Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
- Alpha1
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Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
- Sy Borg
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
Ultimately, our deeds matter more to the world than our internal workings (which only matter to us and bonded others).
- Sculptor1
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
What makes the difference between a sociopath and a "normal" person is a lack of guilt or responsibility.]Alpha1 wrote: ↑May 25th, 2020, 2:10 am Supposed a man was born sociopath, he feel guilty whenever he's not feeling remorse in things he supposed to. He knows for the fact that deep inside he will never be a good person but the guilt keeps haunting him and so as an answer he started doing good things to other people. He won't ask for their praises nor anything in return, he's just doing it as a punishment for himself. And then one day he died, you as judge in the afterlife would judge this person if he deserve to be in heaven or hell where would you put him and why?
Thus a person who feels guilt about his own wrongdoings in NOT a sociopath.
You seem to imply that death is met by judgement. If god created a person a sociopath, then surely it was god's plan for that man to act as a sociopath.
God could only, reasonably judge that man and reward him for his sociopathy. He could not reward him for resisting that sociopathy.
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
- harrisonriley72
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
Now, I'll tell you why I've chosen to define "good" in this way. The reason I don't really care about the inner-workings of people is that we don't really know much about them. Say what you will about our advanced ability to understand people's intent, but we can never jump into their perspective and experience what they experience. If we want to be extra skeptical, we don't even know that the people around us are conscious; they could just be soul-less, insentient clone people. All we know is our own experiences, and all that matters for our experiences is how the people around us act and how they will likely act over their lifetime. A person could be absolutely evil on the inside, but if their actions don't show any evidence of it, it doesn't make any difference to us. This definition of good is more trustworthy in application and can be applied more universally.
- LuckyR
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
It sounds like what you are trying to get at is the difference (if any) between doing good works because of an internal desire to help others as opposed to doing certain works (that society has labeled as "good") because of a selfish desire to fit in.Alpha1 wrote: ↑May 25th, 2020, 2:10 am Supposed a man was born sociopath, he feel guilty whenever he's not feeling remorse in things he supposed to. He knows for the fact that deep inside he will never be a good person but the guilt keeps haunting him and so as an answer he started doing good things to other people. He won't ask for their praises nor anything in return, he's just doing it as a punishment for himself. And then one day he died, you as judge in the afterlife would judge this person if he deserve to be in heaven or hell where would you put him and why?
Personally I feel that deeds are more important than motivation, from a societal perspective.
I vote heaven.
- Calico
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
- Sculptor1
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
The mistake here is to attribute any description of a person as an inherent quality.Calico wrote: ↑June 17th, 2020, 12:55 pm I believe that there are people who are "bad," and others who are good. I can become a bit confusing because bad people can do good things and good people can do bad things. A serial killer might give money to charity, for example. If they are bad it's because they are engaging in certain bad behaviors (unless you believe that a person can be considered bad simply by having bad thoughts). If they continue to do those bad things then I'm not sure how they become a good person simply by doing some good ones, especially if their real intention is to disguised their badness.
A bad person is a person who is judged by others to be bad, and the same for a good person. This generally works for many categories a persons. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. And where millions of Americans still thing LBJ was a good president for waging war in Vietnam, try telling that to the parents of a child burned to a crisp by napalm.
The codicil here is that some people are born psychopaths, and others are born with less ability in social skills due to Asperger, or autism. It is likely that their actions could attract more criticisms. Yet psychopathy does not lead to serial killing or violence as much as you might think. Genes for psychopathy predict high in populations of lawyers, CEOs, and military brass, as well as grunts.
If you have ever used the phrase "Thank you for your service", the chances are that you would be addressing a person who is potentially serial killer, yet has taken a more acceptable pathway so he might enjoy killing without attracting legal problems.
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
- Angel Trismegistus
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
I'd agree with the Christian perspective here: God (who can see into our hearts and minds, supposedly) might well consider this person just as evil as the one who actually tortures and kills. The only difference is opportunity.
Of course the wicked person who repents and starts doing good deeds will probably actually BECOME a better person. Fake it til you make it. The good deeds will (perhaps) recondition his mind and morals. By acting kindly, he will learn to love. By acting nastily he learns to hate.
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
This might be true. BUT, inherently a living thing wants to live, and keep living and surviving. Human beings inherently know that in order to keep living and surviving, individually and collectively, then they need one another. In order for human beings to keep living and surviving it is, inherently, known that they need to love, or be good to, one another. This is on an individual and collective perspective. So, it could be argued that people are, in fact, inherently 'good'.
It does not matter how "bad" someone supposedly is, there will always be a time that they would help another in need, or just be 'good'. But the opposite is not necessarily true. That is; there will always be a time when a supposedly "good" person does not help another in need, or just be 'bad'. Unless, of course, evidence is forthcoming.
- Angel Trismegistus
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Re: Can an inherently bad person be a good person by doing good deeds
Fair enough. Being good out of the need to be good is close enough to inherently good not to argue the point.evolution wrote: ↑August 20th, 2020, 8:16 pmThis might be true. BUT, inherently a living thing wants to live, and keep living and surviving. Human beings inherently know that in order to keep living and surviving, individually and collectively, then they need one another. In order for human beings to keep living and surviving it is, inherently, known that they need to love, or be good to, one another. This is on an individual and collective perspective. So, it could be argued that people are, in fact, inherently 'good'.
It does not matter how "bad" someone supposedly is, there will always be a time that they would help another in need, or just be 'good'. But the opposite is not necessarily true. That is; there will always be a time when a supposedly "good" person does not help another in need, or just be 'bad'. Unless, of course, evidence is forthcoming.
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