Post by Maolsheachlann on Jun 21, 2019 10:22:18 GMT
Is human nature good, or is human nature bad?
I've pondered a lot on this question, and how it relates to conservatism and liberalism. It seems to me that liberalism has an optimistic view of human nature in theory, perhaps deriving from the principles of the French Revolution. However, in practice, liberals often seem to have a very dim view of human institutions and of human society-- perhaps because these fall short of their high expectations.
Conservatives in theory have a more sober view of human nature, but often seem to have a more positive view of actually existing institutions, such as the nation, a monarchy, the family, the army, etc.
This is far from an unvarying principle, though, as liberals often take a brighter view of some institutions than do conservatives: for instance, the State itself, or the education system. And it seems that many conservatives are now becoming cynical of institutions they would once have supported, such as the gardaí, or the BBC in Britain.
Christians believe in original sin, but also believe that "everything God created is good" (1 Timothy 4:4). Creideann Chriostaí i bpeaca an tsinsir, ach creideann siad freisin gur bfhuil maitheas ag baoint leis an uile rud, ós rud gur cruthaigh Dia é. So a Christian perspective seems to be that human nature is good in itself but inescapably fallen, except in the case of Our Lord and Our Lady.
I've pondered a lot on this question, and how it relates to conservatism and liberalism. It seems to me that liberalism has an optimistic view of human nature in theory, perhaps deriving from the principles of the French Revolution. However, in practice, liberals often seem to have a very dim view of human institutions and of human society-- perhaps because these fall short of their high expectations.
Conservatives in theory have a more sober view of human nature, but often seem to have a more positive view of actually existing institutions, such as the nation, a monarchy, the family, the army, etc.
This is far from an unvarying principle, though, as liberals often take a brighter view of some institutions than do conservatives: for instance, the State itself, or the education system. And it seems that many conservatives are now becoming cynical of institutions they would once have supported, such as the gardaí, or the BBC in Britain.
Christians believe in original sin, but also believe that "everything God created is good" (1 Timothy 4:4). Creideann Chriostaí i bpeaca an tsinsir, ach creideann siad freisin gur bfhuil maitheas ag baoint leis an uile rud, ós rud gur cruthaigh Dia é. So a Christian perspective seems to be that human nature is good in itself but inescapably fallen, except in the case of Our Lord and Our Lady.
