Are people born good or evil?

It’s not really about how you're born, right? It's all about how you're raised from day one through those teen years. Parents play such a huge role by setting boundaries—or not! But at the end of the day, it still comes down to the individual, don't you think?

Donna Hughes13 said:It’s not really about how people are born; it’s more about how they’re raised from childhood through puberty. Parents play a huge part by being too lenient, but at the end of the day, it still comes down to the individual.

That's mostly true, but teachers and friends have a massive influence too. Your parents can tell you not to do drugs, but if all your buddies are doing it, eventually someone’s gonna want to try it.

Sam Roberts4 said:That’s mostly true, but teachers and friends play a massive role too. Parents can tell you all day to stay away from drugs, but if your entire social circle is using, eventually someone is going to want to try it... even if it isn't everyone.

Kids who grew up with stability and genuine affection aren't just going to fold because their buddies are peer-pressuring them. This brings us right back to the foundation laid by parents during those early years. Drugs, alcohol, and all those other societal plagues... in my view, they are the consequence, not the cause.

You know that whole study about identical twins being raised in two completely different environments?
They don't turn out the same at all. Sure, genetics play a part, but honestly, your surroundings have the biggest impact.
I know from firsthand experience, too. I was doing just fine until life threw certain things my way—now I’m a total mess, but hey, at least I’m honest about it.

I honestly feel like some people are just born that way. I know—that sounds a little extreme, maybe even a bit dramatic—but I truly believe you’re either born with it or you aren't. No matter what kind of life someone leads, they’ll never turn into a Hitler or some other absolute monster because they simply weren't built that way; it’s just not in their DNA, so they can't act with that level of pure malice. On the flip side, you have those people who cause misery for everyone else out of sheer, unadulterated spite—without any traumatic past or "excuse" to justify it—simply because they get a kick out of it. Of course, I realize that your environment and how you were raised play a massive role in shaping your character and personality, but at the end of the day, any decent person can tell right from wrong. It really just comes down to the choices they make.

Lawrence Cooper8 said:I honestly feel like some people are just born that way. I know—that sounds a little extreme, maybe even a bit dramatic—but I truly believe you’re either born with it or you aren't. No matter what kind of life someone leads, they’ll never turn into a Hitler or some other absolute monster because they simply weren't built that way; it’s just not in their DNA, so they can't act with that level of pure malice. On the flip side, you have those people who cause misery for everyone else out of sheer, unadulterated spite—without any traumatic past or "excuse" to justify it—simply because they get a kick out of it. Of course, I realize that your environment and how you were raised play a massive role in shaping your character and personality, but at the end of the day, any decent person can tell right from wrong. It really just comes down to the choices they make.

I think that's completely mistaken. Nobody is born with psychological predispositions; we only inherit physical traits through our genes—things like height, eye color, hair texture, or certain hereditary medical conditions.

brighteagle39 said:I think that's completely mistaken. Nobody is born with psychological predispositions; we only inherit physical traits through our genes—things like height, eye color, hair texture, or certain hereditary medical conditions.

Wait, how can you say for sure that it's "completely wrong"? Unless you happen to be the architect of the universe or some ancient ancestor from the dawn of time, right?😕 Now, I’m really not trying to pick a fight here, I promise! But I just can't get on board with that idea. If we follow your logic, it would mean we inherit absolutely nothing from our parents when it comes to personality, temperament, or character—just the physical stuff? That would imply we all enter this world with identical souls, with zero differences distinguishing us even from the very start. I just don't buy it! I truly believe it's impossible, considering the unique combination of genes from both parents, their brain chemistry, and their entire biological makeup right from the very beginning of development. Even in early childhood, you can see such huge differences in behavior; some kids are naturally shy and quiet, while others are loud, crave attention, cry easily, or are just intentionally mischievous—grabbing toys away from other kids and all that. Most people would probably brush it off and say, "Oh, that's just how they were raised" or "they're just acting out for attention." And sure, environment plays a massive role—I totally agree there!—but let's look at a hypothetical scenario: if you took two different children and raised them in two separate homes with the exact same parenting style and the exact same social environment, those two kids would still turn out differently because every single one of us is a unique individual. It is entirely possible for one child to grow up to be Hitler while the other becomes a sweet preschool teacher!🙂 It's just like that example someone mentioned earlier about identical twins.

