2012-04-20, 02:47 PM
I read the book back in high school, but can't say I really enjoyed it.
People are born neutral or at least your average "healthy" individual is. I'd make some exceptions for certain medical mental deficiencies, but there occurrence is seldom enough that I will ignore them.
John Locke's 'tabula rosa' probably describes it best at least in theory. However, society has an incredible amount of influence, especially on the young. Family and the rest of society shape, at least initially, a person's morality according to existing social norms and values.
Later as a person's individual identity develops, a person departs from merely reflecting societal values to choosing there own system of belief. Whether that philosophy is good or evil is certainly open for debate, but I do think it can be said with relative certainty that there is a choice (or several) involved. That choice means there is the ability to change. It may be unreasonably difficult, but I don't think it is ever impossible.
Probably the most important thing to realize about good vs evil is that no real villain ever believes that he or she is evil. Read the Darth Bane trilogy for a great example of an antihero.
People are born neutral or at least your average "healthy" individual is. I'd make some exceptions for certain medical mental deficiencies, but there occurrence is seldom enough that I will ignore them.
John Locke's 'tabula rosa' probably describes it best at least in theory. However, society has an incredible amount of influence, especially on the young. Family and the rest of society shape, at least initially, a person's morality according to existing social norms and values.
Later as a person's individual identity develops, a person departs from merely reflecting societal values to choosing there own system of belief. Whether that philosophy is good or evil is certainly open for debate, but I do think it can be said with relative certainty that there is a choice (or several) involved. That choice means there is the ability to change. It may be unreasonably difficult, but I don't think it is ever impossible.
Probably the most important thing to realize about good vs evil is that no real villain ever believes that he or she is evil. Read the Darth Bane trilogy for a great example of an antihero.