If this research is correct, it means that evil is not created by environment, it is created by nature. Though those born with lack of release of oxytocin may be more predisposed to psychopathic traits, evil can certainly be created by one’s environment. The word ‘evil’ itself may have a slew of definitions depending on who you ask. To me, in the simplest sense, it is doing “bad” due to lack of compassion. In my opinion, evil characteristics can be created, due to a rough childhood, for instance. That is not to say that every person who had a broken home will grow up exhibiting antisocial behaviors.
An important question to answer is, what is the appropriate moral behavior? There would be no “evil” if there was not any “good“ in the world. The article explains, “The human desire to connect not only with friends and family, but complete strangers is, I have found, what makes us moral. It is our social nature, our need to be around others, that makes us good most of the time. Oxytocin makes us feel what others feel and this not only motivates us to avoid doing things that hurt others, but actually makes us feel pleasure when we bring others joy”. The lack of this ‘moral molecule’ makes people “behave like psychopaths--they do whatever they want without regard for others' safety or welfare. They are loners in permanent survival mode”, Zak explains further.
If evil is a chemical imbalance in the brain, how long will it be until it is a perfect defense for murder and rape? Moreover, this touches on a seasoned debate of whether human beings are innately good or bad. What do you think? Are bad people created, or are they born? Are we fundamentally good?
This is very interesting. I can see where the ability of measuring oxytocin could potentially be a significant scientific process, but the thing about this article that doesn't sit well with me is that just because someone is impartial to other peoples' feelings doesn't mean that they necessarily have any intent of harming anyone else. When he references the rodents that do whatever they do with no regard to others, it proves the point that just because they are unemotional or unsympathetic to others, it doesn't mean that they are going to harm one another. Rodents seem to flourish just fine without any help or love from one another. I definitely believe that our actions are measured by our learned morals. If someone doesn't think there is anything wrong with being greedy, they will be greedy. If someone doesn't think there is anything wrong with killing someone over a certain circumstance, than they have developed that notion somewhere along their path. There seems to be an unmeasurable amount of instability within the human mind. I like the idea of people pursuing knowledge that would explain these behaviors so that we might be able to prevent them, but every single person is different; and most of those differences come from our individual perceptions of the events that happen around us from the moment that we enter this world.
ReplyDelete