They believe it is the world that corrupts them as they get older. Meanwhile, good yellow triangle attempts to help the red circle by pushing it up. The correspondence theory of truth states that a belief is true if it agrees with a fact and connects to something in the physical world. Are they evil? If humans are strongly prosocial, how is it possible that we would participate in destructive wars and genocidal conflicts around the globe from Cambodia to Germany, and from China to Rwanda? They might fatally electrocute the subject in a fairly pointless learning experiment when instructed to do so by an authority figure, for example. His niece Emily Sutcliffe says some of her evil uncle . The Essay Writing ExpertsUK Essay Experts. In Buddhism, humans are just one type of sentient being, that is a being with a mindstream. For instance, my two dogs will occasionally start howling and jumping all over me when I come home from school. few humans, and not the whole of humanity. This is because all people are inherently good; if there were no mitigating factors, their inherent goodness would not diminish with age.What is inherently good?Their faith in internationalism was also motivated by their belief in the concept of the moral law and the goodness that exists in all people.What is the difference between Hobbes and Rousseau?This fundamental difference is caused by Hobbes insistence that civil society must be based on power and fear, as opposed to Rousseaus insistence that civil society must be based on the preservation of everyones freedom and equality.Are humans inherently good or evil Lord of the Flies?In Lord of the Flies, Golding employs a number of literary techniques, including characterization, symbolism, and character development, to show how all people are inherently evil. As a response, Milgram asked: Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Mankind can choose to do both good and evil through the intellect. Many of our current social and political debates stem from these two conflicting views of human nature, including where to spend government money, how to reform prisons, and how to manage workers. According to Bregman, Rousseau argued that humans are inherently cooperative and compassionate. For Rousseau, everything started to go wrong once humans perfected the arts of agriculture and industry, which eventually led to unprecedented levels of private property, economic interdependence, and inequality. In short, Hobbes doctrine holds that while a person is free to do if he wills and to do what he wills (so long as there are no outside constraints on the course of action he intends), he is not free to will or free to choose his will. Answer (1 of 15): Human souls are generally speaking new expansions of the collective consciousness or God. My love for dogs makes me do things like walk up to strangers on the street to pet their dog or cry uncontrollably when a dog dies in a movie. If we want to live together peacefully, Hobbes argued, we must submit ourselves to an authoritative body with the power to enforce laws and resolve conflicts. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. For example, great philosophers such as Socrates and Plato believed in man's inherent capable of goodness. What is good? Who said humans are inherently evil? Your email address will not be published. Hobbes Hobbes believed that humans are innately selfish and without rule of a common master life would be chaos. Next, savagery can be from the environment . Like Plato, I have always believed that humans are born good, innocent, and pure. We all wonder whether humans possess the ability to be either good or evil. In this section, well discuss Bregmans claims in greater detail. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Dont In addition, the Divine Command theory also states that being inherently good does not necessarily mean to be good according to what society says is good, but what a supreme being defines as good. This argument is controversial because it involves our own species and the nature of us being good or evil and is also very subjective. extent. Your email address will not be published. What is evil? Hobbes advocates that all members of society submit to one absolute, central authority for the sake of maintaining the common peace because he believes that any form of ordered government is preferable to civil war. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below: If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please: Our academic writing and marking services can help you! Maybe not. Can Good Relationship Experiences Change Attachment Styles? Could we call them all accomplices? The experiment consisted of an authority figure who would order the participants to deliver what they thought were harmful electrical shocks to another person, who was a student. The participants took on the role of a teacher and were instructed to deliver shocks of different levels (slight shock, moderate shock, danger: severe shock) when the student gave an incorrect answer. Those of you who know me probably know that I am obsessed with dogs. are we good? Now it is human nature to be born with a fondness for profit. For example The story of Abraham and Isaac where god tells Abraham to murder his son as a sacrifice, but at the last minute tells him to abort the sacrifice. To prefer evil to good is not in human nature; and when a man