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Are People ‘Basically Good’?
Depends on what ‘basically’ means
The English qualifier “basically,” attached to “good,” used to refer to humanity, might mean any of a few things.
Here are some possibilities.
Goodness Is Intrinsic
Whatever we are “intrinsically,” we are that way because:
- We were created so (per religious worldviews).
- We evolved so, biologically (per scientific theories).
- We arrange ourselves so, socially (per sociological examinations).
In all cases, our goodness is seen as “natural,” whatever nature may mean.
People are basically good. Here, “basically” means fundamental: what we just are.
Goodness Is Voluntary
Much of the goodness we call intrinsic may be unconscious.
But other goodness is intentional. It’s an act of will. We may not feel good or practice the good yet, but we strive to feel and practice it.
When we simply want something, philosophers call it a “first-order desire”; when we “want to want” something, it’s a “second-order desire.” “Wanting to want” means we’re critiquing our own desires, developing our habits, and planning to change.
This goodness may not be intrinsic, but the desire for it is, or else the desire to desire it is. Maybe the third-order desire is intrinsic. We start somewhere, anyway.
People are basically good. Here, “basically” is a hedge to refer to shaky ground: we’re probably trying to be good, more or less.
Goodness Is What We Do More Often Than Not
We’re usually good. In practice. Right?
Whether we are born good or choose to be good, whether that goodness manifests in feeling or action, and whether it’s conscious or unconscious, we link ourselves to goodness more often than we link ourselves to the opposite.
People are basically good. Here, “basically” is a probability: the bet we’d place upon meeting any new person.
Is Any of That True?
It would be nice if it were. Perhaps we can make it so. I don’t know if we’ll succeed at being good. Basically, in my opinion, we ought to try.
