Do you believe people are born inherently good/evil?

[Deleted member 23212]

The classic nurture vs. nature argument. I have seen the argument here that people are born good or evil, or at least that some are born with sociopathic traits that others do not. I am not really convinced by this argument. I think that social influences/factors are a very crucial aspect to the development of the human, and indeed as our brains develop for the first few decades of our life they are very malleable to outside influence.

I think where this distinction is important, is how it'd affect decisions made as to how to deal with the wrongs of our society. If it is indeed the truth that there are just naturally bad people, it would mean that we'd have to accept that people will fall through the cracks and that we have to keep finding them and keep them locked up to avoid disruption. On the other hand, if you believe the idea that people are driven to it by societal influences, the solution would be to change society in a way that would not encourage this sort of behaviour to fester.

 

[hwarang]

doesn't even make sense. how can you be born inherently good/evil?

t would mean that we'd have to accept that people will fall through the cracks and that we have to keep finding them and keep them locked up to avoid disruption.

Click to shrink...

the fuck? you answered your own question lol. predetermining someone and locking them up under the assumption that they are born inherently evil is evil in itself.

 

[SilentPanda]

What is good and what is evil?

 

[Wracu]

You should find better terms. The ones you're using don't actually exist.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

Of course not.

but I do think evil exists. It's just the barrier for entry for being evil is often raised too high

 

[Mammoth Jones]

No. I don't believe any baby can be evil. You have to believe a baby can be evil is you believe someone is born evil.

 

[Catshade]

I believe people are born inherently selfish and irrational.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

No, that's fucking stupid and takes responsibility away from society.
Even an infant predisposed toward sociopathy isn't necessarily going to do evil shit if they're in the right environment.

 

[shinobi602]

What? Of course not, babies are blank slates and representative of their upbringing and environment.

Behavior is learned.

 

[PonyStation]

Do we see it in other intelligent species like Octopus, Elephant or Crows? If not, then that's your answer

 

[SymbiantXenos]

No, behavior is learned. For instance, nobody is born racist.

 

[Seesaw15]

Of course not

 

[Deleted member 23212]

Well, I am at least relieved from the responses so far.

 

[I Don't Like]

no I don't because that's stupid and not a thing.

 

[smurfx]

i think some people have different tolerances for certain things and their environment is what shapes them. like you will find people who like fighting and others who try and get out of it at all costs.

 

[zoggy]

Yes I am good and you are evil now die

 

[MattB]

I think someone can be born good or bad. It definitely can happen but I don't think everyone is born as a good or bad person I think someone can be born with a mental condition that makes them think a current way. More of a subconscious think.

 

[TaySan]

I don't think anyone is born evil rather it is something that is taught during childhood.

 

[Kenzo]

What? Of course not, babies are blank slates and representative of their upbringing and environment.

Behavior is learned.

Click to shrink...

This.

 

[djplaeskool]

No. That is behavior which is learned.
Hell, Dungeons and Dragons doesn't even work by this credo anymore.

 

[Deleted member 3093]

No, that's pretty stupid. I've seen some people here who legitimately think that Republicans just have something inside of them that makes them wicked, and that's just really shocking that someone would believe such a naive and dangerous idea.

 

[Combo]

What is good and what is evil?

Click to shrink...

Meta-ethics? Nice!

 

[samoyed]

No, though I do believe some people are born psychopathic and will have difficulty adhering to societal norms, but the incidence rate is probably below 5% (never checked). I do not believe all psychopaths qualify as "evil" though. In fact I'm not sure how we're qualifying evil.

 

[Qvoth]

What is good and what is evil?

Click to shrink...

this
but to OP's question, my believe is it's nurture

 

[Deleted member 23212]

No, though I do believe some people are born psychopathic and will have difficulty adhering to societal norms, but the incidence rate is probably below 5% (never checked). I do not believe all psychopaths qualify as "evil" though. In fact I'm not sure how we're qualifying evil.

Click to shrink...

Well, that's actually a pretty good argument for why I don't think good/evil can be inherent in a person, because I don't think there is even an objective measure of what is good/evil.

 

[ClickyCal']

No, but there are things that aren't just either taught or not taught. Something like empathy isn't something you learn. Same with things that tie into that, like greed.

 

[Sibersk Esto]

I believe it's a little of column A and a little of column B in regards to nature v nurture

Environmental factors can trigger certain inherent proclivities in certain people

 

[Mesoian]

No, behavior is learned, not gleaned.

 

[StallionDan]

Some people are born 'bad' yes. Is how you get siblings brought up almost the same but one is an awful person while the other is not.

Sometimes it can be nurture, but other times it's nature.

 

[iAmPossum]

It's a spectrum.

Resilient people by nature who are also in the spectrum of "goodness" will thrive even if they're placed in bad circumstances.

 

[mikhailguy]

Don't really believe in those terms. We are tribal, we will dehumanize, and we are vindictive. Some more than others.

 

[Zoe]

I believe some people are born psychopaths, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can't be productive members of society. It is difficult though.

