--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Humans are not innately good (just as…" description: "\"“Humans are not innately good (just as they are not innately evil), but they come equipped with motives that can orient them away from violence and tow..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/steven-pinker-526_different-ways_humans-are-not-innately-good-just-as-the_2937959.jpg" --- # Humans are not innately good (just as they are not… ![“Humans are not innately good (just as they are not innately evil), but they come equipped with motives that can orient them away from violence and toward cooperation and altruism. Empathy (particularly in the sense of sympathetic concern) prompts us to feel the pain of others and to align their…” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/steven-pinker-526_different-ways_humans-are-not-innately-good-just-as-the_2937959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/steven-pinker-526_different-ways_humans-are-not-innately-good-just-as-the_2937959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/steven-pinker-526_different-ways_humans-are-not-innately-good-just-as-the_2937959.jpg) > ““Humans are not innately good (just as they are not innately evil), but they come equipped with motives that can orient them away from violence and toward cooperation and altruism. Empathy (particularly in the sense of sympathetic concern) prompts us to feel the pain of others and to align their interests with our own. Self-control allows us to anticipate the consequences of acting on our impulses and to inhibit them accordingly. The moral sense sanctifies a set of norms and taboos that govern the interactions among people in a culture, sometimes in ways that decrease violence, though often (when the norms are tribal, authoritarian, or puritanical) in ways that increase it. And the faculty of reason allows us to extricate ourselves from our parochial vantage points, to reflect on the ways in which we live our lives, to deduce ways in which we could be better off, and to guide the application of the other better angels of our nature. In one section I will also examine the possibility that in recent history Homo sapiens has literally evolved to become less violent in the biologist’s technical sense of a change in our genome. But the focus of the book is on transformations that are strictly environmental: changes in historical circumstances that engage a fixed human nature in different ways.”” [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans have innate capacities for both violence and cooperation; cultural, moral, and rational influences shape which dominate. **In simple terms:** People can be both violent and cooperative, shaped by environment and reason. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy, self‑control, and rational reflection to promote peace. Themes human nature morality cooperation violence reason Mood reflective optimistic Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - education reform - conflict resolution - policy design - community building Key Concepts evolutionary psychology cultural influence moral development Questions to Reflect On - How do modern institutions foster cooperation over conflict? - What role does reason play in overcoming tribal instincts? A Different Perspective Environmental changes, not biology, primarily drive shifts in violence levels. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Altruism Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altruism-empathy-4365521/) [Better Angels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-angels/) [Better Angels Of Our Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-angels-of-our-nature/) [Different ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ways/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Empathy Particularly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy-particularly-4365523/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Humans Innately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans-innately-4365522/) [Moral Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-sense/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [Humans are so innately hardwired for language that they can no more suppress their ability to learn and use language than they can suppress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/humans-are-so-innately-hardwired-for-language-that-they-can-no-more/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [People are complicated creatures. 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