The human animal in its natural state has the capacity for both good and evil acts, choices primarily dictated by survival. With no interest other than self-interest at stake, humans in their natural state are not constrained by the boundaries of the social contract. When human beings form a society or civilized existence, the social contract typically exists to protect the interests of all over the interests of the few, thereby limiting self-interested acts. Some argue that civilization reflects an essential goodness on the part of human beings by the fact that its very formation is for the collective good of its inhabitants. Others argue that civilization is necessary to control the natural tendency of human beings toward destructive behavior.
Frans De Waal maintains human beings are capable of exhibiting altruism and kindness without external constraints and disconnected from genetics as the cause in "The Ape and the Sushi Master." In contrast, Malcolm Gladwell argues that human beings are greatly shaped by social constraints that are required to control negative impulses in human behavior in "The Power of Context." After reviewing these two texts, it is clear that while civilization does undermine the more negative impulses in human nature, civilization itself is an example of the essential goodness or kindness of human beings.
There is no denying that civilized society serves as a mechanism to control the more negative aspects of human behavior like murder, assault, or robbery. In Malcolm Gladwell's (141) essay, the author argues that left to their own devices, human societies inevitably tend toward "disorder." Disorder causes a signal to be sent to individuals that deviant or criminal behavior is somehow tolerable. Using the "Broken Windows" theory developed by Wilson and Kelling, Gladwell (141) argues that signs of disorder in the community send a message to a potential criminal that crim...