Are People Naturally Good Or Bad In A State Of Nature?

Throughout history, people have been discussing if they are naturally good or bad in a state of nature. During the 18th century, philosophers used systematic logic and reason to help better humankind. The philosophers tried to replace superstition, rituals, and corrupt traditions, particularly those by the church, with logic. Some of the philosophers including Jean Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire, wrote about and figured out solutions to many issues in France. People are born naturally good but society corrupts them as they are growing up; therefore, direct democracy is the best form of government because it gives the people a chance to stand up for what is right, opposed to an autocratic government where a corrupt leader can put into action the most dreadful laws and moral standards.

Someone who advocated for this was Jean Jacques Rousseau who believed that man is influenced by outside forces but initially born good. To prove his point, Rousseau talks about human nature before society corrupts them in his book Emilius and Sophia when he says, “In a state of society, if man is left… to his own notions and conduct, he would certainly turn out the most preposterous of human beings. The influence of prejudice, authority… would stifle nature in him…”. Rousseau is implying that if a man is given up in society, man would be the most obscure of human beings because through the prejudice and injustices of society, the human nature of man would stop and he would change through the corruption of society. In addition, Rousseau talks about the corruption of growing up he states in The Socially Contract, “man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” Rousseau means that men are born good and free but as he grows up, he gets restricted and chained by the society they live in. Someone “in chains” means that they have a limit to their freedom by the