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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
An example of this is a man and his wife are arguing; he becomes enraged and murders his wife in the heat of the disagreement. This man has a clean record; he has never committed a murder or crime of any kind before “Statistical trends would project that he won’t murder again” (Samenow 2). This man is not a “monster,” psychopath, or a freak of nature; he is a normal person who reacts in an entirely wrong way to a hostile and stressful situation. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he rationalized the crime with his emotions and feelings rather than his morals. The “Evil is in all of us, really, but it’s how it’s expressed” that separates criminals and law abiding citizens (Prattini).
One area of research in psychopathy focuses on the set of structures in the brain known as the limbic system, but more specifically on a structure known as the amygdala. According to neuropsychology class slides, the amygdala is involved in emotions and storage of emotions in memory as well as the fear response when encountering threatening environmental stimuli. Osumi and colleagues (2012) note that the affective and interpersonal facets of psychopathy, such as cold-heartedness and lack of empathy, which are thought to be the core features of psychopathy, are associated with reduced activity in the amygdala. This is coupled with the fact that a less functional amygdala is associated with a psychopathic individual’s exhibition of antisocial behaviors, at least in part because he will not perceive the threat of punishment as a consequence of his actions. So whether it be the acts against other people or the acts of justice that may be carried out against the perpetrator, the psychopath will perceive both as less significant, as compared to a non-psychopathic individual. (Osumi et al., 2012)
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.
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.
However, Glenn and Raine (2014) argue that the emotional deficits characteristic of psychopaths diminish their rational capacity, making them unable to be held accountable for the rash and harmful decisions. Additionally, psychopaths may display knowledge of right and wrong, however their understanding is substantially compromised (Maibom 2005). Therefore, because they cannot understand moral emotions, moral transgressions fail to motivate them and they cannot be held morally responsible for their actions. They treat moral transgressions as equal to conventional transgressions (Levy 2008); to them, they are merely breaking the rules. And although breaking the rules begets consequences, a short attention span prevents psychopaths from anticipating consequences. Nevertheless, say, for example, a psychopath on a different portion of the spectrum is aware of the consequences. In this case, they would be still be indifferent because their feelings of grandeur lead them to believe that they are removed from punishment (Gao, Glenn, Schug, Yang, Raine 2009). For these reasons, many argue that psychopaths should not be held responsible for their behaviors.
“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.
Humans commit many acts of evil towards each other. Some well-known examples are Hitler killing the Jews during the Holocaust, spouse abusers, and infamous serial killers, like John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy. Another example is Satan worshippers in Russia stabbing four teenagers 666 times and then proceeded to eat them (Haywood 1). Another example is a woman and her boyfriend beating her 1-year-old son with belts...
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.
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.
Raine, A. & Yang,Y. (2006). Neural foundations to moral reasoning and antisocial behavior. Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience.
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.
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.
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?