Ethan Thompson74 said:Or do they just become that way as they go through life?
Look, let’s take the most obvious example: would a figure like Hitler have been Hitler regardless of the circumstances he was born into? 🙂

Life can shape some people into good ones.

And it can mold others into villains.

Every single one of us eventually hits a crossroads where we have to make a choice...

But before anything else, you actually need a brain capable of thinking things through.

There aren't any rules. That just occurred to me.

The brain works just like a high-speed processor

It’s easy for people to act on impulse and make mistakes before they even realize what they're doing.

Anonymous said:Life can shape some people into good ones.

And it can mold others into villains.

Every single one of us eventually hits a crossroads where we have to make a choice...

But before anything else, you actually need a brain capable of thinking things through.

I’d agree with that. You know that study about twins raised in completely different environments? I think what life throws at us—and how we choose to handle it—is what defines us. But then again, if you look back at the start, maybe there are certain predispositions toward bad actions that shape our entire path. Now I’m back to square one... maybe we’re just born good or bad, and it just becomes more obvious as we get older.

Lawrence Cooper8 said:I honestly feel like some people are just born that way. I know—that sounds a little extreme, maybe even a bit dramatic—but I truly believe you’re either born with it or you aren't. No matter what kind of life someone leads, they’ll never turn into a Hitler or some other absolute monster because they simply weren't built that way; it’s just not in their DNA, so they can't act with that level of pure malice. On the flip side, you have those people who cause misery for everyone else out of sheer, unadulterated spite—without any traumatic past or "excuse" to justify it—simply because they get a kick out of it. Of course, I realize that your environment and how you were raised play a massive role in shaping your character and personality, but at the end of the day, any decent person can tell right from wrong. It really just comes down to the choices they make.

You are dead wrong. 👎

There is absolutely no way. People aren't born evil. We all enter this world as blank slates, maybe with certain predispositions—mental or physical—but those aren't set in stone. You can ask anyone who actually studies this; it's just not how it works.

It strikes me that we haven't actually moved very far from our initial opening statements... Perhaps the first step should be to establish some concrete definitions for what we consider good and evil. Can we even reach a consensus on those terms, or at least among a majority of us? It seems to me that different individuals perceive these concepts through entirely different lenses, especially since the notion of evil tends to become so terribly relative these days...
To perhaps sidestep our own inherent biases, let's try looking at other living creatures instead of just ourselves. For instance, are highly evolved animals born inherently good or evil? What would one even mean by calling a chimpanzee "good," for example? Is such a definition even possible to construct? And if we cannot define it for them, does that same logic apply to us humans? If not, I find myself wondering why...

silverfox6 said:You are dead wrong. 👎

There is absolutely no way. People aren't born evil. We all enter this world as blank slates, maybe with certain predispositions—mental or physical—but those aren't set in stone. You can ask anyone who actually studies this; it's just not how it works.

Look, I never actually said people are born purely, inherently evil! What I meant was that they carry certain predispositions thanks to the genes they inherit from the jump—stuff that starts shaping them from infancy. And yeah, okay, maybe we start out somewhat neutral because when we're newborns, we don't have any concept of ourselves or the world around us... but that phase is incredibly brief! I definitely don't think people are literal criminals the second they're born.

Life is full of paths where we stumble and fall
Paths where we find the strength to get back up
Some lead to nowhere, while others lead to everything
At the end of the day, it’s all about who we decide to be...

Whether we choose to be the hero or the villain...
The world around us reacts to our choices, shaping our power and influencing our path...
The streets have a way of teaching you lessons...

The real question is: do we want to show the world who we truly are?

Do we want to play the part of the good guy in an ordinary life story?

Or do we want to be the hero in some villain's twisted tale?

Which one actually grants us real power?

Because people will kill for that kind of control, desperate to rule...

Nobody is born good or evil; we build ourselves into who we become...

So I’m sitting here reading all this proof that some people are just born evil

I can't even remember where that recent thread about this exact topic was floating around 🤔

I think it’s more of a philosophical question, really.

Personally? I just don't buy those studies. They don't hold water for me.

Genetics, man... basically, bad people are born that way, or if they aren't, they're at least hardwired for it from day one.

In my experience... if parents are toxic, their children often turn out that way too.