This is a fascinating story about a man doing research into the brains of psychopaths who discovered he is one.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/scientist-related-killers-learns-psychopaths-brain/story?id=21029246

James Fallon admits he has a lot in common with serial killer Ted Bundy and Columbine assassin Eric Harris. He is aggressive, lacks empathy and is a risk-taker.
...
"No behavior is really evil or bad -- it's all contextual," he said. "There is a time for sex and a time for killing, when someone attacks the family. But it's done in context. The orbital cortex adjudicates the idea of morality and interacts with the amygdala's drive to eat, drink and screw. There would be mayhem if it didn't exist."
...
Fallon suggests that a child born with biological tendencies to be a psychopath can be pushed over the edge by early abuse and by bullies.
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"You can determine the biological roots of psychopathy, including the lack of empathy and remorse and manipulative disposition, but the problem is, that does not necessarily translate into violent behavior," he told ABCNews.com. "There are literally millions of psychopaths."

The American Psychological Association claims that as many as 3 percent of all Americans have antisocial personalities, according to Levin, "meaning they are crafty and shrewd and masters at presentation of self."

"They might sell you a bad used car, or might be womanizers or pathological liars or cheaters, but that doesn't mean they will kill anyone," he said. "Not unless you become an obstacle to their success -- and then you better watch out."

All serial killers seem to share a "feeling of profound powerlessness," said Levin.

If "no behavior is really evil," then how can there even be evil in DNA?

It seems that what has been found is a difference that physically manifests as to how each person perceives empathy.

Rather obviously if one has no empathy then it becomes much easier to do cruel things to others, because you have no feeling that it is cruel, you only care about advancing yourself. (Not unlike the fiduciary duty to the shareholder.)

Perhaps a different example of empathy and how we switch it on and off. You are an emergency service worker and you are called out to a horrific crash site. They are some survivors, but many dead, and it is all violent trauma, so there are bodies missing limbs and the severed body parts scattered in among the barely living. You have to switch off your empathy to begin to deal with this and assist those that can be helped and skip those that are beyond saving. You have to be able to ignore the carnage around you and focus on doing a task. If you could not switch off your empathy you would focus on the first you saw and ignore the rest, or possibly become so overwhelmed that you could not function at all. We all know that some people can handle emergencies and others simply fall apart. We must posses this ability to switch things off with different levels of ability.

I think we all understand a person who is picked upon until they reach their breaking point and lash out. What we don't get is when there is a large time lag between the bullying and the reaction of lashing out. Or transference from the bully to an innocent third party.

I could mention sadists as well. Those who derive pleasure from inflicting pain on others. Are they evil? Or is the evil only when they do so to unwilling participants? What about the masochist who wants to be hurt? Are they some anti-evil? One classic line is the masochist asks the sadist to beat them; a true sadist answers no.

I don't think it is as simple as an evil gene in DNA. It is a very complex mixture of many traits, some of which are learned and some of which we may have genetic predisposition to.

Then there is the problem of defining evil. As I said in the other thread, one groups evil is another groups SOP. Evil is contextual. As such I reject that humans are born evil, because what is evil changes.

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This is the guy I was referring to earlier.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Then there is the problem of defining evil.

And the problem to define when a child recognices and can tell the difference between good and evil.

This is a fascinating story about a man doing research into the brains of psychopaths who discovered he is one.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/scientist-related-killers-learns-psychopaths-brain/story?id=21029246

James Fallon admits he has a lot in common with serial killer Ted Bundy and Columbine assassin Eric Harris. He is aggressive, lacks empathy and is a risk-taker.

Here is James 'Jim' Fallon own words from BBC Horizon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2bPMDTXQTY

Yes, you are right.
But humans born evil...
Babies dont know about authorities AFAIK.
However culture and traditions shapes individuals when they are growing older.
Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

I'm convinced humans have a natural tendency towards cooperation and altruism. We are a social species, we grew up in groups, hence it has always been in our best interest to be able to cooperate and deal with other human beings.

If there is evil in us, its because our culture is forcing us to go that way. Again, the systems in which we grow up help shape us, and those systems are telling us its better to go against our natural tendencies. In the west we have extreme individualism, capitalism and patriarchy (to name three things) that all tell us not to cooperate but to be selfish individuals that operate according to certain rules that furthers social differences between different people. In other words, it promotes behavior from which evil grows. Its no coincidence that we live in a society where sociopaths prosper more than anyone else.

