Age takes care of pride (usually), so I'd have to say greed. There really is enough to go around if people weren't greedy. Good question! +

I think selfishness encompasses those two.

Our mortality.

Hmm...I would have to say that pride is more of a fundamental flaw than greed. Pride takes over us (much like greed) but Pride is very uncontrollable. It could hurt people and it is common.

I do not see pride as a human flaw at all. its pride that has made our country great. its pride that keeps us working in a job we love. its pride that make us keep our homes in tip-top shape. its pride that makes us show off our grandchildren and their photographs. its pride that makes our dog number one in the kennel club show. pride is a great human characteristic. without pride, we would still be thinking along the lines of a cave man. Greed is another story. it creates divorces. it causes businesses to go bankrupt over greedy vips. greed creates drug dealers. greed makes corrupt politicians. greed and its all about me, are two devils in one package. Think of it this way: Greed is the Devil. Pride is an angel.

Pride. It is at the root of all evil, going to the motive of the individual and reinforcing destructive behavior.

Pride - makes people do all kinds of crazy things. As for Greed: to quote from the movie Wall Street -"greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.

I would have to say ego. So pride, which can lead to greed. But a person of humility can have greed, but I don't think they would be as likely to harm someone for their greed.

This is such a Big Question with such a Small answer set. Why can't people answer how they see fit? How could Human Natures' fundamental flaw be only one of two things? Poor question in my opinion. To answer your question: Greed in all forms is much worse than Pride in any form.

GREED It is at the core of just about every war mankind has ever started or fought....

Greed..people will give up pride and everything else for what they desire most..and too much is never enough

Pride, although it certainly is not the only flaw. Self Obsession and Apathy are pretty high.

Ego/Pride. It all begins with thought.

Pride can be helpful and progressive. Greed can be selfish and destructive.

How the heck do I miss these questions? I'm here all the dang time and I answer faster than you can shake a stick at it. I have to go with pride. Pride keeps us from being grateful and that leads us to think we deserve something and that makes us greedy, lustful, lazy, wrathful, and all the other sins. Pride is what caused Adam to eat the fruit. He, in his pride, decided that he knew better than God and instead of going to God to see what should be done with Eve he chose to go along with her. He could have chosen to go to God and beg Him to forgive Eve and offer to help in any way he could but that isn't what he did. Now, we all suffer because of that pride. Pride is insidious indeed. It keeps us from being the generous, giving, loving, contributing members of society that we should be. It keeps people from seeking help before they are so far gone that there are barely any pieces left to pick up. It makes us thing that we alone are capable of making sense and from learning from the mistakes of others. As you can see, I have very strong feelings about pride.

I think pride. Not the good kind that you take in a job well done, or honest self-respect that keeps you from stooping to things, but the kind that makes you think you're better than other people and that the rules that apply to others don't apply to you.

Pride. It causes people to think they're smart. If you think you're smart, why learn, why better yourself right? So no positive changes in society happens because nobody's learning. No cure! Greed is alright, sometimes you need it. It's good motivation.

i would say pride.although dealing with greedy people is not easy,for me dealing with proud arrogant people is impossible.

Selfishness, thinking of oneself before all else. Me-ism. It creates greed, it leads to pride.

Indifference.

There is no fundamental flaw in human nature. The big thing that messes us up is ignorance, but this can be expunged, revealing something far beyond flawless.

"Pride goeth before the fall."

i think greed. Christ said that the love of money is the root of all evil. people will lay aside even their pride for greedy gain. it's something to be avoided at all costs.

There is no flaw in human nature, some people just dont see how good and kind we really are.

Pride - all else is inspired by pride, including greed. Pride is what makes you want to be higher, richer, more important than your fellow. Pride is what makes you believe that you have the right to be happy - even at the cost of someone else. Pride is what makes you do wicked things, just to prove a point to yourself. Even the most snivelling, pathetic creature is proud enough to believe that his need is greater than anyone's else's.

Pride - all else is inspired by pride, including greed. Pride is what makes you want to be higher, richer, more important than your fellow. Pride is what makes you believe that you have the right to be happy - even at the cost of someone else. Pride is what makes you do wicked things, just to prove a point to yourself. Even the most snivelling, pathetic creature is proud enough to believe that his need is greater than anyone's else's.

