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More handpicked essays just for you.
Nature is more important than nurture in human behaviour
Nature is more important than nurture in human behaviour
Influence behaviour of both nature and nurture
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Evil is a metaphysical term used to describe the thoughts and actions of humans that are seen as morally wrong or ‘bad’. In extreme cases even a person can be labelled as overall evil, such as Adolf Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer. Previously, it has been thought that a person has the ability to choose between being ‘good’ or ‘evil’ and that they simply make this decision based upon what pleases them. Recently, however, neuroscientists have shed some light upon the physical explanations of human thought and action. In this essay I argue that evil does not exist, and that actions and thoughts previously termed ‘evil’ are in fact malfunctions of the human brain.
What drives people to act in an improper way, is not evil, but rather a lack of empathy hardwired into their brain. When a
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One’s morals set in place the actions they see as proper and improper in their current society. Individuals in the same socioeconomic settings tend to overlap and correspond to each other. Other times morals are nonexistent or different due to one’s upbringing and culture, this means that ‘appropriate’ decisions as seen by some people may be seen as ‘inappropriate’ to others. Evil in terms of morals can be defined as someone 's morals being so extreme or nonexistent when compared to those of modern society 's views that they can not be logically comprehended. Despite the effect of one’s morals and upbringing upon their actions, in extreme cases biology of the brain has a great effect on distinguishing between proper and improper. There is a spectrum between proper and improper, it is not all black and white. For example, not tipping well at a restaurant and child molestation are both seen as improper, but child molestation is significantly worse. A person that commits child molestation is not doing so simply because of external factors, but instead because something is malfunctioning in their
Evil can be a difficult thing to speak on, as it makes people uncomfortable. There is inherent evil in everyone, and Philip Zimbardo presents a compelling and frighteningly true case showing this. Zimbardo is the psychologist who headed the controversial Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971, and was also an expert witness at Abu Ghraib. He has a book out called The Lucifer Effect, which explores the evil’s of the human mind, and how people will change when put into the right (or wrong) situations. Needless to say, Zimbardo is more than qualified to seriously explain the evils of the human mind.
“Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other” (Eric Burdon). People do not think they are doing good or evil, they just think that they are doing the right thing. Evil comes from within each one of us. You just need to something to bring it out.
Everyone has personal opinions on the definition of evil, but what is the true definition? Some argue that God can only judge if an act is evil, while some say only certain things are evil. Many philosophers and authors argue over what the most accurate definition is. One psychiatrist, Dr. M. Scott Peck, suspects that Satan lives within people as a lazy and less-disciplined figure, which induces mental illness and criminal activity (Lawhon 1). Author Michael Stone defines evil as specific deeds designed to torture or murder another individual, but “the perpetrator be aware that the victim would suffer intensely, experience agony”. Who do we have to blame for these unthinkable acts of hatred? The only ones capable of them: humans. Humans are the only creatures that can feel emotions, such as shame, and have complex, rational thought (Stone 19). It is hard to tell when bad actions blur into evil acts. True evil is when that person knows what they are doing is wrong, but continue to do so because it gives them pleasure.
When people realize that good and evil are just points of view that are placed on other people and actions, it is possible to transcend these superficial roles. Since it is people who create the meaning of evil, it cannot be said that people are evil, or are born evil, because not only is that a perspective that is assumed onto others, which will change with different cultures, societies, and eras, but the very same acts may appear to be both good and evil, depending on the perspective in which the acts are seen. Ultimately, it is the individual’s responsibility to decide for himself the effects of his actions on himself and others.
Being born a human, one has the potential to be inherently evil and has the intent of doing violent things. This is because throughout the world’s history, there has been an abundance of violence from hunter-gatherers Additionally, in the current world today, there are constant wars fought with mass deaths and much hatred, and bullies that inflict pain and cruelty because of their own innate evil.
Raine, A. & Yang,Y. (2006). Neural foundations to moral reasoning and antisocial behavior. Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience.
One of the most persistently asked and perpetually unanswered questions in psychology is the question of morality. What is it, how does it develop, and where does it come from? A basic definition of morality is “beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior” (Merriam-Webster). Based on the definition, the question then becomes even more complicated; How do people decide what is right and what is wrong? Research has examined this from many different angles, and two distinct schools of thought have emerged. One centers on the Lockian idea of children as blank slates who must be taught the difference between right and wrong and what it means to be moral, while the other espouses a more Chomskian perspective of a preset system of basic rules and guidelines that needs only to be activated. So what does this mean for humans and humanity? Are we born tabula rasa or are we born with an innate sense of good and evil? For those researching this topic, the question then becomes how to most effectively theorize, experiment and interpret human morality.
Surely there must be something wrong with someone who is extremely violent, or hurts individuals in ways our society will not allow. There are few things more repellent to 'human nature' and morality than the concept of a serial killer. What is different about the brains of these individuals whom our society finds unforgivable and unredeemable predators? Society might find a biological reason for such atrocities more comfortable than the prospects of 'good and evil' or a mistake. This paper will catalogue and attempt to organize the current biological differences between our minds and that of a serial killer.
The debate over the existence of evil is as old as man and time. That discussion has twisted and bent in upon itself, woven through with questions of predestination and free will. Until now, it has largely been a question for theologians. Kevin Horrigan, a columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, discussed evil in a 2005 column, writing that "classifying someone as evil involves a moral judgment, they say, not a scientific one" (B3). Psychiatrists, it seems, don't make moral judgments. They make diagnoses, and evil has never been a diagnosis.
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being.
How exactly does the human brain work? Are humans evil by nature or are they good samaritans most, if not all, the time? As studies throughout history have shown, this is not the case. Humans are inherently evil because they are always seeking as much power as they can, revert to challenging authority and selfishness in times of peril, and become intimidated easily by “authority” figures egging them on, which is reflected in The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, as well as The Zimbardo Experiment conducted by Psychologist Phillip Zimbardo.
“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” (Eleanor Roosevelt). This is just one of the infinite examples of how human nature has been explored by so many different people. Each and every human is born with the capability of making their own choices. The decisions that they will make in the future will determine how evil they are viewed by others. Although one’s nature and nurture do affect their life, it is their own free will that determines whether or not they are evil.
We are all witnesses of the wicked “evil” that, unfortunately, inhabits the world. We see it everyday on the news, streets, and maybe even in our own homes. Almost always, I hear stories of a person that was murdered, a innocent and young child being kidnapped, or how someone was robbed. The corrupted people that have committed these acts, or others that support them, want to justify themselves by saying they have a mental condition, or were on drugs, or simply were going through a rough time, that “caused” them not to think rationally. But, what if these impulsive actions originate from more deeper and twisted roots?
Good and evil are more connected to each other than what people give them credit for. Good coexists with evil and there can be no good unless there is also an evil. Something that benefits a society would be considered good. On the other hand, if it does not benefit a society, it would be considered evil. The term good and evil can be associated with whatever a person sets their moral to be.
Understanding this concept could be difficult if one does not realize what it means to have good morals. Morality is the distinction of knowing between right and wrong, good and bad. This judgment happens in everyday activities and can be as small as a little white lie or as big as killing someone. Studies show different ways of one’s morality forming. One way, researchers believe, is from one’s religion and what one believes in. If one is a Christian then they would learn from what God says is right or wrong in The Bible. If one is Islamic, one would believe what Allah says is right and wrong and what is in The Qur’an. One might also learn what is right from wrong from...