I choose to believe people are fundamentally good because I've seen strangers show up for each other in the worst moments -- a natural disaster, a tragedy -- with a kindness that felt like it came from somewhere deeper than mere self-interest.
Behavioral economists like Dan Ariely have documented through repeated controlled experiments that most people will act dishonestly in small, self-serving ways when they believe they won't get caught, suggesting behavior is shaped less by an inherent fixed nature and more by the incentives and accountability structures present in a given moment.
Should individual liberty always come before the collective good?
Should the U.S. eliminate the Electoral College and elect presidents by popular vote?