Pride... it is our pride that drives us to do horrible things which in turn brings us to greed.

The fundamental, root flaw is PRIDE, not legitimate pride in one family, education, ethnicity etc. but HUBRIS, the kind of pride that puts me at the center of the universe, as dramatized in the Hebrew Book of Genesis, "you shall be as gods" The ancient Christian authors from the Eastern Tradition of the Church, listed Seven, sometimes Eight, deadly sins: pride, covertousness, lust, gluttony, envy, anger and sloth is the usual Western list- so Pride is listed as the first, or course of the others, an exaggerated use, or mis-use of good things gone bad.

Pride, I think, is about being proud of what you have. This isn't neccessarily a bad thing. It's Greed, wanting more, that is the problem. Human nature is such that we always want something more. We can't just be happy to have enough to survive - if there's more available, we'll take it and exploit it. Some might say this is wise, saving for a rainy day, but it is also greedy. It's about selfishness, putting one's needs before everyone else's - and selfishness is the basis of human nature. Sure, we'll give up things for our children or a family member - but that is also selfish - it's about ensuring that our genes survive. Some people also give up things for the good of their country or group - this is also ultimately selfish, as it ensures that the human species survives.

Between pride and greed, the latter wins hands down.

Selfishness. SOmeone described sin to me once as the I in the middle ie sIn.

Sorry, I can't accept your assumed premise...that there is any "flaw". I believe that we are all exactly perfect as we are born. We learn to become whatever we are now. Along the way we begin to understand how to make decisions and understand the consequences. So beginning around age 7 (give or take a couple years) we have more and more influence on what we are. Who is it that makes the judgment that we are "flawed". I would say we are what we have become, and it is our own choosing that others see. Besides, flaws are usually in the eye of the beholder.

A lack of love. But between Pride and Greed...Greed.

Neither. The only flaw, happens to be what makes the world functional, and this is being human. Having the ability to feel. What causes greed? What causes pride? What causes anger? Feelings are the flaw in human nature, however we could not exist without them. There would be no will, no determination, no drive. To feel is a gift, and a curse, but something we could not exist without.

Biggest flaw is the want to understand and manipulate other people. Manipulation as in, basically, religion. Converting people to join your cause. Understanding as in trying to find out how someone thinks in order to gain some sort of advantage. This is part of human nature. For me pride and greed are not aspects of human nature as they are part of all natures. I believe this question is asking particular to humans and I believe it is our phenomenal ability to analyse people psychologically.

Greed:( Makes humans have pride in what the accumalate.

Selfishness. Also, a lack of compassion for others, and for animals.

Hi Jodie- In Nichiren Buddhism we are taught that there are 3 flaws (poisons) in humanity: greed, anger and foolishness (stupidity, etc.), the "evil twin" or fundamental darkeness that we all posess and takes positive strides to overcome. Rickster

I read all the postings...and I came up with INABILITY to empathize/sympathize. If everyone had that , then greed, selfishness, ego and pride would at least be minimized.

Greed is the ultimate nature which defines a human. Therefore, it cannot really be seen as a flaw. All humans are greedy, the feeling of obtaining more and more can never be satisfied. A human will desire things eventhough there is no specific need for it. Hence, this feeling of desiring more becomes greed.. If this very feeling is taken away from us, this Greed, then we are not humans! As for Pride it cannot be a flaw at all as long as one does not put others down. e.g "I am so Intelligent" is not a wrong thing to say, as it gives you confidence and enables one to feel good about themselves, hence enabling an optimistic approach to everything. "I am so Intelligent and others are dumb" is wrong as the statement is patronising. Well, that was my opinion. Thankyou. Shahrukh Malik

Neither. Each is fundamentally flawless in their individual purpose's. In fact, They are perfect. Not to say that I agree with either one, I'm just saying that they are as imperative to the universe as pain.

Greed is good. -Gordon Gekko

Selfishness. Pride and greed are manifestations of our essential selfishness. As we grow and mature from infancy, when we cannot be other than totally selfish, we become less selfish and learn to love others. To the extent that we do not mature in this way and remain selfish, we remain proud and greedy.

