Are people inherently good or evil? This is a question that has been debated for, well, centuries. Many great philosophers have debated the nature of man and the laws of nature. Even through Hobbes and the other greats, no real answer has been provided. Man will provide for himself, and sometimes those around them. Does this make us one way or the other?

I argue that it is not inherently good or evil, but a willingness to learn in respect to others. There will always be those few who we hear about all the time in the news. This makes it seem like there are a lot of people out there who are extremely bad. However, I do not think this is the case. There are merely different extents people are willing to go to in order to provide for themselves. This accounts for bullying and harshness in respect to psychological defense mechanisms. Defense mechanisms allow people to essentially protect themselves, allowing them to feel better in the short term. A lot of criminal retaliations are in response to anger or embarrassment, so this would make sense.

There are many other factors that contribute to human respect and understanding, but I think there is a lot of potential. Defense mechanisms can be recognized and controlled, eliminating a lot of what people would consider to be bad. While this is not the answer the question, it is one step closer to understanding the bad.