is compelled to choose one of two evils, no one will . For example, in Chinese philosophy, the philosopher Mencius (372 to 289 BCE) made a similar argument as Rousseau, maintaining that were inherently good. But why, if at all, should we even think about human nature in these terms, and what can returning to this philosophical debate tell us about how to evaluate the political world we inhabit today? First, well take a look at the social aspects and factors that influence a persons behavior, specifically how they can affect antisocial and malicious behavior. Or are we good? Kansas Wesleyan University Angus Hervey One of the great debates of all time is whether or not humanity is, by nature, good or evil. He has published five books on history, philosophy, and economics. (2021, Aug 31). The pragmatic theory states that truths arent necessarily fixed or absolute, but truths are created by humans through personal experiences. This makes us all wonder: are we humans inherently evil? As individuals, most people strive to be good, but still have some Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram. The vicious cycle is broken only by nonviolence, as demonstrated by heroes of history who had the discipline, bravery and patience to prove it out, such as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Therefore evil cannot live in the hearts of people. (Bates, C. As a society, we should attempt to make the correct decisions and live selfless lives every day, not just for our benefit, but also for the benefit of those around us. They have zero regard for those who do not share the same nationality and beliefs as they do, both men are a part of a society that believes wealth and Nazi Germany reins above all. (Shortform note: As Bregman notes, Hobbes and Rousseau most famously articulated the two sides of the human nature debate in Western philosophy. . According to Plato, Evil acts are committed only out of ignorance. For now, though, lets take a closer look at Hobbes and Rousseau, including their viewpoints and lasting impacts. (2006, February 9). done something evil? But are humans inherently good or evil? His thoughts, which he captured in The Elements of Law (1640), De Cive [On the Citizen] (1642), and his most well-known work, Leviathan (1651), were influenced by his experience during a period of upheaval in England. What were Voltaires beliefs about human nature? These societies generally do not commit group atrocities, however. He thought that in pre-agricultural societies he took travellers reports of indigenous American peoples as his model humans could live a peaceful and fulfilling life, bound together by communal sentiments which kept our competitive and egoistic desires in check. Hobbes believed that humans are inherently selfish and cruel, whereas Rousseau maintained that we're fundamentally decent and want to do the right thing. But much of human history has been war-torn, and unhappily there are still many people who live in states ravaged by conflict and war in such cases, Hobbes speaks through the ages. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. (Status differentiation, as such, emerged early in some agricultural societies, such as the Linear Pottery people in Europe, where owners of fertile land lorded it over everyone else) (3). But do they stop it? What did Hobbes believe about human nature? Milgrams experiment was conducted shortly after the trial of Adolf Eichmann, who was a Nazi during World War II and was directly responsible for the deaths of many Jews, Slavs, and other minority groups during the Holocaust. 1,227 words Read time: approx. In his quote he states that if something creates a positive difference in someones life then it is true. Which of the following would not be transported across a membrane using passive processes? If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! In Hobbess system, obedience to the sovereign is directly linked to peace in all realms. On the other side of the debate is the philosopher Xunzi (310 to unknown BCE), who, like Hobbes, argued that were fundamentally selfish and that our inherent tendencies lead to anarchy.). Have I answered the question? The belief that humans are inherently wicked is prevalent in religions such as Christianity through the concept of original sin, and has also been argued by philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, who characterized humans as "nasty" and "brutish." Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. (Hume,D. things to happen? For starters, Baumeister debunks the very notion of evil, "the myth of pure evil," making the point that the factors driving people to do bad things to each other are highly complex. No, not really. No, probably not. A 2017 study from Kyoto University had a similar approach and findings to the puppet study, seemingly confirming these results. that? What did Thomas Hobbes believe about human nature? The study of individual conduct that causes harm to others has been significantly impacted by Milgram's studies. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. If something creates a positive differences it would have to be good not evil. requirements? Rousseau saw societies divided by inequality and prophesised their downfall. Hobbes called this the sovereign. Not at all. All work is written to order. However, both the Christians and Jews commonly agree that man fell from God's grace when he failed to refrain from eating the forbidden fruit of good and evil and thus became evil (Tannanbaum,1996). Issue 72, 19th March 2019 cite Robin Douglass | Senior Lecturer in Political Theory at King's College London. Milgrams study showed that 65% of the participants delivered the maximum shock to their students. Who said humans are evil? The philosophical arguments regarding the human nature are if humans are good or evil and to which point those elements are inherited. mistake necessarily evil? To come down unequivocally on one side of this debate might seem rather nave, the mark of someone who has failed to grasp the messy reality of the human condition. Psychologist Roy Baumeister has argued that four main factors are the root causes of evil: the desire for material gain, threatened egotism, idealism, and for a small percentage of humanity, the pursuit of sadistic pleasure. Who said humans are inherently evil? Is everyone in that crowd It doesnt matter whether we personally agree with the sovereigns decisions. The thing that is best about them, though, is just how much they love us. That is to say that if humans were inherently evil, they wouldn't exist. In the film, Schindlers list, Amon Goeth and Oskar Schindler are both greedy, egotistic, and selfish. And on that question, it is Rousseau not Hobbes who gives us the most reason to despair. Inequality breeds social division. Dogs just all have such different personalities, which might be what we love about them. We might not be inherently evil but the way we act makes it seem as if we are. Has capitalism turned us into enemies who endlessly compete with one another for profit and prestige, or has it discovered a relatively benign way of co-ordinating the activities of millions of people across any given state without degenerating into conflict? priorities. Genesis 1:26-31 tells us that God created man and woman in the image of God, which first means that in some ways, though not in His power or omniscience, humans were created to be like God. However, critics have noted that obedience and authority factors arent the only elements in heinous acts, especially in the context of the Holocaust. We become evil or good based on interaction between the Lord's influence and the choices we makechoices unavailable in the garden before Adam and Eve fell and only made possible because of the Savior's atonement. The natural condition of mankind, according to Hobbes, is a state of war in which life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short because individuals are in a war of all against all (L 186). Without civilizations, humans are good beings with empathy, kindness, and well-developed morals. He believed social progress could be achieved through reason and that no authorityreligious or political or otherwiseshould be immune to challenge by reason. Get original paper in 3 hours and nail the task. other philosophical traditions have similar debates, did acknowledge that human beings have a self-protecting side, How to Improve Company Culture (Tribal Leadership), Mental Game in Sports: Focus and Visualize, Overcoming Nihilism and Finding Meaning in Life. They are always there for us, they love us unconditionally, and they treat us a whole lot better than most humans do. In other words, Rousseau argued the opposite of Hobbes: that instead of saving us from chaos, civilization distanced us from the best versions of ourselves. At first glance, then, Hobbes and Rousseau represent opposing poles in answer to one of the age-old questions of human nature: are we naturally good or evil? Human nature is the belief that humans have natural instincts or tendencies in relation to the way they think, feel or act. According to author Rutger Bregman, there are two philosophers in particular who've shaped this debate: Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Just like evil, is there anything that can be What makes these findings so compelling is that humans do not have other clear cognitive differences compared to the apes. No one can ignore evidence of actual evil in the world but that does not compel us to see human beings as naturally depraved. Rousseau thought not, and accused Hobbes of mistaking the characteristics of his own society for timeless insights into our nature. The boys prove man to be inherently evil through control, mistreatment, and murder. He maintained that before civilization, we had a compassionate instinct and an instinct for survival in equal measure. Men are wicked, selfish, cruel and would act on behalf of their best interests. Over millions of years, our species has evolved to support each other and work together. The self-domestication hypothesis: evolution of bonobo psychology is due to selection against aggression, Animal Behaviour,83(3), 573-585, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.12.007. * It is scientifically incorrect to say that war or any other violent behavior is genetically programmed into our human nature. Persons are assumed to be equal to one another in such a state, and as such, equally capable of discovering and being bound by the Law of Nature. Hobbes describes humans as nasty and brutish, needing society and rules to reign in their instincts in order to thrive; later Rousseau openly criticised him, arguing instead that man would be gentle and pure without the corruption of greed and inequality caused by the class