How interesting that this question presumes there IS a fundamental flaw in human nature!

the two are connected the greedier you are the more prse you think that you have

Everything. Everything that we take to know of what it is that we think we know is our human fundamental flaw. We think that we know things so much, when you really don't know anything at all.

Surely flaws are just a figment of our imagination that if we think nice things they do not exist!

pride... you feel you're worthy of everything... and then it sets off greed...

Both pride and greed are produced from Ego, and it is the EGO that is the fundamental flaw in human nature.

Neither are flaws. Greed has its pros and cons, and although it creates problems and injustice, it also creates progress and strength. Pride can be self-destructive, but it can also be a source of confidence and strength when faced with a dangerous, unforgiving world. I would say, even though it's not one of the options, that the fundamental flaw in human nature is certainty - the feeling of being sure. Wherever it appears, it's a sickness, leaving misery and dishonesty in its wake. Intellectual honesty requires us to reserve our judgement when we don't really know. Allowing the feeling of certainty without certain justification to dominate us, we proceed confident in our correctness and righteousness. And with doubt conquered, ignorance is invincible. The greatest tragedy is that we teach children this flaw. Because we all start out recognizing that every statement can be questioned with an infinite regress of "why?", and only the wisest thinkers ever relearn how to do that again.

i belive that greed is the fundermental flaw in humanity it curupts the soal and over takes the brain.

As a species, humans are quite flawed, we do not see things as they are, our perception is colored by our emotions, if ratio would guide us all the time we would not have made the mistakes or progress we have in this world. I vote for the emotion FEAR as it is the opposite of love and it evokes all the rest, like pride and greed, the fear not to have enough, not to be enough ...

Human nature was corrupted as soon as sin has entered the earth.

They are sort of equal. Take for instance a gambling addiction. Greed keeps you gambling when you're winning and pride keeps you going when your losing.

The Ego

pride is not necessarily a bad thing, just too much of it is. greed however even in minimal is never a good thing

Hi Jodie..long time no see....I would have to say the fundamental flaw is greed...pride isn't always a negative attribute.

Arrogence

Pride. Because pride has made many humans believe that they are something different than our animal brothers and sisters. This has inhibited our ability to truly come to terms with how we originated and what our place in the universe is. Pride is also, just in my opinion, a prerequisite to greed. It must exist in order for a person to become so selfish as to be greedy.

Neither. Pride and greed are both egoistic attributes. In pride, one pushes forward a moral, a belief, an object, or anything in which it substitutes its natural advancement ideals (as in every being has some form of survival mechanism in which it perpetuates itself) for this ideal. For example: Pride in the advancements of ones child are then seen as an advancement of ones self, because one has given a large piece of their existence up to this child. In which one can describe as being pride. That cannot be seen as a flaw, because a large piece of humanity is based upon the perpetuation of ones existence. In greed, it is almost the same case. One seeks advancement of ones self through variating means. In one view, Wealth is seen as a sign of power, inturn, is seen as a sign of dominance. When one dominates another, it is evidence of an advancement. This advancement is then used as a replacement to the instinct of survival in an individual, which is also the perpetuation of ones existence. Which would also not be seen as a flaw. The flaw of human nature is our ability to survive without advancement. In other words, forms of individuals that would not normally in nature survive under our current environment, without pseudo-adaptation or social support are continuing to advance. This does not mean that our species is not adapting, and further more not changing, this means as opposed to normal adaptation which would take place in nature (physical attributes, intelligence etc.) is not occuring. Due to the effects of society, we have created a form of survival in which a form may perpetuate itself free of the normal enviromental plagues which would normally weed out weaker traits and hold on to more suitable ones. Could that be seen as a flaw? That the flaw of humanity is the definition of humanity itself? Humanity was an adaptation in itself. The ability to protect ones self under varying environments. I personally would say our flaw is normality. A normality in which we build our routines, in which we structure our lives, in which an opposing routine threatens the existence of this normality. Tolerance is blocked by hate, in which hate is the routine or the death grip on one specific flaw. This percieved flaw is then distributed upon the opposing normality or other, until it disappears or agrees. If we could set our thoughts upon a normal and understanding that we all are built relatively the same, then this flaw would vanish. We could then set our goals of advancement upon the better good of humanity as a whole. im not holding my breath.

