The Doctor involved in the James Bulger case,said at the time the elder of the two boys in his view was born evil.

I think some are affected before birth (foetal alcohol syndrome being one cause), some are brought up in brutal households and suffer damage through violence, or psychological  abuse, or neglect, but I'm sure it's all in the brain.
http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=2085

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,take the james bulger case that bojangles has mentioned. 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!

I believe that people are born good.
I follow the humanistic school of psychology (Rogers, Maslow for example whose works always cause me to feel better after reading them.)
Here is one brief and condensed description which I found:
"Humanistic psychology was instead focused on each individual’s potential and stressed the importance of growth and self-actualization. The fundamental belief of humanistic psychology was that people are innately good, with mental and social problems resulting from deviations from this natural tendency."

Its the old debate of nuture/nature.. I could go on for hours baout it and end up in circles, but I basically believe in both. there is no black & white.just grey.

PS. I do think a bad up bringing, violence etc does not help but i also think things have got worse because of the influence of violent films, videos and the amouhnt of media children are exposed to.this give them ideas and is saying to them also this is the norm.

pps, man's inhumanity to man says it all really which is why i get on better with animals and always have.

I think it's a bit like intelligence.  I'm convinced that probably 90% of all babies are born with the same potential, and their future abilities, attainment, adn achievement is shaped by their experiences over the first 4-5 years of their lives.  I think the remaining 10% are either born with significantly lower or higher ability than their peers and the way in which they are brought up wouldn't make much difference.  I'm sure it's the same with being born evil, or the other end of the spectrum, with the vast majority of children being shaped by their upbringing, whilst a tiny majority wouldn't change regardless of what happens in their lives.

There are no answers to the Nature/Nurture debate

I think we are our brain, but I'm an atheist, so have no belief in a spirit, or 'higher self'.

It explains why people can suffer brain damage and have a complete change in personality.

As for the boys who murdered James Bulger, their upbringings were far from 'normal', from what I've read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2...milyandrelationships

Ahhh...the old "give me a boy til the age of seven" argument Growly?

I think those people perceived as being "born evil" are subject to a double whammy. There is some underlying glitch in their system, a malfunction of the neurones if you will - a brain malfunction. If they were then raised in a loving environment that glitch is overridden by the mind. If not then all hell breaks loose since nothing has been taught to override that malfunction. 

I am instinctively a dualist - but that contradicts my determined aetheism. So I try to ignore it if I can.

well I think to some degree we all have the same battle , we all wrestle with what we are told is right and wrong and what we feel is right and wrong, Surely that is what makes us human! What everyone here and millions of other people experience is conscious and the basic good in us fights what it knows is wrong, I mean if you know you don't like something due to your own suffering or experience, you wouldn't want to do the same to some-one else because you know how it feels, and its not nice. That is very different to the people out there who do it anyway, but make it as nasty an experience as possible for the victim, knowing full well how horrific the crime they are doing and loving it all the more and it makes it worse if that person has suffered that experience, because they should know EXACTLY how bad that situation feels to the other person. You show you have good in you by the very fact that you fight evil in yourself, if you were truly evil then you wouldn't even put up a fight, think about that, and take pride that you have some fight in you! that surely is a good sign of humanity in itself, I always think of evil like a bubble, it tries to suffocate and surround you and if you let it, it consumes you and you are trapped within that bubble. Most people fight that bubble and the longer you fight, the more tired you get, but the weaker the bubble gets too I strongly believe that light attracts light and reverse.

If we agree some people have a natural gift for althletics, art or music then why do we struggle to accept that some will have a natural leaning towards cruelty and aggression?
Some people have naturally happy-go-lucky personalities - some are life long grumps .... so why not naturally evil?

But sometimes it's the "knowing" that enhances the pleasure of those who inflict pain and suffering. Let's not forget those individuals who experience pleasure in pain.

And in most respects evil is relative. Nowadays the idea of exposing female children is abhorrent to most cultures. That's not always been the case. In medieval times burning heretics was considered a kindness and "converting" Jews an act of christian charity. 

Surely that can only give credence to the idea that goodness is merely learned behaviour.

That's a pretty scientific approach in my book.

It is the doctors own view, not a scientific view.

I believe all humans are born 'good' and that it is their personal circumstances which shapes their personality to deem whether they remain 'good' or become evil.

i read an interesting article recently which stated that many children are not taught empathy which may account for rising crime amongst children/young kids.

I blame the parents

there are too many factors and probably not all of them understood. It's not as simple as 'good' and 'evil' we are all capable of a bit of both given different circumstances and catalysts. but it's simple to write folk off as 'evil' that way it means we don't have to look at ourselves for answers.

One thanks f**k that he is not one's own Doctor.

I've certainly wondered that.

But do we all agree that? I think people who show talent are recognised and nurtured in these areas and that is why some become great. Children/babies are not born knowing right from wrong. It is something they need to be taught .....if they are never told and their parents or close role models have no conscience and dont demonstrate by their behaviour what's right or wrong ....how does a child learn? it certainly (IMO) is not instinctive ......we learn by example. If we have a really bad example in our parents and close family ..............surely that's what we perceive as the correct way to behave.

I think for what it is worth, that there is something to be said about some being born with the gene to commit evil things and it is not always to do with upbringing.

I know a family near me, lovely people and they have two sons, one is hardworking, family orientated and has never been in any sort of trouble in his life, the other one is a out and out thief, drug taker and is currently in prison serving a sentence for conspiracy to import drugs.  Same parents, same upbringing yet one is doing well and the other one is not.

I also thought that there was an inbuilt trigger in the brain that can make some people addicts where others are not, who's to say that there isn't the same thing to make a person either good or evil?

Upbringing does have it's place, but I do think it is inherent in some people, whatever type of home life they have, they will go on to do bad things.

Whilst I see what you're saying I think that once drugs come into the equation it's a whole different ball game. Drugs can alter the whole mindset of a person (obviously there is a chemical/clinical reason) ..........you dont have to be a 'bad' or an 'evil' person to get involved with drugs it's not a good/bad issue but ......once a person becomes involvedor dependant on drugs it can be life changing.
I think once a child becomes an adult the choices we take in who we mix with etc. can make a huge difference. I dont think that means the person is inherently bad or born evil though.