Evil??? Born or bred?

With so much going on in the world at the moment, with the war on terror etc etc. It reminded me of a discussion I was having the other night, and thought of expanding it on to here for people's opinion, Are people born evil or does the world change them?, I personally think some people are natural born killers and no amount of good will or love will change that person. Society blames these people, and they themselves blame society, so who is in the right/wrong?, Serial killers have not necessarily had anything to complain about in their lives to make them how they are, yet some people are more determined to be good the more life throws at them! so what do you think?? do we create evil in ourselves? or do we just allow it consume us? or are some of us born evil to convert others?

Nature or nurture, eh! I refuse to believe that it is nature because it would mean that I have no control over who I am and who I wish to be, but perhaps that is my own desire to believe in the way that I do.

I personally don't think anyone can just be evil. I only think that these people somehow are different and do not veiw society in the same way. They do not understand the basic morals most of us share. I am not try to say in any way that these people are mentally disabled but I do feel they are different.

As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.

That is why good people can come out of a bad situation, and evil come come from good parenting/situation.

Ultimatly ever person is responsible for their own actions.

That is why child abuse should carry the death penalty.

[Edited on 25-5-2004 by ab2tw]

Well normal healthy people I believe are born neutral. Raising, teaching, surroundings, etc creates your personality; however, some people are not born healthy or become unhealthy at a later point in life. Remeber the brain controls who we are, if the brain has a defect, be it chemical or physical, your mood can be changed. So those people may be born "evil" in the respect that their brain doesnt process right and wrong as we do, or they may become so at a later oint in life.

-Z Out

I don't think anyone is born evil. I think everybody is born neutral, and everyone have as much chances of becoming good or bad, at least morally and mentally.

The context and society in wich one is born cannot be chosen tho, and I think that those 2 elements have a major impact on the developpement of his personnality.

I think its a combination of things, but mainly it's enviornmental. You mix a bad enviornemnt with an unstable mind, and you get freaky people who do things like murders etc. Some people are just weird and you get indications when they are young, like they enjoy killing cats and things like that. A lot of it has to do with parental habits too when you are young etc. No one is born evil. IMO
Its all how it is channeled out into the enviornment, and all how the enviornment is taken in.

TextUltimatly ever person is responsible for their own actions.

That is exactly what I said, but once in a while a soul is born with not ability to tell right from wrong and go and do things for the pleasure it feels of doing harm to others.

To get further into this, I do not believe that evil, or good for that matter, exist outside of a perceptional relationship to a benefit/harm to the individual person making that judgement call, but that's just me.

Some interesting responses, thanks. One of the replies mentions chemical imbalance or defect.. that is a good point but then that means we are controlled more by our brain than our mind. If this is true then its a case of are we just a brain in a shell, or do we have a mind outside the spectrum of control.. god this is hard to explain sorry if i make no sense, thinking of the best way to put it. It's a bit like are we a brain controlled by chemicals or are we a mind governed by a higher self or consciousness and the battle is between our brains and what we believe. As for no-one being born evil, if you ever heard of a case in england where 2 young kids, killed another child called james bulger. These murderers were only children themselves, but systematically murdered another child and enjoyed it, yet their upbringing was normal, no abuse no bullying etc that has gotta make you think about being born bad!

[Edited on 25-5-2004 by Mindsmog]

Originally posted by Mindsmog
With so much going on in the world at the moment, with the war on terror etc etc. It reminded me of a discussion I was having the other night, and thought of expanding it on to here for people's opinion, Are people born evil or does the world change them?

It's always nature vs nurture to some.......

Psychology tells me that it's not nature.......It's nurture...
People are born without a brain, then when a fetus develops one, it starts to take in a process information....... Alot of personality development happens in the womb.

A baby will have either lot's of personality or rarely any personality...
Environment plays a huge part in developmental growth...

I'm sure I don't need to keep explaining this one as I hope you all get the point.

Murderers aren't born murderers, something snaps... Usually they form a negative in their early years.
Whether it be neglect, abuse of a physical or mental nature, taunting, ect... the list goes on... think of negative things and there you go. Some people react more sensitively to these issues...

When they react it's usually "i'm going to get the world back" or they become obsessed with violence and they want to try it and then keep doing it because it doesn't phase them..

This is such a big topic I could go on, but the gist of my post is that children are products of their environment... Whatever happens to them in this environment will ultimately mold their being into either a successful upbeat grow up, or dark negative and deliquent/criminal..


So many people are filled with anger and hate, but it's because of their environment.....Anger and hate breeds more of it not less of it.

technically there is no evil, it just depends who's side you are on. if it is "evil" in your opinon, i would deffinetly say BRED, you can't be born with things like that.

I think ultimately it's a matter of free will. Even somebody who was born in harsh circumstances has the ultimate responsibility whether to be good or bad. However, I do think there are a small amount of people who were born "evil" and don't even understand it themselves. I call them the "banal evil." Jeffrey Dahmer is a good example.

It's not a matter of free will, god, religion... it's a matter of what kind of evil you want to classify.

Sociopathy can be either bred or created.

Sadism can go either way as well.

You have to go into the shades of black before you can get an answer. Now, the question is are you WILLING to delve into it to fidn the answer to your question?

DE

Good thread i love this kinda thing so much i think its boths its nuture and nature were hear to learn. Right and wrong are just part of the ego, hitler thought he was right the so called terrorists think what there doing is right and so on and so on. Oh how if i might myself 6 months ago he would call me a spiritual lunatic lol

My take is evil is bred....environment and ideological imprinting mostly, but mental factors could contribute to a persons mind becomming so twisted that most would consider them evil.

Yoda was right, evil does seem the quicker more seductive way....but it definatly takes its toll in return.

It is irrevalent though you should just let go of right and wrong and find balance.

I think there are exceptions to the rules, I think both happens. Evil is both born and made.

What makes you think that spittincobra?? I have met people that are totally stone-cold emotionally, and that scares me to think people are capable of that, I sometimes wonder if these people are even human!! Lack of compassion, did these people have it once or never , I don't believe no matter what life does to me, (and I aint sayin I've had an easy life) that for one instance I could do an evil act, ie Murder etc. I can't find any justification for Not just killing another human being, but by enjoying the suffering of others, that is beyond words.

I feel this way beacuse, I look in myself. I myself have a constant battle between right and wrong.

I think a person will do what they think they have to. too survive. What ever that means to them. Stealing from the corner store or slaing whole familes.