“yet there are some who say that people are basically good. I think not.”
My conclusion after many years is that true virtue is on a normal curve.
Perhaps 10% of folks are true saints—really care about others and would never take advantage of anyone.
Another 10% are sociopaths—treat their fellow humans as objects to be exploited in any way possible.
Then 80% are in the middle—under normal circumstances they will do the right thing but if peer pressure is strong enough or they are put in a corner they can do bad things.
An example was the medical profession during the Covid vaxxes.
Most medical folks are basically good people but when the peer pressure got strong enough most caved.
Bottom line, all humans are born evil.
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” Romans 3:10