I think I probably comes down to definition. A person you might see as a fundamentally "bad" person I see as a product of their environment. They didn't independently decide to do those bad things, or culture their personality that way. If their role models had been better, their opportunities, if they had been born in a different time or place; they may have been a completely different person. Does the string of events outside their control make them bad? Sure. Does it make them a "fundamentally bad person", well we're gonna have to define that what that means because at their core they weren't bad, it was their experiences and opportunities that shaped them.

[–] liv@lemmy.nz 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I don't think there's any such thing as "fundamentally" anything in the sense of it being inate. I think there is only "effectively", based on what actually happens. I am a huge believer in environment and experiences shaping people. Brain chemistry also plays a bigger role than people realise.

But take my example in that thread of the guy who was telling me evil is more "interesting". Who literally did decide to choose it, as it turned out. There's a certain point at which we are capable of making choices.

You're a parent. You know there's an instinctive level of looking after your kids, there's a knowledge level that feeds into your actions... but you also know there's another conscious level that actually takes hard work in the form of dozens of conscious decisions where for the most part you put their wellbeing ahead of your short-term pleasure.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I think we don't disagree. At a certain point someone has become a bad person, even an evil person.

I like to hope that there are things we can do to prevent future kids from turning into bad people, rather than thinking they were always going to turn out that way.

You briefly mentioned brain chemistry, would you mind expanding on that? I'm always keen to learn.

[–] liv@lemmy.nz 2 points 11 months ago

Yes I think we do agree.

It's been a long time since I read up on it but I was thinking about things like how people respond to a car accident. For people who tend to stay calm and focused, the people who go to pieces may seem weird, but it's not their fault and it's not a conscious choice.

And then, there are environmental effects on brain chemistry too, for example measurably higher cortisol levels in the brains of children who grow up with food insecurity have a detrimental effect on cognition.