Why Humans Are (Supposed to Be) Good

In my view, the main difference between science and philosophy is that the former examines how things work; while the latter, the WHY.

My opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed (Plato: The Republic Book VII, 514a-521d).

From the very dawn of our civilization, philosophers have studied “the idea of the good,” (ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἰδέα) and, as Plato in his Republic, declared it to be the central idea of our world, the one on which all knowledge and truth and justice are based. Plato writes that humans are instinctively following the good—and that the “idea of the good” shines in the intelligible world (the world of ideas) just as the sun does in the visible one.

Two thousand years after Plato, Rene Descartes in his Meditations argues that the fact that he—an imperfect finite being—has in his mind a clear idea of a completely perfect, infinite and benevolent being—is ultimate proof that God, and goodness, really exist—which in turn ensures the existence of our world. As he puts it, “By the name God I understand a substance that is infinite [eternal, immutable], independent, all-knowing, all-powerful, and by which I myself and everything else, if anything else does exist, have been created. Now all these characteristics are such that the more diligently I attend to them, the less do they appear capable of proceeding from me alone; hence, from what has been already said, we must conclude that God necessarily exists” (Meditations on the First Philosophy 1-16). 

Humans are surrounded by the idea of the good—so much that we may sometimes not even notice it’s there. In a way, we are born into a world built on the very spirit of goodness. It all begins with the idea of God as the benevolent creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe. This God, whether real or imagined, tells us to do good—for the sake of not only our family and friends, but for the sake of other people—even strangers—even those who, in the words of Christian prayers, “trespass against us.”

Whether it is the Hebrew Bible: “I knew that there is nothing better for them but to rejoice and to do good during his lifetime” (Ecclesiastes 3:12); in the New Testament: “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:1-4); or in the Quran: “Verily those who believe and do righteous deeds shall have the Gardens of Al-Firdaus (Paradise) for their entertainment” (Surah Al-Kahf 18: Ayah 107), believers of the three greatest monotheistic religions are called to perform good deeds; in short, to do good. This so permeates our culture that we may not pay a whole lot of attention to it: but the important thing is, every major religion on this planet urges us to be good and do good deeds—not bad ones.

We are not just supposed to do good to the people closest to us—on the contrary, we seem to universally cherish those who sacrifice their own lives trying to save strangers. Whether saving somebody from drowning or from a fire, or caring for those suffering from deadly infectious diseases, or giving our lives in order to save others during wars or natural disasters—those who save others’ lives without regard for their own life are universally cherished and celebrated.

From the moment we are born, our parents and teachers urge us to “be good” and “do better,” not worse; to be honest and brave, not cunning, calculated and cowardly. We are taught to work together “for the common good” or “for the community” and to “help those less fortunate.” Students are universally taught to better themselves, to obey and to do their best for the good of their school, community, city and country—not to merely do what’s best for their own person.

Our justice system and our laws, too, ultimately rest on the idea that all people are created equal and that they are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (The Declaration of Independence). As a matter of fact, most political systems around the world, whether they are democratic or not, generally agree that their ultimate aim is the freedom, prosperity and happiness of their citizens (or subjects).

Interestingly, even some of the world’s worst murderous dictators—who among them caused the deaths of close to 100 million human beings—did not gain power and popularity by telling their followers to do bad things. On the contrary, in their own minds and their own ideology, both Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong were all doing good. However, they managed to twist their minions’ minds and morality so they believed everything they were doing—even the killing of innocent victims—was good—since it was ordered by their leaders. Even more interestingly, all three of these mass murderers claimed their ideas were based on “science” and “social progress.” All three also rejected all established religions and targeted for extermination especially religious leaders such as priests, monks, and rabbis. 

Just recently, anthropologists from the University of Oxford have published their newest findings about the “seven universal moral rules” they had discovered by researching 60 different cultures around the world. These seven rules of morality seem to be exactly the same the world over: “help your family, help your group, return favors, be brave, defer to superiors, divide resources fairly, and respect others’ property” (http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-02-11-seven-moral-rules-found-all-around-world).

With these moral rules held as valid around the world it is no wonder that we humans are expected to be good—or at least to do good. Not following these universal norms would brand anybody an outcast, an egoist, even a sociopath—and would place him outside his own community.