There are two important, indeed, fundamental questions you have to answer in life.

The first is, is there a God, specifically a moral and judging creator?

The second is, are people basically good?

Your answer to the second question will shape just about all of your moral, social, and

political views even more than whether you believe in God.

That's why a believer and an atheist who have the same views about human nature almost

always have the same social and political views.

Let me give you some examples.

You've probably heard the phrase, poverty causes crime.

If you believe that people are basically good, you are likely to believe that poverty or

bigotry or some other outside force causes people to commit vile and crime.

That's the only way you can make sense of the fact that some people commit crimes despite

their basically good nature, something drove them to it.

But if you don't believe people are basically good, you're far more likely to blame the

criminals themselves, not outside forces, for their actions.

One more example.

In a society where it is believed that people are basically good, parents and society don't

devote great efforts toward making good people, after all, if we're born good, why do you

have to teach goodness?

On the other hand, those who don't believe we are born all that good, understand that

parents and society have to undertake major efforts to make children into good adults.

Okay, then, are people basically good?

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