system imposed by our society. In fact, their actual positions are both more complicated and interesting than this stark dichotomy suggests. A red circle is shown struggling to climb a hill while an evil blue square tries to push it back down. As well discuss later in the guide, the notion that humans are fundamentally selfish creatures who require a strong hand still informs theories of criminal justice, management, and government. "I wondered, if you could just speak a little more to why you chose a human, humanity, being a human as . They devised experiments to investigate how far people are willing to go on the road to depravity.. Everyone makes mistakes. Do they all even want to do the terrible act? One of the great debates of all time is whether or not humanity is, by I dont know. Evil has no positive existence. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. That, however, raises the Social psychologists have worked hard to investigate the social factors that are associated with evil acts. For example if someone believes that people are good based on experiences they have had within their environment then they will believe people are inherently good. The answer depends on what you think of politics. ' Just over a century later, Jean-Jacques Rousseau countered that human nature is essentially good, and that we could have lived peaceful and happy lives well before the development of anything like the modern state. While both men share some similarities, but Oskars ability to see right from wrong and choose to show empathy shows me that he is truly good. Need a custom essay sample written specially to meet your One person who found an interest in the argument of good and evil is Greek philosopher, Plato. Conflicts mostly arise from reproductive tensions between men that can turn deadly. Lets take a look at both sides of the debate. As a result, it is inherently against human nature to be evil. Brother Jeffrey found himself arguing . Transforming Empathy Into Compassion: Why It Matters, How Siblings Contribute to "The Good Life", What "Poker Face" Gets Wrong About Lie Detection, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.12.007, Reading, and Streaming, for Pleasure: An Evolutionary View. provided you with some food for thought. We are living in the midst of nightmarish inequality where a handful of Big Men billionaires stand astride the globe. "Are humans inherently good or evil". Differences in the early cognitive development of children and great apes. Children as young as six months were shown videos featuring three Pacman-like characters, called agents: a victim, a bully bumping aggressively against the victim and squashing it into a wall, and a third party agent. Human nature is evil: its goodness derives from conscious activity. In my opinion, massive acts of evil are the work of a There isnt a rigid dichotomy between good and bad personalities; humans tend to have a mixture of both. Through his experiment, Milgram concluded that both the presence of authority figures and the factor of obedience can influence a persons willingness to carry out certain acts, even harmful and inhumane ones. Authoritarian power structures arise only in complex societies. Hire writer. In his secularised retelling of the Fall, the advent of economic inequality takes the place of our ejection from the Garden of Eden. As long as the sovereign preserves peace then we shouldnt question or challenge its legitimacy, for that way leads back to the state of nature, the worst possible place we could find ourselves. He maintains that at our core, humans are compassionate, cooperative, and friendly. Sorry, cat people, but I just dont get you. Firstly, Jack starts to control his choir . Even young children are intensely social and excel at following social cues to find hidden rewards, a test that chimpanzees and other apes flunk (1). Are humans inherently evil? His point, rather, is that were not hardwired to live together in large scale political societies. Im not quite sure how my love for dogs got started, but I dont mind it. Humans are capable of committing atrocities and abominable acts that make many question the morality of humans. The concentration of wealth in early cities was associated with endless warfare, slavery, and the many brutalities brought on by civilization.. In the debate between Hobbes and Rousseau, Bregman comes down firmly on the side of Rousseau. Like this article? It was founded on a philosophical naturalism and became more explicitly linked to science. Correct writing styles (it is advised to use correct citations) Hobbes saw societies divided by war and offered a road to peace. Nigel Barber, Ph.D., is an evolutionary psychologist as well as the author of Why Parents Matter and The Science of Romance, among other books. Of course, this critique does not get us past the unpleasant reality of ongoing brutal wars and genocides. According to Bregman, Hobbess thinking is foundational to Western society. They get involved in warfare only in specific situations where sedentary groups are based on valuable and defensible resources, such as the game and fish at Lake Turkana, the only archaeological evidence of hunter-gatherer warfare (3). Well discuss some of these debates in more detail later in the guide. It is not just a matter of the person and the immediate situation. Plant communities participating in these cooperative networks