Brynne Vanhettinga

Good People, Evil Society Brynne Vanhettinga

Are humans inherently good or mired in original sin? The answer from behavioral science is that most of us contain some elements of both. There are evolutionary and genetic reasons we are "wired" for both cooperation and competition. Moreover, individuals have varying degrees of prosocial and antisocial tendencies, and these tendencies are affected by the environment and culture the individual finds him or herself living in.


Herein we explore what both behavioral science and our faith traditions tell us about human nature in the context of contemporary social problems such as racism, "fake news," authoritarianism/fascism, and growing inequality. We ask how and why culture can corrupt individuals as well as how culture itself becomes corrupted.


We also argue for an approach to solving our current problems that involves the incorporation of both behavioral science and the teachings of our faith traditions, as ignoring either one or the other can itself result in dysfunctional outcomes.