Confirmed: Human nature is good
The researchers followed up these correlational studies with a set of experiments in which they directly manipulated both this apparent influence on the tendency to cooperate—processing speed—and the cognitive mechanism thought to be associated with this influence—intuitive, as opposed to reflective, decision-making. In the first of these studies, researchers gathered 891 participants (211 undergraduates and 680 participants from a nationwide sample) and had them play a public goods game with one key twist: these participants were forced to make their decisions either quickly (within 10 seconds) or slowly (after at least 10 seconds had passed). In the second, researchers had 343 participants from a nationwide sample play a public goods game after they had been primed to use either intuitive or reflective reasoning. Both studies showed the same pattern—whether people were forced to use intuition (by acting under time constraints) or simply encouraged to do so (through priming), they gave significantly more money to the common good than did participants who relied on reflection to make their choices. This again suggests that our intuitive impulse is to cooperate with others.
Taken together, these studies—7 total experiments, using a whopping 2,068 participants—suggest that we are not intuitively selfish creatures. But does this mean that we our naturally cooperative? Or could it be that cooperation is our first instinct simply because it is rewarded? After all, we live in a world where it pays to play well with others: cooperating helps us make friends, gain social capital, and find social success in a wide range of domains. As one way of addressing this possibility, the experimenters carried out yet another study. In this study, they asked 341 participants from a nationwide sample about their daily interactions—specifically, whether or not these interactions were mainly cooperative; they found that the relationship between processing speed (that is, intuition) and cooperation only existed for those who reported having primarily cooperative interactions in daily life. This suggests that cooperation is the intuitive response only for those who routinely engage in interactions where this behavior is rewarded—that human “goodness” may result from the acquisition of a regularly rewarded trait.
Blowback
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So how do they explain the re-election of BO?
yhxqqsn on November 20, 2012 at 9:23 PM
We are in the time of good is evil and evil is good, so their conclusions don’t surprise me.
Axion on November 20, 2012 at 9:32 PM
human nature is fundamentally flawed. Example: those children who didn’t have parents who properly civilized them tend to take part in delinquent acts more often than their peers.
Donald Draper on November 20, 2012 at 9:33 PM
hahahahahahahaha that’s funny
Sachiko on November 20, 2012 at 9:35 PM
They were studying human nature, not human intelligence.
malclave on November 20, 2012 at 9:36 PM
These people never met my mother…
Valkyriepundit on November 20, 2012 at 9:39 PM
Socialized humans act for the good of all when society tells them to.
When they tell them to send the trains to Auschwitz, or the wealthier peasants to the Gulags they do that as well.
sharrukin on November 20, 2012 at 9:40 PM
When the Lord Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment in the Scriptures, he did not quote something about don’t-do-this or don’t-do-that. (We tend to think that if we don’t do the bad stuff, we’re good)
The Lord answered that question with two commandments:
1) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…”
This is not a warm, fuzzy emotion he’s talking about. The Bible is abundantly clear that to love God this way is to worship & praise him, to trust him above all else, to obey his written commands, & to try to follow the leading of his Holy Spirit.
2) “…and love your neighbor as yourself”
Whitney Houston’s song says that the greatest love is to love yourself, but it’s actually the least great. The greatest problem with humanity is that we love ourselves too much. Do you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself? I’m not just talking about your next-door-neighbor. The Lord went on to define neighbor as anyone you have opportunity to love.
If you still think you’ve got this one down well enough, it gets tougher. At the Last Supper with his disciples, the Lord said, “A new commandment I give to you: Love each other as I have loved you.” How did he love them? He loved them more than he loved himself. He left the glory of Heaven, suffered more than anyone ever has *, & gave his life for them (& for us).
If you’re feeling hopeless right about now–”How could I possibly be that good?”–I have good news. As I mentioned, the Lord did suffer & die for us. His blood can wash away the bad things you’ve done, & the times you didn’t do what you should’ve. I’ve been following the Lord for 30 years, & I still very much need his mercy every day.
So the point of this “sermonette” is that you & I are not as good as we might think, & we desperately need a Savior.
itsnotaboutme on November 20, 2012 at 9:46 PM
When hunting a mammoth, it is better to have backup.
OldEnglish on November 20, 2012 at 9:47 PM
davidk on November 20, 2012 at 9:50 PM
Because two Human Natures is one, and one is none.