I think being judgmental is. Pride is a huge one and greed is a major problem with human nature but judgment swallows everyone. Even the most righteous or good-natured people, religious or not, find themselves judging others out loud and internally. I am doing it right now, everyone who posted has. It's impossible to escape from but if we all would just stop worrying about what other people think of us, stop assuming, and stop stereotyping, the world would be nearly perfect in my eyes. Now, I am not an ethnic person. I am an Irish/German American. You can't get much whiter. But I do NOT stand for racial assumptions. I am deeply offended by racial slurs, jokes, stereotypes etc. And yet, I can't stop myself from thinking about race constantly. When I make my decisions, I tell myself it doesn't matter but it's not like I don't SEE the color. I convince myself that the color of your skin doesn't change who you are cause it's true, we all know it. But even when we try to ignore it, we find ourselves mixed up in it. If I were given two applications one of a white man and another of an equally qualified black man, or hispanic man, or a woman, I would never chose the white man. Because I feel obligated as someone who is very accepting of race and minority, to give them the opportunity they deserve. The white man will get a job easy but not everyone is as accepting as me. That is what would go through my head under the circumstances. Why is this wrong? Because in trying to ignore race, I acknowledged and addressed it and used it to influence my decision. I am not only judging every person who applied, but I am judging the rest of the world. I am assuming that everyone else will be more racist or sexist so I have to do my part. Does the black man deserve the job? Yes! Does the white man? Yes! I should be able to roll a die and not be phased. Leave the decision to someone else. But our society is so twisted by race that I have to think every time a situation like this comes about. I am not complaining by any means. I am all for the advancement of minorities and want to support it at any means necessary. But I believe that our world will be mended when people stop even having that thought. When the word black, or white doesn't even cross our minds. When we can forget to size people up, make assumptions, and JUDGE. When a priest or pastor or trusted political official says that someone is going to hell or a bad person or an enemy. They are judging. And while some assessments are necessary to survival, there is a line. And maybe that is my point. When we can draw the line between what we can hold someone accountable for and not, things will be easier. When we can make a decision without guilt, without opportunity cost, without consequence, things will be right. And now my brain is wandering and I come to economics. Th fundamental flaw with human nature is scarcity. We cannot show appreciation or approval to everyone so someone is going to get left out. No matter how hard the Priest wants to tell everyone they are going to heaven, he has to draw the line somewhere. Someone has to be the bad guy. No matter how bad I wanna hire every black, white, hispanic, and asian worker I can't. And it will always come down to "why not me, what did I do, what don't I have." This condescending self-assessment has ruined my life. Constantly second-guessing yourself is no way to live. Trying to override it and coming across as cocky. It is a vicious cycle.

Pride. It's built within each of us, and is the element that hinders our ability to come to the knowledge of the truth.

If we define pride as "pride of place" (the desire to be outrank/outplace all others) - which is inately competitive, then greed is just an outgrowth of pride, as are all manifestations of selfishness and self-centeredness.

Full-belly child says to hungry-belly child, "Keep good heart."

Fact from fiction, truth from diction. Out of those two pride is the more bothersome. Pride comes from ego. When one is embaressed the ego is wounded. Pride protects the ego. People have killed friends and family members behind pride. Lovers triangles that end in the death of some or all of the participants are due to pride, one person can't except they have been dumped or cheated on. Pride is wounded when a person feels they been disrespected or they have been slighted. People go back to their former place of work armed with a gun because they feel slighted that they got fired instead of given a raise. Leaders have ruined their whole nation because of pride, the thought they could not be wrong in their direction and failing to hear those who knew more. Kids know more of pride from an early age then greed. The reason they will beat up a kid who won the speeling bee over them because they were embarressed about losing.

Wanting to be like God, and disobeying Him. From that then flows pride, lust, love of money, wanting to control people, etc. However we then learn that being like that does not get us far (ie we end up with no friends, go to jail etc), so we learn ways around it - wanting to be like God whilst pretending not to. Unless we realise the fallacy if this way of life and decide "NO!" I want to be different, I want to be nice to people because it is good to be nice, and so we develop different moral codes.

imperfection