
• Lived with highly strict religious aunt and brutal Ukrainian village in Russia.
uncle, who tried to “make him a man”
• Once his alcoholic tramp of a mother was bailed • He was told by his mother how his brother was
out of jail, she refused to have anything to do with kidnapped and eaten by his neighbors, (but unknown if
him in the end, even once trying to pay for beer by that was true),this probably gave him an idea on
giving Charles to the barmaid. cannibalism.
• A life of violence and loneliness, with no friends and • Mother was brutal, he was beaten and humiliated
mistreated by family.
• Wrestled a girl to the ground at 15, giving him the urge
• Started following his mother path to overpower people.
• Committed rape, drug use, pimping, stealing, and
fraud. • He became a teacher, but was highly shy and was
constantly bullied and highly disrespected by his
• Sent to many reform schools, Jails, institutes etc.
students.
• Tried to start up a racial war, misunderstanding the
Beatles song “"Helter Skelter” thinking there would • He was so scared of the boys, that he even carried a
be a war with African-Americans rising against knife with him
whites. • This led to him (quite possibly) into becoming a serial
• When it didn’t happen, he decided to help them murder.
start it.
• He ended up becoming a serial killer, responsible for
• Started a group of murderers, famous for killing torturing, murdering, and cannibalizing 50
Sharon Tate, an actress.
children/young people.

20. Serial killers explained
• For both Charles Manson and Andrei Chikatilo, they both
had terrible past lives. Indeed they have done terrible
things, with Charles Manson a famous criminal
representing the evil icon, and Andrei Chikatilo the most
notorious serial killer ever.
• However, if they had had better lives, with family members
who cared for them, and that they were never mistreated,
they may have never became brutal mass murderers, they
could’ve actually been GOOD. If they had had parents to
teach them what was right an wrong, like for Charles
Manson, if his mother wasn’t also a criminal, they would’ve
probably never have looked at things the wrong way that
they did.
• Although, it is quite possible they were born in that way
too. For Charles Manson, he could’ve been a pretty famous
musician if he had chosen to. Instead, mankind’s “evil
nature” kind of overtook him, and he turned to murdering
instead.

21. • It is true that humans are naturally selfish and greedy. As shown in Lord of
the Flies, mankind when left alone without the boundaries of civilization to
keep them in will eventually run wild. However, I believe that like Adam Smith
said, humans are naturally born evil, but there is still some good within us,
either by donating or just helping out people in trouble. We’re good in a way
such as Rousseau mentioned.
• Nurture can also corrupt an individual eventually. Babies aren't born as
murderers, it’s the environment around them that effects what they do added
by the fact that we are naturally self-interested. If a person had a bad family
history, with their parents being murderers, they’d most likely copy. If you live
in a bad city it is because of the 'survival of the fittest' nature that you’d
naturally become a gangster.
• If you compare Charles Manson and Andrei Chikatilo, as much as it is their
personal fault, they had terrible past lives. However, if they had had better
lives, with family members raised them up, teaching them the right concepts
they could’ve actually been GOOD.
• I believe that there is no plain good or evil in an individual, with few
exceptions. We are naturally evil, yet good in a way, and we’re both affected
by Nurture and Nature. There is no completely good or evil person on this
world, and there never will be a perfect individual on our planet.

23. Sources
• Mother Teresa
• "Mother Teresa Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 09 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mother_teresa.html>.
• http://www.school.ebonline.com/eb/article-9071751?query=Mother%20teresa&ct=
• http://www.school.ebonline.com/comptons/article-9277304?query=Mother%20teresa&ct=
• Teresa, Mother. "Words By Mother Teresa." Global Catholic Television Network | EWTN. Web. 09 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.ewtn.com/motherteresa/words.htm>.
Rousseau
• Kreis, Steven. "Jean Jacques Rousseau, 1712-1778." The History Guide -- Main. Web. 02 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.historyguide.org/europe/rousseau.html>.
• The PDF file you gave us for Enlightenment salon
Adam Smith
• Adam Smith. (2005). Adam Smith Institute. 24 August 2011. http://www.adamsmith.org/adam-smith/
Serial Killers
• "Andrei Chikatilo’s Childhood." Twisted Minds - a Website about Serial Killers. Web. 06 Oct. 2011.
<http://twistedminds.creativescapism.com/most-notorious/andrei-chikatilo/>.
• "Charels Manson’s Childhood." Twisted Minds - a Website about Serial Killers. Web. 06 Oct. 2011.
<http://twistedminds.creativescapism.com/most-notorious/charles-manson/>.
• 19, July. "Andrei Chikatilo." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Oct. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Chikatilo>.
• "Charles Manson - Biography of Charles Manson." 20th Century History. Web. 06 Oct. 2011.
<http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/p/charlesmanson.htm>.

24. Sources
Pictures
• Clip Art
• "Power Of Mind | Discover The Amega AMWand and AMPendant." Amega Global Health | Discover
The Amega AMWand and AMPendant. Web. 08 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.amegaglobalhealth.com/tapping-the-power-of-the-mind
http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=pig+sow&um=1&hl=en&newwindow=1&biw=1366&bih=643&tb
m=isch&tbnid=4UtsElGkYbC8TM:&imgrefurl=http://m.eb.com/assembly/70034&docid=lrJcF8q5LzE
uLM&w=520&h=450&ei=92-OTsPREomaiQfyzumHDg&zoom=1
• "Barack Obama." WHERE'S LULU : Disability News & Pop Culture. Web. 09 Oct. 2011.
<http://whereslulu.com/tag/barack-obama/>.
• http://rohinimitra.blogspot.com/2010/08/psychology-of-aggression-in-goldings.html
• "Good vs. Evil by `Sugargrl14 on DeviantART." Sugargrl14 on DeviantART. Web. 09 Oct. 2011.
<http://sugargrl14.deviantart.com/art/Good-vs-Evil-119162380>.
• http://www.pimpmyspace.org/graphics/view/95012/
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