In the west we have extreme individualism, capitalism and patriarchy (to name three things) that all tell us not to cooperate but to be selfish individuals that operate according to certain rules that furthers social differences between different people. In other words, it promotes behavior from which evil grows. Its no coincidence that we live in a society where sociopaths prosper more than anyone else.

:) I dont think this is a western behaviour.
You will find this all over the planet.
Otherwise it would mean that western countries and their habitants are more evil than the habitants from other parts in the World!
And sociopaths... Politicians perhaps. Not all of them however:)

:) I dont think this is a western behaviour.
You will find this all over the planet.
Otherwise it would mean that western countries and their habitants are more evil than the habitants from other parts in the World!
And sociopaths... Politicians perhaps. Not all of them however:)

No, definitely not all over the world. Asian countries have a culture that is far less based on individualism and far more concerned with the group as a whole. That doesn't mean we are all more evil than the rest of the world though. Its just one aspect of our culture that promotes less cooperative behavior, but there are other aspects in our culture that compensate for this, and other cultures have aspects in their culture that stand in the way of cooperation between humans.

As for the sociopaths, you can find a lot of them in business as well. Sociopaths thrive in the inherently competitive environment of capitalist business, and they excel at it because they can be more ruthless than others. Capitalism promotes that kind of behavior.

As for the sociopaths, you can find a lot of them in business as well. Sociopaths thrive in the inherently competitive environment of capitalist business, and they excel at it because they can be more ruthless than others. Capitalism promotes that kind of behavior.

Really :)

In order to know what Evil is you have to have a conscience to start ofr with i wonder witch country has the least conscience . Probly where the most innocents die and there is not the excuse of poverty any takers on whom i mean here's a clue 50,000 each year die and it could be stopped .

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I don't believe anyone is born evil. Not at all. Not one little bit. I think people can become "evil" in the sense that they commit acts of evil.

I REALLY wish I could remember the details, but I watched a very interesting documentary a few years ago (the article about brain scans reminded me of it in particular) where it discussed a gap in an area of the brain which gradually closes as we grow up, but failed to do so completely in those who were later found to have "psychopathic" personalities. It linked up studies of those serving life sentences for terrible crimes, and I believe soldiers (where up to 10 percent showed similar scan results - and tended to be the most likely to aim for the head in combat situations and hit their "mark" than the rest of their platoon members). I think the research suggested that this gap inhibited the transfer of signals between different areas of the brain required for developing "normal" emotional processes/responses. It was early research and at that time they were not sure if it was because the gap had been larger to begin with, or just failed to close for some other reason.

Now I sincerely apologise for the source, and it's sensationalist style, but the article IS interesting nevertheless and ties in to what I have said above. I DID decide AGAINST using their story tagline for the link though :/

Researchers at University College London found that children diagnosed with 'conduct problems' react abnormally to seeing people in pain

Certainly serial killers, psychopaths, etc that have come to the attention of society through the evil acts they have committed as adults, have all, to my knowledge, tortured, maimed and hurt animals from a very young age :( It goes against the instincts of most children, who are either enchanted by them or terrified of them, depending on their experiences.

I do think some people are simply born more challenged in their ability to empathise with others, perhaps because of genes or developmental problems before and/or after birth that affect the brain. I don't think it makes them evil. I DO think it COULD affect "the nurture" they get, so making it harder again for them to connect positively with others. It could also affect their ability to make friends with others (less challenged) because they are "different" too, and so make them vulnerable to further disassociation as they get older. Becoming evil, I would say, is a step-by-step process, and it starts after birth.

From a personal perspective, when my son was born and in the first year of his life he recognised the tears of others as meaning they were sad and his face would crumple in sympathy and he'd cry too. Then one day, I was carrying him in my arms after a visit to the doctor where I'd had news that had made me cry on my way home. I'd kept a very brave face, as I was in public (I cry silently - just tears - no fuss - rarely any noise :)) and he burst into fits of giggles with every tear that fell. It was so weird. It utterly chilled me for a few minutes. What he was responding to was a close-up view of my eyes (in a face with a neutral expression) suddenly making water and he hadn't recognised what that meant. He had to learn that all over again, bless him :)

And then I know of another little boy who has such a warm and empathetic heart for others but he has such a high pain threshold that he is severely challenged when it comes to making and keeping friends. He is having to learn to judge pain through other people's responses to him rather than his own body's messages. He's surrounded by children at school who have been told not to play with him because they will get hurt :( It's hard for him, but he'll get there... and he loves animals - so I have no worries :)

So yes... I think evil is a lot more complicated than being born that way.