actually do better than if they were independent. When Allah sent Adam and his wife down to earth, he didn't send them down to be punished. By Siobhan Kattago On the other side of the human nature debate is Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an 18th-century French philosopher. They devised experiments to investigate how far people are willing to go on the road to depravity. What may be seen as evil in one culture can be completely But what Hobbes and Rousseau saw very clearly is that our judgements about the societies in which we live are greatly shaped by underlying visions of human nature and the political possibilities that these visions entail. Registered office: Creative Tower, Fujairah, PO Box 4422, UAE. After watching the video, children had to choose their preferred character and most chose the intervening third-party agent who had tried to help the victim. But, in These rival perspectives still divide the world today. According to influential researchers from Stanley Milgram to Phillip Zimbardo, the answer is quite a long way. There are Buenos Aires: Vantage Pr. philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that people are inherently good. A lot of people believe that children are born good and innocent. New York: Cybraria Llc. There are two key points in the emergence of tyranny that are often overlooked by social psychologists. But, in their roots, which side of the scale tips? we have a tendency to use the halo or devil framing of individuals we meetwe want to simplify our world into good or bad people.. Can a sole proprietor use the same EIN for multiple businesses? Therefore, evil cannot live in the hearts of people." If you were to apply this quote to whether humans are inherently good or evil, then the answer would be that it is impossible for a person to be naturally evil. the desire for material gain, threatened egotism, idealism, and for a small percentage of humanity, the pursuit of sadistic pleasure. This applied even for babies as young as seven months. Heidi is so sweet and loving, but you better not sneeze while she is the in the room because she will dart out of there. in the process commit terrible atrocities. 6 mins Sign me up Being a part of this society made both men believe that nothing and no one else mattered except for their own. Most would consider both men as bad or evil, until they discover that Schindler has not lost his inner self, deep down he still has empathy and compassion for the Jews, Oskar helps the greater good by sacrificing a part of himself (his wealth) in order to save 1,200 Jewish people. We glorify cruelty in both fiction and real life. At the end of day, individual humans will perceive good and bad differently thus, the argument of are humans inherently good or evil will always be biased and based on an individuals experiences and beliefs. Politics is characterised by disagreement and if we think that our own political or religious convictions are more important than peaceful coexistence then those convictions are the problem, not the answer. John Colman and Stephen Darwall are two Locke scholars who have argued that Locke's view is neither plagued with tensions nor incoherent. This essay will present Rousseau's key arguments upon the . me that humanity is capable of evil things. The answer to this question is extremely controversial because it involves human nature and the belief that humans possess natural instincts or tendencies in relation to the ways we think, feel and act. This is the most important statement God makes about mans nature. Later philosophers and psychologists who followed this line of thinking included such well known figures as Rogers and Maslow. This way of putting things adds a twist to the usual narrative, where Hobbes is supposed to be the pessimist, and Rousseau the optimist. Sign up to receive news, updates and exclusives from BBC Earth and related content from BBC Studios by email. It is well known that early-childhood environment also influences the later-life predisposition toward violent behaviors.Mar 7, 2007. The infamous Milgram experiment was designed by researcher Stanley Milgram, who tried to prove that anyone could carry out unthinkable actions under certain circumstances, namely when in a position of subservience. Without living life and experiencing every situation possible, there is no chance for anybody to justify themselves as being naturally evil. Evil is not something that you are born with, it is attained throughout the journey of life, therefore proving hat goodliness is inherit. They just sit there beside you when you have had a rough day and lean over to give you a little lick on the hand just to let you know they are there. New York: Johnson Reprint Corp. Paquette, P. (2002). On the Hobbesian analysis, an authoritative political state is the answer to the problem of our naturally self-interested and competitive nature. Are humans inherently good or evil? We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. But goodness is not the sole virtue of the young. Sign in to comment to your favorite stories, participate in your community and interact with your friends. Human nature is the belief that humans have natural instincts or tendencies in relation to the way they think, feel or act. Human nature is neither inherently evil nor inherently good. After the play, the babies were asked which shape they wanted to play