Humanity: Good or Evil? Society?

Is humanity naturally good but becomes progressively corrupted by society, or is humanity naturally evil and needs society to keep it in line?
I don't really believe in either option. I think that humanity is naturally good, and this is also how I feel about society. Neither is essentially evil, and neither "corrupts" the other, though may influence it.
In my opinion, the motivation behind an action is what decides whether or not it is evil, and I think that all motivations have, far behind them, the same reason: to seek happiness. This is what all of us want deep inside. "Happiness" may not be the right word, but we want a state of contentedness, where we live in our element, whatever that may be.
Thus, all actions, be they marriage or murder, are driven by that motivation, and are equally good or evil.

Chiasm Chicken,

First of all great topic choice.  This topic very well could be controversial, but I think that many are shy of the topic.
Well I am just going to clarify, when I say humanity or society I mean humans. People are what make up these things so this is what we are really discussing. Humans have done very terrible and demeaning things to each other. But, then again, humans have done amazing things that no other species could of done. Like you said, people do things because they think it will make them happy or maintain their happiness. We could even say that happiness, for most, is what we crave the most out of our lives.
I have seen a lot of good and a lot of bad, so I guess I can't pinpoint whether humanity and society are good or evil as a whole. Though I can say, that both are involved in what we know as humanity and society.    
Humans can't say that what they have created is perfect because it is anything but. But they can't say it is evil because if it was so evil and they noticed, they, hopefully, would have done something about it. I would like to think that if people realized that humanity was going down the wrong path that they would change it.


Thus, all actions, be they marriage or murder, are driven by that motivation, and are equally good or evil.

Therefore, if I understood your response correctly, I would agree that humanity/society is neither evil nor good. But, I would not compare marriage and murder and say they are the same in goodness or lack of. I was looking at humanity and society more as a whole, but when you look at individual circumstances I do believe there is such thing as evil and good. Discrimination and terrorism are evil because those who participate in such may do them for happiness, but it affects so many other lives negatively. Marriage and love are different, they are beautiful and good. I don't think that such things should be looked at in the same light, never mind compared in their goodness. It is like comparing the creme of the Oreo cookie to the cookie; they are not the same. Evil and good are not the same and do not cancel each other out.    
   

Kimtonium wrote:when you look at individual circumstances I do believe there is such thing as evil and good.

I do not. I think it is the motivation that decides whether or not something is evil, and as everyone is driven by the same inner motivation--happiness/contentedness--all actions are, morality-wise, the same.
This is not to say that people should kill if it makes them happy. There are certainly, in today's society, more productive ways to achieve inner peace. But I don't think that murderers are worse than anyone else at their core.

Kimtonium wrote:It is like comparing the creme of the Oreo cookie to the cookie; they are not the same.

They're both made of protons, neutrons, electrons. Everything is, when it comes down to it, made of the same things; this same motivation is what makes up the human mind and society. When you get into the specifics, they are different. Very different. But go back to the groundwork, the very core, and they are the same.
I think right and wrong do exist, but I don't think there is such thing as an evil person. Our groundwork is all the same.