Does a Universal Good Exist?

[Kill You]

What makes people do bad things?

Desire. Greed. Fear. Desperation. Any of those.

I think people are inherently good. Experiences can warp people though and of course they turn into bad people.

[kkaniff]

bigray wrote:
What makes people do bad
things?

I think that's a large part of what OP's trying to ask; are there any bad things when we really get down to it?
Say for example, someone robs a store... bad, right?
But what if he did it so he could feed his kids?
Or conversely, someone saves a dude from drowning... good, right?
But what if dude's a serial killer?
I think, ultimately, there are no good or bad actions just good or bad intentions, and you know what they say about good intentions.
@Menzo I think Charlotte has a point; yes, we have a deeply ingrained love for society and an instinct to protect our family unit but I think, if we look a little deeper than that, the ultimate driving force behind mankind's evolution, the reason for the constant push that ultimately lead to the formation of a stable civilization, is personal survival.
Ultimately, if push comes to shove, I'm going to want to live, fuck anyone or anything else.
I'm not sure how much of that is primal instinct and how much is due to me being a cynical asshole, but...meh.
Maybe OP should start a poll: say there's some new lethal virus going around, and the only cure is some sort of magical serum found in only your brain, would you let yourself be killed for the survival of a small percentage of the human race?

[CanadaPure]

I don't think a universal good exists, because the idea of certain things being good or bad is a societal construct and varies from group to group. So no, it doesn't in my opinion. It's something that we've constructed to keep our groups together for survival more effectively, but it's still completely subjective.

[Willy]

Nope.