I understand what you are saying, but as someone who does not readily accept the model of good/evil or right/wrong, i find it interesting that just about everyone I have met believes they have done evil, or at least wrong. Isn't that precisely what the religious are saying with the concept of original sin? Shit way to see yourself, if you ask me.
Discussion
Yea I agree with that. Original sin or not people think they do evil things at times, though I don’t believe they think they are evil at their core. I would fall into this camp for sure. I guess maybe I should restate.
I’ve never met anyone who did not think they had never perpetrated evil actions even while not feeling they were evil themselves.
I really think most people are trying to do good even while they acknowledge deep flaws that may or may not be evil in nature.
I actually didn't have an issue with your original statement, and was just digging at something adjacent to it.
Your new statement has a lot of negatives in it, but I think can be summed up as people think they are at least trying to be good, most of the time.
And if you are thinking within the framework of good/bad, right/wrong, as most people are, then you're probably right.
I generally reject this framework, and believe people act to achieve what they perceive to be a "better" future state.
But "better" is very subjective; could be very self-serving, could appear to be sacrificial. Could be self-effacing. And it is all dependent on the actor's perceptions, which are not really knowable.
In the right/wrong framework, this easily becomes doing something wrong for the right reasons, but just as easily could be doing something right for the wrong reasons.
And in the right/wrong framework, right and wrong generally refer to the group, the community, the society, and how the actor's action affects that group, rather than how the action affects the actor.
People tend to be social and seek comfort within groups, and so generally act in ways that will meet the approval of the group, and so act "right" or "good". Long way to get here, but we get to the same place.