Are Humans Inherently Evil

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Are human beings inherently evil? Are human beings inherently evil? Human beings are naturally selfish and evil, as stated by philosopher Thomas Hobbes. We care only about what is good for ourselves, and rarely about others. There is talk about peace, but wars never seem to end. There is talk about human rights, but slavery still exists in the 21st century. Humans have become used to manipulating the environment for their own needs and have total disregard for the lives of others. Therefore, human beings are inherently evil. Since the beginning of time, humans have been playing the game of survival, where the strong ones survive and the weak ones die. In order to stay in the game, people often have to abandon their morals and let savagery take over so that they can get what they need. This forms the basis of evil that exists in each human being. Much in the same way, Jack’s desire to be Chief allows him to gradually discover his own savage instincts, which allows him to hunt and kill. He slowly climbs the ladder and later becomes Chief by convincing the boys that a “beast” exists on the island. He effectively manipulates the boys into thinking that there is a beast (even though he knows it probably does not exist) by using totalitarian methods so that they will join his tribe for protection. He demonstrates Lord Acton’s belief that “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” < http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Lord_Acton > The only boy to realize that the beast is not real, but rather a representation of the evil that is inherent in human nature, is Simon. This is fully exposed when he confronts the Lord of the Flies, when it said to him through hallucination, “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m

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