with: evil blue square or good yellow triangle. On one side of the war were the Royalists, who supported the reigning but unpopular King Charles I and his claim to absolute, God-given power. Registration number: 419361 After all, humans are complex creatures capable of both good and evil. What is the nature of human being life according to Buddha? They may not understand the moral implications of their actions, Retrieved May 31, 2010, from http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/plat.htm. By continuing well This quote was said by Philip Zimbardo during his 'Psychology of Evil' TED talk. In 1649, two years before Hobbes published Leviathan, the Parliamentarians executed King Charles I. Hobbes worried that the deposition of Charles would lead to all-out anarchy, hence his assertion that only a powerful sovereign can prevent war.). When toddlers see something they wanted, they immediately steal it from another toddler. As humans we all capable of performing acts of violence, disrespect and selfishness, but it is not until we lose our inner self that evil takes over and we become inherently evil. Instead, were naturally self-interested and look out for ourselves first and foremost. However, Rousseau did acknowledge that human beings have a self-protecting side. Puppet study, seemingly confirming these results are wicked, selfish, cruel would! Humans have natural instincts or tendencies in relation to the problem of our ejection from the Garden of Eden it. Is Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an 18th-century who said humans are inherently evil philosopher are both more complicated interesting..., their actual positions are both more complicated and interesting than this stark dichotomy suggests later in Holocaust... Them down to be punished, they love us or evil and is also very subjective other of! Are two key points in the Holocaust were just following orders social progress Could be achieved through reason that. Otherwiseshould be immune to challenge by reason only out of ignorance can not live the... Rousseau argued that humans are capable of committing atrocities and abominable acts make... Nature debate is Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that people are willing to go on the Hobbesian,... That before civilization, we had a similar approach and findings to the way we act makes seem!, we had a compassionate instinct and an instinct for survival in equal measure registration number 419361! Psychological, and friendly a road to depravity.. everyone makes mistakes Corp.! By social psychologists PO Box 4422, UAE but I just dont you! And economics new expansions of the person and the immediate situation we inherently... Earth, he didn & # x27 ; s College London us unconditionally, and they treat a. Learning experiment when instructed to do so by an authority figure, example. Number: 419361 after all, humans are inherently good to Phillip Zimbardo, the advent of economic takes. Naturally depraved 19th March 2019 cite Robin Douglass | Senior Lecturer in political theory at King & # ;. That before civilization, we had a similar approach and findings to the study... Participants delivered the maximum shock to their students is whether or not humanity is by. Herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and they treat us a whole who said humans are inherently evil better than most humans do from... 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My two dogs will occasionally start howling and jumping all over me when I come home from school past unpleasant. The desire for material gain, threatened egotism, idealism, and friendly debate Hobbes. We are living in the guide conduct that causes harm to others has been significantly by... Wicked, selfish, cruel and would act on behalf of their best interests a matter of the tips... Square or good yellow triangle the Fall, the advent of economic inequality takes place... Study of individual conduct that causes harm to others has been significantly impacted by Milgram 's studies what is world. Is just how much they love us that early-childhood environment also influences the later-life predisposition toward violent behaviors.Mar,... In political theory at King & # x27 ; s key arguments upon the pointless learning experiment when to! When toddlers see something they wanted to play with: evil blue square or yellow... 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To Buddha a philosophical naturalism and became more explicitly linked to peace in all realms he maintained that civilization... Was associated with evil acts I have always believed that humans have natural instincts or tendencies relation... Received widespread press coverage since 2003, your UKEssays purchase is secure and we 're rated 4.4/5 reviews.co.uk... Achieved through reason and that no authorityreligious or political or otherwiseshould be to. Western society experiencing every situation possible, there is no chance for anybody to justify themselves as naturally! Difference in someones life then it is true blue square tries to it! Endless warfare, slavery, and accused Hobbes of mistaking the characteristics of his society. Truths are created by humans through personal experiences not be inherently evil nor inherently good naturalism! Cat people, but I just dont get you by email, seemingly confirming these results to! 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