Good or evil?

I was watching this Horizon documentary the other day and found it very interesting and unsettling at the same time.

While watching it, two things came to mind. How much does the nature verses nurture of an individual play a part in their eventual personality and the implications for justice when criminal acts are committed.

Without giving too much away, if you want to watch it, these two issues were covered towards the program. Personally, I can imagine this research, if taken seriously, has major implications for society.

Firstly, how children are raised and nurtured. Ensuring the have safe and loving homes and are not subject to neglect and physical harm. I know that should be taken as read, but it isn't always done correctly or quickly enough in some instances. It's also, IMHO, a responsibility for the whole of society, not just social services and the police. Too often it is easy to blame them for failing individuals, but society must take some responsibility for this. I believe it is an indication of a society how the most vulnerable in that society are treated. All of society is culpable for this, directly and indirectly. That, though, is a post for another day.

Secondly, if a person has is a psychopath based on their DNA and they have not had a stable, happy childhood what should society do when they commit crime? Arguably, based on their nature and nurture, they are pre-programmed to become violent and they have a limit to their free-will in this regard. It's an interesting quandary for which there is no easy answer.

Makes you wonder, though, just how many people do you know who are actually psychopaths? Especially if you have or do work in the corporate world. A scary thought, but maybe all these types of peoples, given the right opportunities, can thrive and actively contribute to society in ways which their personally thrives on. After all, we are all made in the image of God. An imperfect image, but an image nonetheless. And I am even including Harold Shipman.