Kenosha Kid on November 20, 2012 at 9:52 PM
Amway, the Nazi party, and line dancing all rely on human cooperation.
Cooperation is sometime good, sometimes (as illustrated) a deeply evil thing. It all depends what the point of the cooperation is.
By the by, they got original sin wrong. I’d have been glad to have helped with a definition founded on the Scriptures, but alas, no room for a theolgian in the inn, or something.
Scribbler on November 20, 2012 at 9:53 PM
And this is what love is:
davidk on November 20, 2012 at 9:54 PM
davidk on November 20, 2012 at 9:57 PM
LOL! Scientists probing ‘good’!
Best article ever.
tom daschle concerned on November 20, 2012 at 9:58 PM
davidk on November 20, 2012 at 9:50 PM
wasn’t it Dawkins that said, when asked about his certainty of no God on a 7 point scale, 6.9?
bwahahahahaha…you see he’s a scientist…and scientists treat certainty very carefully. (unless you are an AlGore ‘scientist’)
and of course, those of us who remember our maths know that there’s an infinite number of real numbers between 6.9 and 7.0
r keller on November 20, 2012 at 9:59 PM
davidk on November 20, 2012 at 9:59 PM
davidk on November 20, 2012 at 10:02 PM
davidk on November 20, 2012 at 10:06 PM
I’m a Christian who does believe that we are born good, just as Adam himself was created good.
Why we humans struggle with evil is a different issue than our quality at birth – my mom, a Christian, used to say, “God doesn’t make junk”, and I happen to agree with her!
Anti-Control on November 20, 2012 at 10:18 PM
Human nature is good for whom, and for what?
Marsili.us on November 20, 2012 at 10:54 PM
How naive
Schadenfreude on November 20, 2012 at 11:14 PM
Romans 1:18—23
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Romans 3:10—18
10 as it is written,
“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And the path of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
INC on November 21, 2012 at 2:52 AM
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
INC on November 21, 2012 at 2:54 AM
We are all made in God’s image and as such none of us are worthless. However, the Bible teaches that none of us are born good. We are all in rebellion against God.
INC on November 21, 2012 at 2:56 AM
Until you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that God wants us to interpret the meaning of the Bible’s words the way you do, I’ll stick by my understanding that we are born good.
I say, to say we are all born bad, in rebellion against God, makes about as much sense as it does to say it was righteous for ancient Israelites to stone homosexuals and adulterers to death.
Anti-Control on November 21, 2012 at 6:35 AM
Where I work, it is common knowledge that most of the line staff is underpaid. One of the perqs is that they usually throw a lavish Christmas party for the staff. This year, some jackass made the suggestion that the company forgo the big party in favor of a pot luck dinner and give the money they would have spent to charity. They held a “secret” ballot via email.
Almost everybody voted for the pot luck even though they wanted the party. Why? Because they didn’t want to appear selfish.
Odysseus on November 21, 2012 at 7:14 AM
You are following the atheist/naturalist in demanding “proof.” The question then becomes, What do you mean by “proof.”
Usually, people who demand proof are demanding empirical proof: It’s not true unless it can be proven in a laboratory. But that is self-defeating because it itself cannot be proven empirically.
As for going with your own personal interpretation, that is at root the problem. Postmodern interpretation of Biblical text only leads to anarchy, antinomianism. Your name hints at such: Anti-control.
The orthodox understanding of human nature is that man was created in the image of God, but that image is marred due to Adam’s fall. We are born with a sin nature which prevents us from doing what is right.
Paul wrote about that in Romans 7:
There is no evidence that anyone was ever stoned for these sins. God did demand that, but that shows how serious He is about the sins that can destroy our lives.
If you find that offensive, you’ll have to take it up with God. Sinful man that I am, I don’t claim to fully understand the ways of God. But I understand enough to trust Him. And today, He has offered a way for the forgiveness of our sins.
We don’t have the luxury of cherry-picking through the Bible. To do so is tantamount to saying I know better than God.
davidk on November 21, 2012 at 7:52 AM
the right conclusion is that humans when forced to fast decisions(10 seconds), they are naturally cooperative(good). but of course, most of our most important decisions are not fast…
anyway, this has connections with evolutionary game theory and how cooperative behavior can evolve in nature. I think most of us do have an instinct for it…
nathor on November 21, 2012 at 8:23 AM