Maximizing Moral Virtue

[Belacqua]

Psychopathy is a spiritual ailment. Anti-social people (psychopaths) will cause trouble at the expense of others regardless of upbringing or environment.

Largely we're just rehearsing the old "nature vs. nurture" argument here, but I think it's not that simple. 

I want to emphasize that the variables we have in upbringing and environment are pretty narrow. We live in a fish bowl and swim in the water that largely overrides whatever efforts individual educators can attempt. 

These days they say that even when we're born with a certain set of genetic dispositions, environment and culture can affect the way the genes express themselves. So it seems pretty clear that some people born with, say, less disposition for empathy, could be influenced by their upbringing and environment as to how this disposition leads them to live their lives. If they live in a kind culture, which helps us to take care of ourselves, they might not end up acting out. 

The liberal bourgeois values that dominate this forum of course believe in education as a crucial factor. Social problems are to be dealt with through setting a good example and improved education. This puts the burden on parents and other individuals, as always. It ignores the fact that there are evil harmful values baked into the system we live in. Mr. Goodguy modeling behavior for the kids has no chance against mass media propaganda and constant emphasis on certain types of getting ahead. Or on constant demonstration of the fact that problems are solved through violence. Or on blatant dishonesty from "successful" people. 

Then we have to think about the content of the education and the type of examples being set. Education is always education of something, not just an overall improving radiation. There are people here who think they're setting a good example by constantly passing judgment on others and then scolding them. But imagine someone raised in such a household -- they grow up thinking that judgment and verbal punishment are their right. If you pass judgment on someone and do your best to make him feel bad with words, or if you pass judgment on someone and shoot him, it's a difference of degree and not kind. 

Kindness is held at a very low value, in any kind of disagreement. 

So I agree with you many people have something spiritually wrong with them, if we stipulate that spiritually horrible cultures tend to create such people.