Not sure how many of you have read the novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind - it covers this topic disturbingly well :)

I don't believe anyone is born evil. Not at all. Not one little bit. I think people can become "evil" in the sense that they commit acts of evil.

I REALLY wish I could remember the details, but I watched a very interesting documentary a few years ago (the article about brain scans reminded me of it in particular) where it discussed a gap in an area of the brain which gradually closes as we grow up, but failed to do so completely in those who were later found to have "psychopathic" personalities. It linked up studies of those serving life sentences for terrible crimes, and I believe soldiers (where up to 10 percent showed similar scan results - and tended to be the most likely to aim for the head in combat situations and hit their "mark" than the rest of their platoon members). I think the research suggested that this gap inhibited the transfer of signals between different areas of the brain required for developing "normal" emotional processes/responses. It was early research and at that time they were not sure if it was because the gap had been larger to begin with, or just failed to close for some other reason.

Now I sincerely apologise for the source, and it's sensationalist style, but the article IS interesting nevertheless and ties in to what I have said above. I DID decide AGAINST using their story tagline for the link though :/

Researchers at University College London found that children diagnosed with 'conduct problems' react abnormally to seeing people in pain

Certainly serial killers, psychopaths, etc that have come to the attention of society through the evil acts they have committed as adults, have all, to my knowledge, tortured, maimed and hurt animals from a very young age :( It goes against the instincts of most children, who are either enchanted by them or terrified of them, depending on their experiences.

I do think some people are simply born more challenged in their ability to empathise with others, perhaps because of genes or developmental problems before and/or after birth that affect the brain. I don't think it makes them evil. I DO think it COULD affect "the nurture" they get, so making it harder again for them to connect positively with others. It could also affect their ability to make friends with others (less challenged) because they are "different" too, and so make them vulnerable to further disassociation as they get older. Becoming evil, I would say, is a step-by-step process, and it starts after birth.

From a personal perspective, when my son was born and in the first year of his life he recognised the tears of others as meaning they were sad and his face would crumple in sympathy and he'd cry too. Then one day, I was carrying him in my arms after a visit to the doctor where I'd had news that had made me cry on my way home. I'd kept a very brave face, as I was in public (I cry silently - just tears - no fuss - rarely any noise :)) and he burst into fits of giggles with every tear that fell. It was so weird. It utterly chilled me for a few minutes. What he was responding to was a close-up view of my eyes (in a face with a neutral expression) suddenly making water and he hadn't recognised what that meant. He had to learn that all over again, bless him :)

And then I know of another little boy who has such a warm and empathetic heart for others but he has such a high pain threshold that he is severely challenged when it comes to making and keeping friends. He is having to learn to judge pain through other people's responses to him rather than his own body's messages. He's surrounded by children at school who have been told not to play with him because they will get hurt :( It's hard for him, but he'll get there... and he loves animals - so I have no worries :)

So yes... I think evil is a lot more complicated than being born that way.

Not sure how many of you have read the novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind - it covers this topic disturbingly well :)

I'm an emotional vacuum cleaner, a bit like your son Annie. I sense good and evil very well in people. My husband once had a 'friend'. I remember, that guy couldn't get near me within the two meters before I'd practically start vomiting, I really didn't know why. It was like the opposite sides of two magnets, repulsive, can't quite explain. Turned out afterwards, that guy was a pedophile. I can tell you lots of more stories about experiences like that. I have to agree with you Annie, when you say things are far more complicated than that. I think it has something to do with 'forces' that are all around us and that can occupy our body and use it. Call me a nutcase but that's what I think...

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rOZZ
Music
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I'm an emotional vacuum cleaner, a bit like your son Annie. I sense good and evil very well in people. My husband once had a 'friend'. I remember, that guy couldn't get near me within the two meters before I'd practically start vomiting, I really didn't know why. It was like the opposite sides of two magnets, repulsive, can't quite explain. Turned out afterwards, that guy was a pedophile. I can tell you lots of more stories about experiences like that. I have to agree with you Annie, when you say things are far more complicated than that. I think it has something to do with 'forces' that are all around us and that can occupy our body and use it. Call me a nutcase but that's what I think...