 

[jaymzi]

I don't think it is as simple as put a person in a specific upbringing/environment and they will automatically turn out to be a good or evil.

Increase probability sure, but not guaranteed. So nature has to at least play some role.

 

[Deleted member 23893]

I believe there are some people that are simply born (due to brain chemistry) sociopathic, or at least more likely to engage in anti-social behavior.

Learned behavior accounts for plenty, but lot of your base personality is dictated by how you're wired to deal with things.

 

[Chaosblade]

I believe people are born inherently selfish and irrational.

Click to shrink...

I agree with this, it ties in with my belief the 'great filter' is built in to evolution itself. The traits needed for a properly functioning advanced civilization are contrary to the ones that allowed the species to reach that point in the first place.

But that's not "evil".

 

[Xterrian]

I wouldn't necessarily call it evil, but some people are definitely born with tendencies that may be malicious.

Even if someone is raised in a healthy environment and suffers no abuse, they can go on to do heinous stuff. There's a very good movie about this, I which I could remember the name.

So nurture can't overcome all inherently malevolence, but it is really good at preventing it. Or at the very least keeping it in check to a socially acceptable level.

 

[Dakkon]

I think a lot of things we consider bad/evil is soemthing someone isn't born with. e.g. Racism/Sexism is absolutely a product of the environment someone is raised in as a kid. If your parents and surrounding community are racist/sexist you will likely have those tendencies on some levels even if it's a subtle subconscious bias.

That said, other things we consider bad/evil aren't necessarily this way.

Stuff like being a serial killer or a pedophile, for instance, are things that have gone wrong with someone's brain, that make them either capable of doing something most wouldn't (the former) or find something sexually attractive that they shouldn't (the latter). And while a brain isn't fully formed at birth, the DNA that will construct that brain as the baby ages is there, so these malfunctions are inevitable from birth, and they are not a blank slate in the sense of these things.

 

[LanceX2]

The classic nurture vs. nature argument. I have seen the argument here that people are born good or evil, or at least that some are born with sociopathic traits that others do not. I am not really convinced by this argument. I think that social influences/factors are a very crucial aspect to the development of the human, and indeed as our brains develop for the first few decades of our life they are very malleable to outside influence.

I think where this distinction is important, is how it'd affect decisions made as to how to deal with the wrongs of our society. If it is indeed the truth that there are just naturally bad people, it would mean that we'd have to accept that people will fall through the cracks and that we have to keep finding them and keep them locked up to avoid disruption. On the other hand, if you believe the idea that people are driven to it by societal influences, the solution would be to change society in a way that would not encourage this sort of behaviour to fester.

Click to shrink...

baby hitler must die

 

[Timeaisis]

At one point I believed in nurture completely, but now I'm not so sure. Some people are inherently selfish and aggressive, it seems. And while one could argue this is all due to conditioning, I don't think you can completely remove an individual's brain.

We don't believe everyone has the same capacity for intelligence of course. That is just not true. Why should we believe everyone has the same capacity for compassion?

 

[subpar spatula]

It really depends on what you consider good and evil. If you mean are people born to do things that better others and those that do the opposite? Yes. Your entire existence based off how you were raised. Chemistry plays a big role too.

 

[Thisisme]

I don't believe in the good/evil dichotomy. I think it's more accurate to look at behavior in terms of pathology.

 

[gogosox82]

No. Behavior is learned through their environment. Babies don't know have a concept of morality. You'd have to believe that a baby knows what is good or evil to believe that.

 

[Baji Boxer]

There seem to be a small % who may be born with 0 capacity for empathy. For the rest, maybe it's not the same natural level for everyone, but it's still a spectrum which can be nurtered, or ground into dust.


An interesting article with a rather disturbing example:

When Your Child Is a Psychopath

The condition has long been considered untreatable. Experts can spot it in a child as young as 3 or 4. But a new clinical approach offers hope.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[Jawbreaker]

Biological factors modulate our behavior, but behavior is learned. People with certain gene variations are more susceptible to criminal behavior under specific circumstances such as neglect and abuse, for example. It's a combination of nature and nurture, though I wouldn't dare to guess which is more of a factor.

 

[Zoe]

An interesting article with a rather disturbing example:

When Your Child Is a Psychopath

The condition has long been considered untreatable. Experts can spot it in a child as young as 3 or 4. But a new clinical approach offers hope.

www.theatlantic.com

Click to shrink...

That part about lower resting heart rates is interesting:

Indeed, when Daniel Waschbusch, a clinical psychologist at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, gave the most severely callous and unemotional children he worked with a stimulative medication, their behavior improved.

Click to shrink...

 

[AnansiThePersona]

Wait are you talking about anime or real life? Anyways some people are born with outie bellybuttons so the answer to your question is yes

 

[Dongs Macabre]

Anyone who believes this is probably inherently evil.

 

[SpaceCrystal]

Behavior is learned, not something people are born with.

 

[rokkerkory]

Uhh nope

it's through their experiences, learnings, environment etc

 

[RocketKiss]

From my point of view the Jedi are born evil