Are people born good?

I stated "at birth". They are neither good nor evil at birth. It is completely up to the parents to train the child to "be" good.

Perfect doesn't mean good. It means that they are born having committed no good nor evil. Children don't exhibit behavioural tendencies until they are a few months old.

Quote: boymimbo

I stated "at birth". They are neither good nor evil at birth. It is completely up to the parents to train the child to "be" good.

Perfect doesn't mean good. It means that they are born having committed no good nor evil. Children don't exhibit behavioural tendencies until they are a few months old.

So are you then stating that people are not "born gay" since they do not exhibit these tendencies at birth? If everything is learned or trained then that makes the "born gay" statement impossible.

I have seen enough problem people in my life that I clearly think some people are born evil and grow up to do evil things. Prisons are full of people that cannot be controlled to be not evil no matter what is done. And I believe most people will act more evil than good without outside direction.

I don't think there is a "evil" gene, but one never knows.

Quote: boymimbo

I don't think there is a "evil" gene, but one never knows.

There is a gene that makes people believe everything about a person can be reduced to genes. (*)



(*) No, there isn't.

That video fits in perfectly with the Christian point of view that men are born evil and need god to find goodness. That is why FrG always is surprised with an atheist claims to have a sense of morality.

My point of view is that we're all ultimately selfish. I don't necessarily equate selfishness to evil. Even FrG said he no longer gives change to beggars. I think at some point about half us learn that we get further in life to have some mix of selfishness and altruism. The other half are pretty much just selfish. My opinion is we're born one way or the other.

Quote: boymimbo

I stated "at birth". They are neither good nor evil at birth.

Some kids are born sociopaths, and no amount
of training will change them. Prisons are full of
such people. Ever see a family that has three great
kids and one bad apple? He was born that way.

Quote: boymimbo

I don't think there is a "evil" gene, but one never knows.

I'm inclined to believe in multiple bell curves for all sorts of characteristics with rarity at either end. It makes sense to have plenty of variety for survival. A lot of "useless" genes might not be so useless in different circumstances.

Plague can wipe out anything sharing the same weak link. Environmental conditions can favor one specific trait and devastate one that was dominant before.

How could you think somebody could be born that way without genetic proof?

Quote: Evenbob

Some kids are born sociopaths, and no amount
of training will change them.

We agree on another thing.

I used to work at a summer camp for "troubled" teenagers. Some of them were decent kids who just made some bad decisions and their parents were looking to give them a little "tough love." Others were just born bad. You could see it in their eyes.

I may write about this camp experience sometime.

You see it in animals. I've had cats for 50 years
and some kittens are born feral. They're just
nasty from the gitgo and nothing will change
them. Others are just as sweet as can be from
the earliest age, friendly and purring for attention.