You're not a nutcase. Nutcases are the ones who laugh at that with their closed minds.

I REALLY wish I could remember the details, but I watched a very interesting documentary a few years ago (the article about brain scans reminded me of it in particular) where it discussed a gap in an area of the brain which gradually closes as we grow up, but failed to do so completely in those who were later found to have "psychopathic" personalities. It linked up studies of those serving life sentences for terrible crimes, and I believe soldiers (where up to 10 percent showed similar scan results - and tended to be the most likely to aim for the head in combat situations and hit their "mark" than the rest of their platoon members). I think the research suggested that this gap inhibited the transfer of signals between different areas of the brain required for developing "normal" emotional processes/responses. It was early research and at that time they were not sure if it was because the gap had been larger to begin with, or just failed to close for some other reason.

After a PET scan Professor Jim Fallon, University of California, Irvine, makes a shocking discovery about his own brain :)
Amazing video from the BBC Horizon episode, Are you Good or Evil?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2bPMDTXQTY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAbUmF4Pujc

"No behavior is really evil or bad -- it's all contextual," he said.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/scientist-related-killers-learns-psychopaths-brain/story?id=21029246

I don't believe anyone is born evil. Not at all. Not one little bit. I think people can become "evil" in the sense that they commit acts of evil.

Possibly disagree.

Many years ago, my late mother worked for a Prominent Psychiatrist in NYC.

He stated that MOST of his Patient's problems were NOT the conditions they had experienced in life. But their reactions to it.

Their experiences, some very bad, were no different than many, many other's; who exhibited no significant problems.

What is the Internal Difference between those who exhibit Evil, and those who do not, growing up with the SAME influences?

Because they did not experience IDENTICAL conditions, only close. Perhaps all it takes is getting away with some thing as a child and the circuit doesn't form to obey rules.

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Not sure how many of you have read the novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind - it covers this topic disturbingly well :)

Weird. I saw this movie the other day.
Dynamite expert Allan Karlsson's life, and the unlikely events following his escape from the old folk's home on his 100th birthday.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2113681/
A critic says

Flawed, but still enjoyable mix-up of Forrest Gump and The Perfume.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjiJ1cL3Uss

Maybe it's not that some people are born evil but that they have no sense of right or wrong. So nothing they do brings on a sense of remorse and if they go uncaught long enough they do increasingly despicable things.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Maybe it's not that some people are born evil but that they have no sense of right or wrong. So nothing they do brings on a sense of remorse and if they go uncaught long enough they do increasingly despicable things.

It's not maybe that some people have no sense of right or wrong.
There are so many studies about this. If they are evil I don't know.
But there are people out there who are evil enough...

Yes, Born Evil. All HuWoMans.

Experiences and Reactions. When They Happen or Later, determine if One Does Evil. Or Cheers On, Accepts or All 3.

Evil, yep, Everywhere. Waiting to Erupt.

Some People do Evil to Themselves and No One Ever Knows. Suicide results sometimes. Others quietly Die as Everyone Else.

Don't Bet Against Evil. Don't Think You Are Immune.

It is Waiting and Hungry.

' '

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Yes, Born Evil. All HuWoMans.

Experiences and Reactions. When They Happen or Later, determine if One Does Evil. Or Cheers On, Accepts or All 3.

Evil, yep, Everywhere. Waiting to Erupt.

Some People do Evil to Themselves and No One Ever Knows. Suicide results sometimes. Others quietly Die as Everyone Else.

Don't Bet Against Evil. Don't Think You Are Immune.

It is Waiting and Hungry.

' '

I would have said the same thing Dull, but then about the Good. Ain't that funny? I also don't think it's only the women who could possibly be born evil...

@Bob: Good point there, hadn't thought of that yet... People who are born without morality. Could possibly be a great factor to generate evil.

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

Terrorists are taught to be evil.
Festival-goers in western Sweden got a surprise when razor-sharp remnants of a fermented herring can exploded around them. Swedish police are now investigating the fishy incident.
No one was injured. However, the smell...
http://www.thelocal.se/20140814/fermented-herring-bomb-thrown-at-festival-sweden
Teacher?
A Swedish father has come under fire for taking his two sons on a trip to Israel, the West Bank and occupied Syria in order to teach them the reality of war.
http://www.thelocal.se/20140808/swedish-dad-takes-kids-to-war-zone

btw Today it is 200 years and 4 days ago our country was at war :)